Living in a building with unsafe cladding or other safety issues can be worrying. If your building is currently undergoing remediation work, or waiting for it to begin, we have fire safety advice for you here.
In an emergency
Know your escape plan
Your building will have one of the following strategies.
- Stay put – where you remain in your flat, with windows and doors shut, unless the fire is in your own flat. Where ‘Stay put’ is in place the building’s construction – fire doors and concrete for example, will contain the fire for enough time for firefighters to control the situation.
- Simultaneous evacuation – where all residents leave the building and assemble in a pre-agreed meeting spot. In this case the building will be fitted with a fire detection and fire alarm system.
Make sure you know which strategy applies to your building. Your building’s landlord or Responsible Person will be able to tell you. This information should also be displayed throughout the building on fire action notices (signs usually found near fire exits and fire alarms).
When remediation work begins, your escape plan may change. Your landlord or Responsible Person will tell you about these changes – keep an eye out for notices and updates.
If you need help to evacuate the building we recommend discussing this with your landlord or Responsible Person. They should help develop a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) with you.
Is your building safe to live in?
Residents in buildings considered unsafe to live in, even if temporary safety measures were put in place, have been moved to other accommodation. If you haven’t had to move out of your home then it has been assessed as safe enough to live in while awaiting remediation work.
Temporary safety measures
There are a number of different safety measures that can be put in place while waiting for remediation work to begin. These include:
- Additional fire alarms
- Waking watches - waking watches patrol a building 24/7 with the aim of detecting a fire early, raising the alarm and helping residents evacuate the building.
- Evacuation management – this includes communication with residents, fire drills, and having people on site to help oversee evacuation, call 999, and help with Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans.
Which safety measures are put in place will depend on the building and needs of the residents. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Your landlord or Responsible Person can tell you which measures are in place.
Raising concerns
If you’re concerned that the temporary safety measures are not good enough, raise the matter with your landlord or Responsible Person. If you still have concerns let us know that you've spotted a serious and urgent fire risk.
Reducing the risk of fires
Keep safe in your home by reducing the risk of fire. Our key tips are:
- Make sure your flat has working smoke alarms and that you test them at least once a month.
- Use your balcony safely – keep it clear of clutter and avoid BBQs.
- Remember that carelessly discarding cigarettes and other smoking materials from balconies or windows can cause a fire. This is even more of a risk during remediation work when a combustible external wall could be exposed, or there are lots of flammable construction materials lying around.
- During the remediation works look out for any vents being blocked by the contractors. These vents are provided as part of a fire safety smoke control system. If you see a vent blocked you should report it to your landlord or Responsible Person.
The advice above is important, but all homes, and families are different, so take a few minutes to get tailored advice for your home by completing our Home Fire Safety Checker (HFSC).
Staying up to date
Many landlords and Responsible Persons will arrange resident briefings, or share information and updates via email, posters and leaflets. Stay in the loop and make sure your neighbours know about any changes too.
Who to contact
If you have concerns about fire safety in your building contact your landlord or Responsible Person.
Or let us know if you've spotted a serious and urgent fire risk.
After the remediation work
When the remediation work is complete it will be inspected by qualified professionals and signed off as safe. You can then be confident that your building has been brought up to fire safety standards.
Further support on remediation
If you have questions about remediation that aren’t related to fire safety, there are resources available:
- Supporting residents who have been affected by cladding and other building safety issues – advice from the Local Government Association on costs, selling your flat, and how your ward councillor can help.
- Code of Practice for the remediation of residential buildings – advice from GOV.UK on what steps should be taken to ensure remediation work causes as little disturbance to residents as possible.
- Cladding and other fire safety works – information for residents – advice from GOV.UK on leaseholder protections, mortgages and insurance.