Building Safety Resident Engagement Strategy - Vickers House

We want to ensure we are linking in with our customers in a way which suits them. Our customers at Vickers House have helped shape this strategy by sharing their views on the best ways for us to communicate with them. 

This strategy highlights: 

• how and when we will communicate with customers.
• who customers can speak to about building safety.
• how customers can get involved and have their say.
• clarify responsibilities in relation to building safety.

We will apply this strategy in a flexible way to ensure we consider factors which may require us to increase frequency or change the style in which we communicate. 

This strategy will be reviewed a minimum of every two years, following any change to legislation or internal policy and following any mandatory occurrence report. 

Customers will be encouraged to participate in the review process. 

Estuary want to ensure our customers are safe in their homes. As Vickers House is a high-rise residential block, we take specific steps to ensure the safety of the residents due to the building make-up. This need has been highlighted following the tragic incident at Grenfell in 2017. 

Following the incident, Dame Judith Hackitt was commissioned to review building regulations and fire safety and put forward 53 recommendations for change. Her report was titled “Building a Safer Future” and has prompted new statutory requirements to be met, which are:

• Fire Safety Act 2021.
• Building Safety Act 2022.
• The Charter for Social Housing Residents: Social Housing White Paper.

These changes highlight the importance of residents feeling safe in their home and ensure that their views and concerns are listened to and acted upon. The key areas of change are: 

1. Clearer responsibilities for individuals and organisations managing high-rise buildings. 
2. A stronger voice and better information for residents.
3. Tougher enforcement for when things go wrong.
4. Greater oversight by the Regulator to ensure landlords are accountable to residents in an open and transparent way. 

Vickers House was built in 2015. The building has steel frame, with concrete floors, walls, and ceilings. The external walls have brick and metal sheet cladding, both of which meet the highest level of fire safety. 

There are 93 flats over 10 floors, which are connected by two staircases and 3 lifts. The two lower floors are car parking only. 

Vickers House has two entrances. All homes in Vickers House have gas central heating. This is supplied through communal pipework. 

All flats have smoke and heat detectors, and fire rated flat entrance doors which will provide 30 minutes of protection. The block has dry risers in the stairwells which can be used by the Fire Service to pump water up through the building, and both stairwells have automatic opening vents. These will open to release smoke from the evacuation route. 

The lifts are not to be used in the event of a fire. 

Estuary is fully committed to provided safe homes to our customers. We fully comply with the regulations set by the Building Safety Regulator. We carry out regular checks and maintenance at Vickers House to keep customers safe. These are: 

• Communal fire doors are checked quarterly. This includes making sure the closer is fitted and working properly, and that the smoke seals are in good condition. Flat entrance doors are checked annually. 
• Safety checks of the communal areas are completed weekly to ensure they are clear of combustible items, emergency lights are working, and they are safe. 
• We carry out fire risk assessments annually. Any actions required are completed within the timescale recommended by the Assessor. 
• Gas safety checks are completed annually on all communal pipework, and in any rented homes. This includes checking Carbon Monoxide alarms. Leaseholders are reminded that they should ensure their boiler is checked annually and that the Carbon Monoxide alarm is working.
• Electrics in communal areas and rented homes are tested every five years. 
• Lifts are inspected, tested, and serviced in line with legal requirements. These must not be used in the event of a fire. 
• All fire protection systems including emergency lights are inspected, tested, and maintained in line with legal requirements.

We visited our customers as part of our Customer Roadshows in 2023 to understand their views around building safety. We wrote to those we were unable to speak with and asked for their feedback separately. 

During and after this process customers were encouraged to speak with us regarding their concerns and feedback. We received engagement from 29 customers out of a possible 93 – that’s a response rate of just over 30%. 

Customers who engaged told us: 

• They preferred electronic communication; (email 50%, text 24%, post – 14%, phone 12%)
• Approximately 80% of respondents were confident that they knew where to find Health and safety information. 
• No one said they were unable to understand information due to language or hearing ability. 
• A small number of customers told us they would need help to evacuate the building. 
• Those responding preferred completing online or email interaction best – 33%, followed by meeting with staff to jointly inspect and discuss any issues – 30%.
• Those remaining preferred online meetings, drop in sessions at the block and joining a customer panel that meets with Estuary on a regular basis. 

Following the consultation, we commit to the following Customer Engagement Standard for Vickers House: 

Customer Engagement Standard for Vickers House

Residents can attend a Building Safety ‘Drop In’ online.	Four times a year
Residents can attend a safety related walkabout where they live and can inspect and comment on improvement works.	Twice a year
Feedback from resident engagement activities will be summarised on our website.	Twice a year
Residents will have a QR code installed at their block in several locations to direct customers to building safety information. Please note our website can be changed to over 200 languages!	Continuously displayed
The electronic notice board messages will reflect current updates.	As required and reviewed monthly
We will communicate with customers regarding matters which are urgent using multiple routes such as email, phone, text or post.	As required
If issues require immediate action we will attend the block in person and door knock to ensure key messages are received and understood if safe to do so.	As required
We will work with partner organisations such as police and fire services to ensure the block is as safe as possible for our customers.	As required
We will consult with customers when reviewing this strategy using a range of methods.	Bi - annually
Fire action notices and associated safety signage (to the current British Standard) are displayed throughout the communal areas of the buildings.	Ongoing
We will ask customers to confirm if they have any changes in circumstances or the way in which they use their home.	Annually
We will respond to information requests regarding building safety within a month of receipt.	As requested
We will then produce a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan for any person who may require help to evacuate their property in an emergency. The plan is held on site in the Premises Information Box and available to the local Fire Brigade in case of emergency.	Annually

Our Communication Will: 

• Use clear language (no jargon) and images / photos to ensure information is easy to understand. 
• Be shared with residents using a wide variety of communication methods to make sure residents receive important information in a way that suits them.
• Be in line with the Fire Service’s safety communications.
• Endeavour to make adequate provisions for customers on request, such as different language or braille versions. 

Building Safety is the responsibility of customers as well as Estuary staff. 

Customers must: 

• Provide Estuary with reasonable access to enable us to inspect and carry out necessary works for safety purposes. Where information or access is required, we will provide customers with reasonable notice, where practicable.
• Keep communal areas clear of obstructions at all times. This includes shoes, bikes, washing, and rubbish.
• Make sure all rubbish is put into the bins in the bin stores and not left outside or on the floor where it could be used to start a fire.
• Make sure your flat entrance door is in good condition and the door closer is working.
• Let us know if there are any changes to people living in your property, particularly if they have any support needs.
• Check your smoke detectors and Carbon Monoxide detector is working regularly. If they are not working, please contact us.
• Not tamper with any building safety equipment, such as doors, lights, risers or automatic opening vents. Let us know immediately if you notice that any equipment is damaged or missing.
• Give access to our staff and contractors to complete legally required safety checks such as gas inspections or electrical safety checks.
• Not smoke or vape in communal areas or allow trespassers into the building.
• Not use barbeques on balconies.
• E-bikes and e-scooters should not be stored in flats. Please use the communal bike stores and regularly check the batteries and charging devices.
  Report any safety concerns to us immediately by calling 0300 304 5000.

 

Estuary will:

We will proactively provide customers with the information they need to help them understand the protections that are in place to keep their buildings safe. 

We will ensure that the information provided is sufficient, relevant, and in a format that can be understood by customers. As a standard practice we will provide: 

• The measures we have in place to mitigate potential fire and building safety risks to customers.
• Information for customers detailing how they can reduce the risk of fire in their own property.
• A process for reporting a fire risk and/or raising any other safety concerns.
• Procedures to follow where a fire occurs in the building, including for evacuation.
• The different roles and responsibilities of the Accountable Person, Building Safety Officer, and customers.
• Key information such as the contact details of the Accountable Person and Building Safety Officer.

 

Customers will be provided with a copy of the engagement strategy and the fire action notice for their building at their tenancy sign up. They will also be signposted to the website for detailed information. 

The Building Safety Officer will carry out a visit with all new customers. This visit is used to provide information on the building, share their responsibilities, and to gather their personal information for the purposes of risk identification. During this process we will establish if customers may need assistance to evacuate in the event of an emergency. We will assess this need using data held on our systems and questionnaires completed by each household. We will then produce a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) for any individual who may need it and share this with the local Fire Brigade. 

We will work with the local Fire Brigade to provide any information they may require, and to undertake regular safety inspections.

Vickers House currently has a stay put evacuation strategy in place. This means you should remain in your flat in the event of a fire unless you are at immediate risk from fire and/or smoke. 

If you do not feel that it safe to remain in your flat, then please evacuate the building and await instruction from the Fire Service.

If you see smoke or fire either in your flat or communal area of the building, please call 999. 

Please do not assume that someone else will do this. 

If you are worried or concerned about your ability, or someone in your household, to evacuate the building independently, please contact us. 

How can you report any issues or concerns? 

If you see something that concerns you, no matter how small, it is important that you let us know. You can do this by:

•  Repairs can be reported by calling 0808 169 1969
• You can call us on 0300 304 5000
• You can email info@estuary.co.uk or feedback@estuary.co.uk 

If you see something that concerns you, no matter how small, it is important you let us know. You can do this by: 

Repairs can be reported by calling 0808 169 1969
You can call us on 0300 304 5000
You can email info@estuary.co.uk or feedback@estuary.co.uk 

 

How to Complain

Customers are encouraged to contact us if they are unhappy with the service they receive. Estuary has a two-stage process. 

All complaints are acknowledged within 5 working days of receipt and assigned to an investigating officer. The investigating officer will investigate the matter and provide a formal, written response within 10 working days of the complaint being logged. In some circumstances in order to provide you with a full response, we may need additional time to complete our investigation. In such cases, the investigating officer will contact you directly to agree an extension and confirm a new response date.

Should you remain dissatisfied with the outcome – you can request to escalate your complaint to Stage 2 of our internal process. Stage 2 complaints will be assigned to a senior member of staff and you will normally receive a response 20 working days of the complaint being logged. As above the response date may be extended should further time be needed to complete our investigations and the investigating officer will contact you directly to agree this extension.

If you believe that we haven’t dealt with your complaint adequately, or we have not resolved the problem you raised, you may wish to ask for further assistance. You can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service who offer a free impartial service. The Housing Ombudsman will only consider your complaint once you have completed our internal process. However, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman at any point during the complaints process for their guidance and advice:

You can contact the Housing Ombudsman on 0300 111 3000 or by emailing info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk.

Alternatively, building safety complaints can be escalated to the Building Safety Regulator. Customers can contact them directly on 0300 790 6787. Further information is also available at Contact the Building Safety Regulator - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Please note a building safety complaint is anything which relates to the safety of the building, such as the condition of the fire doors, or behaviour of other customers. It could also relate to the performance of Estuary in terms of building safety management. 

We will seek to work with customers to identify ways in which the success of this strategy can be monitored. Our proposed measures are: 

• The overall satisfaction that customers are feeling safe within their homes reflected in Tenant Satisfaction measures.
• The number of customers interacting with the engagement framework.
• The number of reports of building safety issues.