Yesterday’s fire at the Spectrum Building in Dagenham was worrying to see. We’re very relieved to hear that no one was seriously injured but our thoughts go out to all the affected residents for what they’re going through.
It's understandable that anyone living in a flat might be thinking more about safety in their own home. So, we wanted to check in with those living in a B3Living building and confirm how important safety is to us.
B3Living building safety
There’s a lot we do to make sure our approach is robust.
We make sure we are following all the latest regulations, are proactive with regular inspections and in several areas our checks go over and above the legal requirements. For example, we do fire risk assessments more frequently than government guidance advises.
On top of all this, we’re fortunate to have an excellent working relationship with our partners over at Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
If you haven’t seen our ‘Safe in the Knowledge’ campaign already, click here to find out more about B3Living building safety.
Insurance
When something happens, we’re often asked about insurance.
Reminder: our insurance only covers the buildings. If you haven’t got it, please buy some contents insurance today to cover your things.
(Click for a discounted option available to B3Living customers)
Fires can start for lots of reasons – cooking accidents, faulty chargers – all sorts.
Our safety measures are there to stop the spread around the building. But if a fire starts inside your home – they can’t always protect your clothes, furniture, children’s toys, etc. That’s where you need contents insurance.
Cladding
Although we only have a few, like almost all social landlords, we have some buildings with cladding on them.
Where we have cladding, we’re aware of it. We’ve taken steps to make things safe in line with building safety regulations – in some cases, this meant installing extra safety precautions (e.g. alarms) in blocks where recommended.
We’re also putting together building safety cases for any high-rise blocks we own (18m high+). We only have three blocks this tall.
Queries
If you have questions about your building or any concerns after yesterday’s events, please don’t hesitate to contact us.