As part of our commitment to managing building safety, we ensure that we have an active resident engagement strategy in place for all of our high-rise buildings.
The strategy ensures that all residents:
- feel safe in the building they live in
- feel empowered to play a role in ensuring their building continues to be safe
- know how to easily report any problems about their home or any part of the building which may impact their safety
- know what to do in the event of an incident in their block
- have a clear understanding of our responsibilities as a landlord, and their responsibilities to ensure their home remains safe
- are aware of the ways in which they can get involved and influence building safety, as well the services we provide
- know what we are doing in response to their feedback
- are effectively communicated with in a way that is accessible and easy to understand
- know how to make a complaint if they feel that their concerns are not being listened to
Keeping your building safe
Our high-rise buildings are kept safe through a planned regime of maintenance, servicing, repairs, and replacement of assets and components within them.
Some of the key fire safety-related assets include sprinklers, fire doors, smoke detection systems, firefighting equipment, emergency lighting and smoke ventilation windows.
Other parts of the buildings that have routine checks and inspections are lifts, communal door entry systems, electrical systems and various plant, storage, and communal areas.
How our buildings are designed
If you live in a purpose-built block of flats, there will be a fire action notice in the communal areas with the recommended fire safety approach for your building.
Walls, floors, ceilings, and doors are passive fire measures. Together they form compartments that limit the spread of fire and smoke. They are designed to contain fire and smoke at their source for a long enough period to allow the fire service to extinguish the fire.
It is this design that means residents are safe to remain in their home so long as it is not affected by fire, smoke, or heat, or unless otherwise instructed by the fire service.
Safety improvements
Here are some of the safety features installed in our high-rise buildings, designed to keep our residents safe.
Keeping you up to date
We regularly engage with customers on building safety matters, using various different means. We will tailor our communication methods to customers’ needs and make sure they are accessible.
A variety of methods will be used to communicate important building safety messages when necessary and we will provide residents an annual fire safety advice leaflet, which will also be shared with any new tenants at the start of their tenancy.
How you can have your say
We will provide opportunities for you to have your say on decisions relating to building safety.
This may include:
- checking if you have a preferred time for appointments about safety checks or works
- asking how we can reduce disruption when carrying out safety works
- getting your opinion on improving fire or building safety - for example, upgrading fire doors
- involving you in the design of any major upgrade works in the building
It might not always be possible or appropriate to consult on changes to the way we manage or maintain the building, for example if there is a new legal requirement to carry out work. In this case we will always provide written notice in a timely manner.
We also understand that not all decisions about the building will affect all customers, therefore, we will only consult with you if you will be directly affected by the proposed works or changes.
Building safety complaints
You have the right to raise a complaint if you have a concern about safety in any building. If you live in a high rise building (seven storeys and above), you are also able to complain to the Building Safety Regulator if you are unhappy with our response.
Any building safety complaints should be reported to us directly by calling us on 0800 218 2247, completing the feedback form here or by emailing us at feedback@wcht.org.uk.
We will then investigate as appropriate and aim to resolve the complaint within 10 days, in line with our complaints procedure.
Following a complaint, we will provide a written response including details of the investigation which has taken place, the outcomes and any follow-up actions.
If you do not feel like you have had a suitable response after raising the complaint, you can contact the Building Safety Regulator.
You can do so online here, or by calling 0300 790 6787 - (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm, except on Wednesdays when they are open from 10am to 5pm). sing the following:
What is a relevant complaint?
A Relevant Complaint is a complaint relating to a building safety risk as regards a high rise building, or the performance by an accountable person for the building of any duty under the Building Safety Act 2022.
Building Safety Risks are structural safety issues and spread of fire issues. For example –
- fire doors or smoke extraction points which are not working or missing, and may increase the risk of fire spreading
- failure of the building’s structure, such as parts of the building collapsing, cracks, or parts of the building falling off
You can also raise concerns about our performance as an accountable person or principal accountable person – for example around our communications to residents or our responses to raised concerns.