Keeping you and your home safe is our priority, and as a landlord, we’re responsible for making sure our buildings are safe, but we also care. We carry out regular fire risk inspections in our flats, developments and other multi-occupancy buildings; fit smoke alarms in homes and give practical advice on how to avoid a fire.
What you can do to stay safe?
- Regularly check your smoke alarm(s).
- Make sure you have a working smoke alarm on each floor of your home.
- Book a visit/call from your local fire service for advice on fire safety in your home.
- If you live in a flat, call us if you spot any fire hazards in your building including fire door damage.
- Don’t cause an obstruction by leaving furniture, bikes, prams and mobility scooters in communal areas.
- Don’t use the lift when evacuating a building as fire can cause a power failure.
- Plan a safe escape from your home and make sure you know the evacuation plan if you live in a flat.
High Rise Forum & Safety walks
Live in one of our high-rise blocks?
Every six months we hold a forum for residents to come to us plus we visit you too on our site safety walks.
Read more
Evacuation Alert System
Some of our high-rise buildings have an Evacuation Alert System (EAS) fitted. They are extra security measures and are fitted to support a building’s evacuation strategy in case of a fire. Only ever activated by your local Fire and Rescue Service (FRS), they make a loud alarm sound to let you know you need to leave the building immediately. For example, if there’s a fire on the 9th floor, the FRS may sound the alarm to evacuate that floor first, followed by others that aren’t directly affected.
How can we help prevent fires in housing?
A fire prevention video has been created by our insurers, Zurich. This short video highlights some tips to prevent any incidents happening in your home.
The regulations seek to improve the fire safety of blocks of flats in ways which are practical, cost effective and proportionate to the risk of fire.
The regulations came into force on 23 January 2023.
For high-rise residential buildings (a multi-occupied residential building at least 18 metres in height or 7 or more storeys), responsible persons must:
- share electronically with their local fire and rescue service (FRS) information about the building’s external wall system and provide the FRS with electronic copies of floor plans and building plans for the building
- keep hard copies of the building’s floor plans, in addition to a single page orientation plan of the building, and the name and UK contact details of the responsible person in a secure information box which is accessible by firefighters
- install wayfinding signage which is visible in low light
- carry out monthly checks on lifts which are used by firefighters
- inform the FRS if a lift used by firefighters or one of the pieces of firefighting equipment is out of order for longer than 24 hours
For multi-occupied residential buildings over 11 metres in height, responsible persons must:
- carry out quarterly checks on all communal fire doors and annual checks on flat entrance doors
In all multi-occupied residential buildings, responsible persons must:
- provide residents with relevant fire safety instructions and information about the importance of fire doors