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Safety checks in your council home

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Safety checks in your council home

Fire doors are required for all residential buildings over 11 metres, or 5 floors in height. 

We are required to complete:

  • annual checks of individual flat entrance fire doors 
  • quarterly checks of all fire doors in common parts of buildings 
  • information for residents on the importance of fire doors in fire safety 

The Council has approximately 600 buildings over 11 metres in height, and will meet the requirements in the following ways.

Flat entrance fire doors 

The Fire Safety Regulations 2022 became a legal requirement in January 2023. This means that the flat FED’s (Front Entrance Doors), in buildings over 11m are required to be inspected on an annual basis. We need to check FED’s every year, to ensure there is no damage or disrepair, and that they are working properly to prevent smoke and gases from spreading. This is to ensure safety for you and your family, as well as your neighbours.

We’ve got a dedicated team in the Repairs Service to meet Camden’s statutory fire door inspection duties. This team will carry out the annual inspection of an estimated 16,000 front entrance doors and identify any other repair issues present in the buildings where inspections take place. 

Your FED inspection appointment

We’ll book an appointment for our Camden inspector to visit your home and check your FED. If they find issues with the FED, we’ll arrange a suitable time for our contractor to attend and fix them.

The safety checks take about 10 minutes, and the inspector will need access just inside your front door so they can check both sides of the door and frame.
If you receive a letter and you aren’t going to be home at your appointment time, please phone us on 020 7974 6545 or email [email protected] to rebook your appointment for a better time.
 

Communal fire doors 

The quarterly inspection of communal fire doors will be carried out by the existing Estate Services Teams.

Any street properties that are over 11 meters will be inspected by the team who inspect smoke detectors and common areas each quarter. For qualifying street properties, the universal key system will help with access.  

Fire safety instructions 

We have installed fire evacuation notices informing residents of the fire strategy of each block.

There is also regular communication in Housing News. This will explain key fire safety information including the importance of fire doors and self-closers. 

Safety checks in communal areas

We have a statutory duty to carry out the following fire and building safety compliance checks in communal areas. 

Fire Risk Assessments 

We have committed to publishing Fire Risk Assessments for 3,277 residential buildings, including all purpose-built blocks.

Last year, 31 Fire Risk Assessments were overdue at street property blocks that could not be accessed. 

See all fire risk assessments for Camden

Electrical testing  

There are 2,828 communal electrical systems that require testing every five years.

Last year 17 were outstanding, mainly at street property blocks where we have not been able to gain access. 

Emergency lighting 

Periodic checks are required where emergency lighting is installed to make sure it is charged and operational. 

Water safety  

The water risk assessment (WRA) programme consists of 918 residential sites that have a communal water system in November 2022.

Last year 32 risk assessments were overdue in blocks where we have not been able to gain access.  

Asbestos surveys  

Camden’s obligation is to have an asbestos management plan for common parts of 3,852 residential blocks.

We are due to resurvey 2,274 blocks over the next 12 months. If you think there may be asbestos in your building, see our asbestos advice

Communal area alarms  

Smoke alarms are required in communal areas in residential buildings where an evacuation policy is in place. This covers all street property conversions and a small number of larger blocks. 

Compliance certificates

If you would like copies of the compliance certificates for your property or the building you live in, email [email protected]