Health and safety

Health and safety in the home

Our Building Safety Policy

The safety of the homes we manage and the people who live in them is a priority for us as a landlord. We deliver a programme of regular safety and compliance checks in homes and shared spaces so that we can find and fix any safety risks as quickly as possible.

You can read more about how we do this in our Building Safety Policy.

If you have a concern about the safety of your home or building you live in, you can:

Call: 020 8937 2400
Email: bhmbuildingsafety@brent.gov.uk
Speak to your Area Tenancy Manager or any other Brent Housing Management Service staff when you see them out and about in your neighbourhood.

Fire safety

As your landlord we are responsible for carrying out regular checks, called Fire Risk Assessments (FRA’s), in all buildings we manage that have shared spaces e.g. hallways or landings. These checks are done by a qualified specialist and include things like:

looking for possible fire hazards
checking if alarms, emergency lighting and firefighting equipment are available where needed and in working order
checking if fire safety and evacuation information signs are in place.

If you would like to see a copy of the most recent Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) for your building, you can email bhmbuildingsafety@brent.gov.uk to request it.

Evacuating in an emergency

Depending on the type of building you live in, we operate different approaches to evacuation during an emergency.

No matter what type of building you live in, if a fire starts inside your home or you are directly affected by smoke, heat or spreading fire, you should leave immediately, close the doors behind you and exit the building. When you are safely outside, call 999 for help.

Purpose-built blocks of flats

We operate a ‘stay put’ policy in all our purpose-built blocks of flats. The walls, floors and doors in these buildings as specifically designed and built to stop fire and smoke for a minimum of 30 - 60 minutes.

This means that, if you are not being directly affected by smoke, heat or fire, it is safer for you to stay inside your home with the doors and windows closed. This also helps keep the hallways clear for emergency services to come in and put out of the fire.

Converted street properties and supported living accommodation

In these properties we operate a ‘simultaneous evacuation’ policy. This means that if you become aware of a fire in your building, you should leave your home and building immediately.

Emergency evacuation plans for people who need support

If you live in one of our high-risk buildings (over 18 metres tall or 7 or more storeys) and would need help to leave in an emergency (for example, if you have a mobility-related disability or are visually impaired), we can create a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) with you.

You’ll get a copy of your plan, and another will be stored securely in your building’s information box, which emergency services like the London Fire Brigade can access during an evacuation.

If you don’t yet have a PEEP but think you should, or if your details need updating, please contact your housing management team.

Fire doors

Fire doors are an important part of preventing or slowing down the spread of smoke, heat and fire in an emergency, so we need to make sure that they aren’t damaged and are working as they should be.

Fire doors are fitted where required in shared hallways and to all flat entrances. If your door has been damaged or altered in any way, it may not be able to stop fire and smoke from spreading and could put lives at risk.

To report damage to a fire door, please call or email us.

Gas safety

You will receive a gas safety check in your home at least once every 12 months. This check is carried out by a qualified Gas Safe Engineer.

It’s important that you let us in to your home to carry out this gas safety check to protect your safety. If you do not allow us into your home for this, we can take legal action against you to gain access.

For more home gas safety tips, you can visit the Gas Safe Register website.

If you think you can smell gas or think there is a gas leak in your home, contact the National Grid immediately on 0800 111 999.

Do:

Turn off the gas supply at the meter
Open all windows and doors

Do not:

Smoke or vape
Light a match
Turn electrical switches on or off

Water

Water is essential for your comfort and safety at home, and we’re committed to making sure your supply is clean, reliable, and well-managed. Below you’ll find important information on water hygiene, what to do if your supply is interrupted, and how to respond to leaks or burst pipes.

Water hygine

The water supplied to the taps and facilities in your home is regularly tested for quality, taste and presence of bacteria by the local water authority, Thames Water.

As your landlord we also carry out risk assessments and checks to the buildings we manage as required by Health and Safety legislation. Our checks include making sure communal water tanks are clean and in good working order, checking water temperatures and taking water samples to test for bacteria.

If you have been away from your home for several days, then you should run your taps until the water is the right temperature and flush your toilet to help clear the water system.

Loss of water

If you’ve lost water in your home, please call us as soon as possible to report it.

If your water has been turned off for a repair, make sure all your taps are switched off to prevent flooding when the supply is restored.

If needed, our contact centre can also arrange bottled water while the issue is being investigated and resolved.

Leaks or burst pipes

If you have a leak or a burst pipe inside your home or building, please call us to report it immediately and we will attend as soon as possible to fix it.

To prevent damage or dangerous circumstances caused by water from a leak or burst pipe, you can:

turn off the water at the main stopcock and any gate valves from the water tank and then run all your taps to drain water from the system
turn off any water heaters
if electrical items are getting wet because of the leak, do not touch them and turn off the electricity at the mains
if water is leaking and making the ceiling bulge, place a bucket under the bulge and using something like a screwdriver, pierce a hole to let the water drain through.

We will always try and contact you if a leak has been reported in your home by a neighbour. If we cannot get in contact with you and the leak is causing damage, we may need to force entry into your home. In the unlikely event that this happens, your Area Tenancy Manager will be in touch with you about next steps.

If there is a leak or flooding outside of your block, you should call your water or utilities supplier to report this.

Electrical safety

Your home will receive an electrical safety inspection at least once every 5 years. This means that a qualified engineer will visit your home and:

check switches, sockets, power outlets, light fittings and the main fuse board to assess for any damage or faults that could be a safety risk
carry out tests to the electrics in your home and make sure that protection and prevention against fire hazards and electric shocks (earthing and bonding) is in place and working properly.

We also carry out regular testing and checks to electrics in shared spaces, including emergency lighting in hallways and landings and electrically powered gates.

If you need to report a problem with the electrics in your home or building, please call or email us.

Asbestos

Asbestos is not a danger to your health if it is in good condition and is left undisturbed. Worn, exposed or damaged asbestos material may release fibres into the air that can cause harm if you breathe them in.

To identify whether a building has asbestos, we carry out surveys in shared spaces across the blocks we manage. We do not survey individual homes for asbestos unless we are carrying out works in the property that require us to check for it, or when that property becomes empty.

You must not carry out any alterations or improvements in your home without first getting our written approval (this is a condition of your tenancy agreement with us). This is because, if asbestos is present in your home, proper controls are needed to reduce exposure to you, your family and anyone else who might be visiting or carrying out work.

If you are concerned about asbestos in your home or you want to request permission to carry out home improvements, you can contact us on 020 8937 2400 or housingmanagement@brent.gov.uk

Personal property damage or loss

Whilst we are responsible for fixing any damage to the building you live in, your personal belongings and items inside your home are your responsibility.

We recommend that you have contents insurance in place to provide cover for any damage or loss of personal items in the event of an emergency e.g. fire or flood.

If your personal belongings have been damaged or lost following an emergency event, you should contact your insurance provider as soon as possible to report this damage. Keeping and taking photos of the damaged items can also be helpful in progressing your insurance claim.

Your responsibilities

It’s important that you take responsibility for helping us to keep your home and any spaces you share with your neighbours as safe as possible. To do this, you must:

allow access to your home for servicing and safety checks when needed
report repairs and safety concerns to us as soon as possible and/or notify emergency services if it is an emergency
request permission before making any major improvements or alterations to your home
let us know about any changes to your, or anyone else in your households, needs which mean they might need help to evacuate in an emergency (if living in one of our high-risk blocks as listed in our Building Safety Policy
regularly clean showerheads and tapes to prevent build up of limescale
make sure to run water through taps in your home regularly and especially when you come back from being away from your home for several days.

You must not:

store, use or create any materials that can burn or cause explosion in your home, on a balcony or in any shared space
leave or store items (including, but not limited to, pushchairs, mobility scooters, plants, clothes driers, rubbish etc.) in shared spaces
lock, fasten or block an emergency door
use electrical outlets in shared spaces (including for charging electrical bikes or scooters)
make any changes to shared spaces e.g. painting or other decoration.