A door entry system makes a tenement building more secure than a regular locking system. Additionally, it provides better security if the door opens outwards, as this means the door cannot be ‘booted in’. Magnetic locks also get around the problem of mechanical failure or faults due to damage to the locking mechanism.
A door entry system consists of:
At the street end:
- a self-closing mechanism on the door
- intercom panel
- electric strike to release the door
In the flat:
- internal handset/video link
- release button
There is also often a service button to allow refuse collectors and postmen easier access during set hours.
Installing a door entry system
As always, check your titles before installing a door entry system to see if they set out any rules for organising such work. If they are silent on this matter, it’s necessary to follow the default rules in the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004.
Under the Act, installing a door entry system requires a majority decision of the flat owners. While the Act does not exclude the owners of main door flats which do not have any access through the common stair from having the right to vote here, it is likely that they will not involve themselves as they are not affected.
Use our decisions-tree guide to help ensure you’re following proper procedures if going ahead with the work, which includes having an owners’ meeting, informing owners of the decision, getting quotes, and completing the work.
Repairing Standard for landlords
If you are a landlord, the Repairing Standard requires all flats in blocks of four or more to have a secure entry system that can be opened from the inside without a key to improve tenants’ safety in the event of a fire.
However, the Repairing Standard states that a landlord will not fail the standard if work otherwise needed to comply cannot be carried out because a majority of owners in the tenement have refused consent to carry out the work.
This means that if you are a landlord and are unable to install a door entry system due to refusal of consent to do so from the majority of owners in your building, you won’t fail the Repairing Standard, as long as you can show that you have taken reasonable steps to attempt to install a door entry system.
Who pays?
Unless your titles say otherwise, installing a door entry system is regarded as a ‘scheme cost’ and all owners are required to pay an equal cost of installation. While, once again, the Act does not exclude main door flats which do not have any access through the common stair, in practice they should not be asked to contribute.
As regards maintenance, unless your titles say otherwise, the flats are equally liable or, where the largest flat is more than 1.5 times the size of the smallest, liability is by floor area. Again, in practice, main door flats which do not use the door entry system should not be asked to contribute.
