Fire safety advice during building remediation
If you live in a building with unsafe cladding or other fire safety issues, you may feel worried. This page explains what to do if your building is waiting for remediation work or if work is already under way.
What to do in an emergency
If there is a fire or you can smell smoke, call 999 immediately. Follow your building’s fire action notices. Leave the building if the alarm sounds or if you are told to evacuate.
Know your building’s evacuation plan
Your building will usually have one of two fire safety strategies:
Stay put – you stay in your flat with windows and doors closed, unless there is a fire in your own flat. This approach relies on fire doors and fire-resistant parts of the building to help stop fire spreading while firefighters respond.
Simultaneous evacuation – everyone leaves the building and goes to a pre-agreed assembly point. Buildings using this strategy should have a suitable fire detection and alarm system.
Make sure you know which strategy applies to your building. Your landlord, building manager or Responsible Person can tell you. The Responsible Person is the person or organisation responsible for fire safety in shared parts of the building. This information should also be shown on fire action notices, usually near exits, entrances, or alarm points.
Your evacuation plan may change while remediation work is taking place. Look for updates, letters, emails, posters, or resident briefings from the people responsible for your building.
If you would need help to leave the building in an emergency, speak to your landlord, building manager or Responsible Person. They should help you agree on a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan. You can also visit the Home fire safety section to complete the online home safety check, which can lead to a home fire safety visit.
Is your building safe to live in?
If residents need to move out because a building is not safe to live in, even with temporary safety measures, they should be offered somewhere else to stay. If you have not been asked to move out, your building has been assessed as safe to live in while remediation work is arranged or completed.
Temporary Measures to Ensure Your Safety
Temporary safety measures may be put in place before or during remediation work. These can include:
- extra fire alarms
- waking watch patrols, where trained people patrol the building day and night to spot fires early, raise the alarm and support evacuation
- evacuation management, including resident communication, fire drills, calling 999 and support with Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans
The measures used will depend on the building and the needs of residents. There is no single approach that works for every building.
Your landlord, building manager or Responsible Person can explain which measures are in place in your building.
Raising concerns
If you have concerns about general fire safety, or that temporary fire safety measures are not suitable or are not being followed in your building, contact your landlord, building manager or Responsible Person first. They are responsible for explaining the fire safety measures in place and what you should do in an emergency.
If you still have concerns about the fire risks, you can get in touch using our contact form.
Reduce the risk of fire in the home
You can help reduce the risk of fire by following these steps:
- make sure your flat has working smoke alarms and test them at least once a month
- keep balconies clear and do not use barbecues on them
- never throw cigarettes or smoking materials from balconies or windows
- report any blocked vents to your landlord, building manager or Responsible Person, especially during building works
Stay up to date
Landlords, building managers and Responsible Persons may share updates through resident meetings, emails, letters, posters or leaflets. Read these updates carefully and help neighbours stay informed where you can.
Once remediation work is complete
When remediation work is complete, the work will be inspected and signed by qualified professionals. Your landlord, building manager or Responsible Person should tell residents when the work has been completed and what this means for the building’s fire safety arrangements.