As part of our commitment to ensuring building safety — and compliance with new regulations — we are asking every resident in our high-rise blocks to complete a Resident Profile Survey. This may feel like another form to fill in, but in truth, it’s an easy way you can help us keep your home and your household safe.
Building safety has changed — and residents have more of a voice than ever
In recent years, new legislation (the Building Safety Act 2022) has introduced a stronger regulatory framework for high-rise residential buildings — those typically with seven storeys or more (or reaching 18+ metres). Under this law, the people legally responsible for a building’s safety (known as the Principal Accountable Person — or “PAP” — and other Accountable Persons “APs”) must do more than make sure fire doors work or alarms are maintained. They must also engage with residents — ensure you’re informed, consulted, and able to contribute to decisions on building safety.
In addition, they must create a Resident Profile as part of the building’s Safety Assessment Certificate application and for the building’s Safety Case report.
To ensure that every resident has the opportunity to be accurately represented, appropriately engaged with, and have their needs accounted for should an emergency occur, we’re conducting annual Resident Profile surveys under the instruction of the management for every High Rise Residential Building within our portfolio.
What the Resident Profile Survey does — and why it’s important
The Resident Profile Survey helps us build a clear, up-to-date picture of everyone in the building. That includes:
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Whether you are a leaseholder living in the building, a leaseholder who does not live there, or a tenant. This helps us understand turnover and occupancy patterns. Over time, we hope to improve our processes so that units with higher turnovers in occupancy – rental units – are asked to update their details more frequently than resident units that are occupied by the leaseholder(s).
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Whether anyone in your household may require additional support, for example, due to mobility, health, disability, language or other communication needs, this helps us plan tailored safety measures and, if required, a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP).
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How you prefer to be contacted, engage with building management, and receive relevant safety information.
By collecting this information regularly (typically annually), we can make sure safety procedures, communication and support are appropriate, accessible, and up-to-date.
It’s about safety — but also fairness, inclusion and communication
High-rise buildings are home to diverse communities. Some residents may have mobility challenges; some may not speak English as a first language; some may prefer printed notices to digital alerts; and many may move in or out over the year. A one-size-fits-all approach to building safety often fails.
Our surveys enable us to help your building’s management to tailor their engagement methods and safety plans to the needs of everyone living there, allowing for:
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Inclusion of residents who might otherwise be left out — those with disabilities, communication barriers, or less access to technology.
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Better, clearer communication — voting for the channels and formats that work best for you.
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More effective emergency planning — ensuring households that need extra support are identified and assisted properly.
- Accurate accounting in service charge budgeting and expenditure.
What we ask, how often — and what happens next
- First, building management (the Management Company or the Freeholder) is asked to define the options they’re happy to use as part of their development’s Resident Engagement Strategy. This information is used to create that year’s Resident Profile Survey.
- The Resident Profile Survey is shared with known Leaseholders and residents via email as a first step. We monitor responses and will follow up with units that have not responded using alternative methods, such as phone calls, letters or visits.
- Leaseholders who rent out their unit also need to take steps to help their tenants engage – we’ve created this webpage to explain their responsibilities to tenants and to Resident Profile completion.
- Residents who do not wish to complete the survey online, or who are unable to access it, can request phone appointments to complete it.
- Residents who indicate they may require a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) are contacted and asked to complete a more in-depth survey to scope their needs and initiate the PEEP creation process.
- Privacy is respected: Data is collected and stored securely in accordance with GDPR, and used only to manage building safety and communications. We will request permission if we determine that your information needs to be shared with Fire & Rescue services.
- Finally, the data will be used to create a Resident Engagement Strategy and a Resident Engagement Platform. This collates all the building safety information about a High-Rise Building into one specific website, enabling residents to access that information with ease.