Fire Safety
Your home will have the required levels of smoke and heat alarms installed, as identified by current legislation, or identified by the fire risk assessment (where applicable).
The major causes of domestic fires are cooking, candles, smoking, heating and use of electrical gadgets. Fires can start suddenly and spread quickly, damaging your home and belongings and putting lives in danger.
It is important you let us know if you have a hearing issue which may make it difficult for you to hear an alarm as we can help you obtain specially enhanced equipment.
What you can do to keep yourself safe:
Smoke detectors -
- Test your detector at least once a month by pushing the device's test button. If the alarm doesn't sound it is possible the batteries need to be replaced.
- Keep your detector clean - dust and dirt can build up on the surface reducing its effectiveness. You should keep it clean by dusting and wiping it with a moist cloth on a regular basis. Please do not use cleaning goods and chemicals because they can harm the device.
- Ensure the detector is not obstructed by anything such as furniture, curtains, or decorations.
- Report issues - if your alarm bleeps intermittently this may be due to a low battery or a fault. This needs attention (contact us if you need help with this.
If you have any concerns with the smoke detector in your home please call us to investigate 0333 200 7304.
Fire safety in the home -
- Don’t leave chip/food pans unattended.
- Don't smoke inside the property.
- Be careful not to overload electrical sockets.
- Use chargers for devices (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, e-bikes, mobility scooters, etc) supplied by the manufacturer of the device. Cheap replacements have an increased risk of catching fire. Unplug chargers when not in use - always unplug them overnight.
- Close living room and kitchen doors at night. In the event of a fire, this will help to hold back smoke and flames giving you vital time to escape or call for help.
- Keep matches out of reach of children.
- Keep portable heaters away from curtains and furniture. Only use the type with a safety cut out which will turn them off if they should fall over.
- Never dry washing in front of an open fire.
- Ensure your furniture is fire retardant and keep combustibles away from any heat source.
- Keep an eye on lit candles - they should be in an appropriate holder, away from flammable items e.g., curtains, and kept out of reach of children and pets.
We take fire safety very seriously and you should too.
In communal areas, we have a legal responsibility to make sure you and your neighbours are safe from key hazards, including fire.
We must ensure communal areas are free from flammable materials, ignition sources, obstructions, trip hazards, or any other fire risks.
If items are found in communal areas we will try to identify owners and ask for your co-operation to remove items immediately.
Where we are not able to identify the owner of the item or if you are not willing to cooperate with us, in line with the TORTS (Interference with Goods) Act 1977 we will:
IMMEDIATELY remove high risk items, such as flammables or items obstructing escape routes.
Sticker other items advising that they must be removed by you within 7 days.
Record and photograph items to be removed.
Return after 7 days to check items have been removed, if they have not been removed, then WE WILL REMOVE them without further notice.
Permanently DISPOSE of items irrespective of their value.
Not be able to return disposed of items.
Zero Tolerance
This means:
No Storage,
No Disposals,
No Rubbish,
No Exceptions.
Fire doors play an essential part in reducing fire risk and saving lives.
Fire doors keep fire or smoke in the room or ‘compartment’ in which it started. They stop it from spreading to other areas of the building and are an integral part of the building’s passive fire protection system.
To ensure fire doors prevent the spread of fire for a specified time, you must:
Keep fire doors closed.
Ensure doors, accessories, and self-closing devices are not tampered with.
Report any faults or damage to the doors immediately please contact us on 0333 200 7304.
Report any nuisance issues in communal areas on our anti-social behaviour page.
Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan
If you require assistance in developing your means of escape plan, or further explanation of the Fire Action Notice, which will be displayed on the notice board in communal areas, and how it affects you, please contact us.
