High rise living

Helping you to feel safe

As a responsible landlord your safety has always been a priority for us. The Government led Building Safety Act 2022 provides reforms to give residents more -

  • rights
  • power
  • protections

so homes across the country are safer.

The Act states that every resident of a high-rise building -

  • should be reassured that their building safety risk is being managed
  • can expect to be informed about the measures being taken to make their building safe
  • should be empowered to raise safety concerns and to know they are taken seriously
  • should be provided with safety information
  • should be encouraged to take part in making their building safe

What are we doing to help keep you safe

To keep you safe we -

  • carry out annual fire risk assessments on our high-rise buildings and deal with any issues promptly
  • install and maintain smoke/heat detectors in our rented homes by inspecting and testing them every four years. If you own your home or rent from a private landlord, this is your responsibility
  • check the communal fire doors quarterly in your block as they help stop the spread of fire and smoke. We also check flat entrance doors in your block every 12 months
  • make sure communal areas are clear and immediately remove any items left, that could pose a risk or trip hazard in an emergency
  • will work to understand the individual needs of our residents to ensure that details of our residents requiring evacuation assistance are recorded and available to be accessed by the Fire Service in an emergency and that Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (Residential PEEP’s) are developed and put into place where appropriate
  • will ensure that there are opportunities for every resident over the age of 16 to get involved and have their say on building safety
  • will carry out electrical safety tests in your home every 5 years

How you can help keep yourself and your neighbours safe

To help keep you and your neighbours safe you should -

  • make sure you and everyone you live with reads the fire safety leaflet which is reviewed and delivered to you annually and provided to new tenants during the sign-up process. It contains lots of useful important information about how we can and must work together to keep everyone safe
  • make sure you regularly check your smoke/heat detectors
  • be mindful of your neighbours and ensure that the space outside your flat is always clear and free from obstruction
  • not damage, remove or interfere with relevant safety items, such as fire doors, signage, smoke alarms or fire extinguishers
  • not do anything that could increase or create a risk of spread of fire or structural failure, for example carrying out refurbishment or building work that increases or creates a building safety risk
  • provide us with any information we ask for which we need to carry out our duties
  • let us know straight away if you have any concerns or need fire safety repairs in your building, or your circumstances have changed which may prevent you from evacuating the building

Fire safety in flats

You can find advice on fire safety in flats through our fire safety page.

Support in the event of a fire - Personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEP's)

The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 introduces new duties on building owners and managers in high rise and higher risk residential buildings, to address the fire safety concerns of their most vulnerable tenants.

These duties mean that residents with disabilities and impairments will be entitled to -

  • a person-centred fire risk assessment to consider their specific individual risks and ability to evacuate in the event of a fire
  • measures that could be reasonably and proportionately introduced to mitigate against their risks
  • a written statement recording what they should do in a fire
  • information shared with their local Fire and Rescue Service so they know where the most vulnerable residents live and can support their evacuation or rescue in the event of a fire

We already have arrangements in place to assist the fire service in the event of an emergency through our secure information boxes located in each of our high rise buildings which contain accurate building and floor plans along with a flag system for our vulnerable residents.

If you or any family member would have difficulties in evacuating in the event of a major incident such as a fire, contact the High-Rise Team for advice on -

Window safety

If you’re living at height, it’s important to check your windows regularly.

Do not sit or lean too far over your windowsills.

Use window opening restrictors, usually located within the inside of the window frame. If you don’t have them or they’re not working, contact us and we’ll install new ones.

If you need to open your windows for ventilation, always make sure the window restrictor is in place and that it is secure. This will prevent accidental falls and could save lives. When activated, these restrictors only allow the window to be opened roughly around 10cm, which for reference, is around the size of a standard coffee mug.

If you have to open the window wider than the restricted position, to ventilate a room or clean the windows, then always re-engage the restrictors as soon as you have finished and check they are back in position. If you have key lockable handles then always lock them using the key when the window is closed.

If your window above ground floor level does not have a restrictor and you feel there is a risk of falls, or has a restrictor, but you find that it opens further than 10cm when switched on, then contact us to arrange a visit and a possible repair on-

External areas

Grounds Maintenance

Your Housing Facilities Operative will check communal external areas as part of their routine daily and weekly inspections. 

For more information and how to report an environmental issue visit our grounds, trees and hedges pages.

Emergency Vehicle Access

Emergency vehicle access areas are indicated by hatched markings around the building and should not be used as a parking area for residents and visitors.

It is important that this area is kept clear to allow the emergency services to access the building quickly in the event of an emergency.

These areas are also important access points for waste removal teams. If the area if blocked, waste cannot be removed, therefore causing a fire hazard.