If you have concerns about the safety of your home and you live in a high-rise building, we highly recommend the website – Tower Blocks UK.
The website contains a range of helpful advice and guidance. It also includes links to the highly useful website – Fix My Block. The site contains tried and tested resources to assist tenants and residents living in tower blocks to take action to address concerns that you might have. It also contains a number of inspiring case studies.
Guidance and good practice
The following is a list of links to further information that you might find valuable in relation to building and fire safety matters:
TAROE Trust recognises that the more information that tenants and residents can access from independent sources, the better equipped they are likely to be to build knowledge and engage with their landlords more effectively.
The Hackitt Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety highlighted the need for a culture change for the way landlords engage with residents and for there to be increased levels of transparency and accountability.
4.25 There is a need for culture change in the relationship between landlords and residents so that the good practice that already exists becomes the norm across the whole sector. This change should be supported and promoted by appropriate government investment to build the capability of residents, landlords and building owners to work co-operatively. This recommendation could be put in to effect quickly, and well in advance of the implementation period required for any legislative changes.
4.26 There is a need for funding for organisations working at both local and national level to support residents of all tenures. These organisations would help to upskill residents’ associations and tenant panels and provide advice, guidance and support to residents and dutyholders on effective engagement and good practice in relation to safety issues. Government support for these organisations would be a strong signal of the importance of the role that residents can play in ensuring the safety of their homes.
Below is a list of resources which we think will be useful for tenants and residents. We will add to this over time. If you are aware of other useful resources for tenants and residents, please contact us so that we can add them to the list.
Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety (the “Hackitt Review”)
Building a Safer Future Implementation Plan (December 2018)
Building a Safer Future consultation (June 2019)
Government’s response to the Building a Safer Future Consultation (April 2020)
Draft Building Safety Bill (July 2020)
The Social Sector (Building Safety) Engagement Best Practice Group: Final Report (March 2021) – Independent report which sets out the recommendations about good practice when engaging with residents on fire and building safety issues
Further details about The Social Sector (Building Safety) Engagement Best Practice Group can be accessed here.