It’s important to keep communal areas like hallways and stairwells clear. The safety of our customers is our top priority and part of this is making sure that communal areas are managed correctly so they don’t pose a risk in the event of an emergency.
Our Communal Compliance officers manage the risks in these areas, but inspections are also carried out regularly by Property Managers and repair operatives. We need to make sure your communal areas are not obstructed and are as safe as they can be. This includes hallways, stairwells, concierge areas, and any area within the building that’s used by multiple people.
Keeping communal areas clear
Obstructions in communal areas are hazardous.
- They obstruct you if you need to make a quick escape, and cause injury
- They could fuel fire, helping them to spread, and making it harder to extinguish
- They could obstruct emergency services who need to enter the building
- They are trip hazards even in non-emergency situations.
It’s vital that communal areas are kept clear at all times. We may write to you to let you know that your communal area is obstructed, and if these are your items, please remove them right away. This could be bikes, prams, or even a build up of mail.
Electric meter cupboards
If there are any electric meter cupboards in your building, we need to keep them clear too. Filling up these cupboards with items also increases the risk of fire starting, and spreading. We also need easy access to read the meter, so we can be accurate when we calculate the cost to you for electricity use in these communal areas.