Suite Entry Door Hardware in High-Rise Apartment Buildings

With reference to the Ontario Condominium Act (1998), all high-rise building suite entry doors are owned by the condominium corporation as common elements; not owned by the individual condominium apartment unit owner.

All condo apartment interior corridor doors must have a minimum 20 minute fire-rating. As the doors must have a minimum 20 minute fire-rating, all door hardware must be fire-rated too to ULC (Underwriters Laboratories Canada Inc.) standards. This also applies to rental apartment buildings.

The hinges on suite entry doors must be made of steel and with ball-bearings. The internal locking mechanisms may be tubular, cylindrical or mortise. With very few exceptions, the trims (lever handle and backplate) must have been tested and approved by ULC in a fire test with the locking mechanisms that were supplied with the trims by the manufacturer; no substitutes. The suite entry doors must have door closers or spring hinges so that the doors always close on its own.

An exterior thumb-grip on the outside of suite entry doors is not allowed. For new construction and renovations door knobs are usually not allowed by Canadian and American municipal Fire Marshalls. Lever handles should be on both sides of on the doors.

Suite entry sets must never be altered by a homeowner or tenant. Consequently, an interior door handle cannot be replaced by an owner or tenant wanting to match it to interior apartment door hardware sets, as this would negate the fire-rating of the door hardware.

Suite entry door hardware locks must never be rekeyed without the permission of the condominium board or rental apartment building management as emergency access is required to all building apartments in case of fire, plumbing or other emergencies. Extra (auxiliary) unauthorized deadbolt installations are therefore not allowed to be added to suite entry doors either.

-rs