Good practice on how residents and landlords work together to keep their home and building safe

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The Social Housing Green Paper published last year included a specific question around how residents can be supported by their landlords to ensure their homes are safe.

A Call for Evidence – available here –  has been issued to understand what safety issues are most important, the extent to which current engagement works and what good practice exists that can be learnt from.

The Call for Evidence asks for views from residents and those managing multi-occupancy residential buildings on how residents are currently supported to keep their homes safe.

Government has also published its implementation plan for changes to the regulatory framework around building safety in response to the recommendations in the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety.  The implementation plan – available here – summarises the work that has already been undertaken to make existing buildings safe and to kick-start system reform.

The starting point for reform is to consider the best practice that currently exists and also, what barriers exist.

We know that there is a lot of good practice which demonstrates how residents and landlords are working together to keep their homes and buildings safe.  The NHC is intending to submit evidence to the inquiry on supporting residents to report building safety issues and we need your help with our evidence gathering. For example,

  • Do you have any examples of good practice on engagement with residents and provision of information relating to responsibilities around fire or structural safety you would like to share?
  • Have you ever been refused entry to an occupant’s property where you have had a structural or fire safety concern – if so, what did you do next?
  • How effective do you think existing mechanisms are in enabling you to gain access to an occupant’s property when you have a concern about safety?

Anyone with an interest in this issue is welcome to submit their views.   If you would like to submit evidence of good practice or discuss any of the issues raised by this Call for Evidence please contact:  Karen Brown karen.brown@northern-consortium.org.uk by 5th February.

Many thanks for your assistance in this matter.