Safety glass in internal doors?

[SillyStrokeSensibleMum]

Does anyone know whether it is a legal requirement for glass panels in internal doors to be made of safety glass? We are having to rent out our home :( and this is just one of the many things we are worrying about!

It is an old house (Victorian) which has glass panels in the tops of almost all of the internal doors, plus the door to the porch has glass panels throughout, albeit very narrow ones. I want to err on the side of caution and of course make sure we are doing everything we are legally obliged to. However, some people I've spoken to think that replacing all the original glass seems a bit unnecessary.

Any thoughts/experience? TIA.

[CuddyMum]

We only had to replace glass with safety glass when we had a loft conversion.

[wonkylegs]

The legal requirements for where you need safety glass are spelt out with diagrams in the building regs approved document you can get a copy here
www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/approveddocuments/partn/

[SillyStrokeSensibleMum]

Thanks for the replies.

So do all the building regs requirements apply to houses which are rented out? . I think it's clear what standards you need to meet when you're having new building work done, but what are the laws regarding existing buildings? Do they change when the house is rented out?

Unfortunately I don't know anyone who has an old house with similar windows/doors which they are renting out, but I know lots of people who simply live in the houses and have kept as much of the original glass as possible.

[BedHog]

Depends on the size of the glass. If you do want to change it though and don't want clear glass, Minster or Warwick are two traditional-looking alternatives that can be toughened.

[wonkylegs]

For me It's a safety thing more than anything - if you were renting out your house & a kid fell through a piece of glass that was supposed to be safety glass and wasn't I'd feel terribly guilty + there is a chance you'd be chased for compensation as it's not safe. (I hate compensation chasers but it happens a lot)
You can get retrofit glass safety film which is a clear film which you apply to existing glass that holds the pieces together safely if a window gets broken rather than replacing the glass.
If you google 'safety film for windows' you'll get loads of suppliers make sure whatever you choose is rated to the british standard I think it's BS6206

[SillyStrokeSensibleMum]

Thanks Bedhog, I'll look into those.

Wonky, I absolutely agree. Thanks for your input with this. Safety is my main concern, followed by protecting myself from being sued. But there is of course the cost factor... I suppose I did consider the doors safe as we lived there for several years with small children, and the house is 100+ years old and still appears to have the original glass so I'm presuming no horrible accidents have happened (although of course it only takes one...). The porch door has very narrow sections of glazing (just a few inches across). The doors all have the glazing at the top (top quarter approx) so whilst no-one could actually fall through any of them my neurotic brain knows that something horrible could happen in theory. I wonder whether that safety film might be a good solution. Is it legally acceptable as an alternative to safety glass do you know?

[AppleCrumbleAndFish]

Are you using an agent? They will know what the legal requirements are. I think regardless of the legal requirements it should be safety glass or at the very least the safety film.

[wonkylegs]

We've put it in places (clinics, care homes) when we aren't replacing any of the original glazing for additional safety. If you fit it correctly you can't see it so its win win. As far as I know there is no legal requirement to replace but if you need to put in new glass due to other reasons (such as a new fire escape route needed or due to adjustments elsewhere) you would need to put in glass to meet the new regs even if it's replacing like for like.
If they are v. small panes there is some exemption but not sure off the top of my head what it is - you'd have to look in the AD part N(the link I sent) as it's considered such a low risk - although don't quote me on this as I've never done this personally.