About your property

Fire safety

We are responsible for fire safety in the communal areas of our residential blocks.

Fire safety measures

We ensure your fire safety in your home by:

• completing fire risk assessments in each block to identify fire risks
• completing regular health and safety and security block inspections to identify defects and housekeeping issues
• installing, testing and maintaining fire detection in tenanted properties
• inspecting secondary means-of-escape routes annually to ensure they are unobstructed and maintained
• installing adequate fire precautions in buildings to ensure we reduce the risk from fire as far as reasonably practical and meet best practice standards
• ensuring fire doors, emergency lighting and other fire safety precautions we install in our buildings are tested and maintained
• ensuring communal areas of buildings are kept clear of combustible items such as personal items and waste
• working with London Fire Brigade and endorsing their free home safety visits to all residents

Your responsibilities

As a leaseholder you have a vital role to play in ensuring fire safety within your property. This includes ensuring your flat entrance door meets building regulation requirements, ensuring a working fire alarm is in place within your property and undertaking gas safety inspections of any gas appliances that have been fitted.

Fire doors

It is your responsibility as a leaseholder to ensure your doors are maintained to a standard which meets building regulation requirements. If you are unsure if your fire door meets this standard, you can perform this 5 step check or contact a qualified fire door inspector to check your doors.

In addition, you can ensure further fire safety by:

• never propping open a fire door
• reporting any doors in your block that look like they may not meet the required standard by calling 0800 358 3783 
• implementing a maintenance schedule and checklist for your doors

Other things you can do to protect yourself against fire:

• prepare your household for emergencies using our guide
• test your smoke alarm weekly
• do not store personal items in communal areas, read our policy on communal fire loading for more information.

Things to avoid

Please make sure you do not:

• obstruct any secondary means-of-escape route
• install additional locks or chains to either your front door or secondary means-of-escape door as they could prevent you escaping a fire
• make any alterations to your home without our written permission. You could affect the fire safety precautions within your home
• tamper with or vandalise any fire precautions, such as fire doors in communal areas

You can find out more information about fire safety in your home in the following leaflets:

• practical advice on how to prevent fires in your home
• further information on health and safety is included in your leaseholder handbook

Get a free home fire safety visit

The London Fire Brigade can visit you at home to offer advice on how to make your home safe.  They will fit a smoke alarm for free for leaseholders.

To request a free visit:

Visit the London Fire Brigade website
Call: 08000 28 44 28
Email: [email protected]

Asbestos

In the 1960s and 1970s asbestos was widely used in building materials and products due to its durability and heat resistant qualities. Low levels of asbestos are commonly found in residential properties within:

• floor tiles
• pipe insulation
• textured coatings
• some toilet cisterns

Although asbestos is a hazardous material it can only pose a risk to your health if the fibres are disturbed and become airborne.

This could occur if the material containing asbestos is drilled, sanded, cut or broken up; or if the material is in a poor condition or is damaged.

Exposure

Exposure to low levels of fibres is unlikely to harm your health. It is very unlikely that the levels of asbestos fibres found within your home will be harmful but if you have damaged asbestos materials in your home you should contact us immediately.

Call: 020 7245 2296

High, short-term exposure to asbestos fibres can occur during DIY projects so please be careful when making any changes to your home.

Any repairs or major works undertaken in your home by our appointed contractors will include a risk assessment during which checks will be made to see if they are likely to disturb asbestos.

Where asbestos is found to be damaged or may be disturbed it will be dealt with or removed by our contractors.

You can find more information on asbestos on the Health and Safety Executive website.

 

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