Fix it
Our Strategy
In April 2023, the Building Safety Act 2022 became law. This was created following recommendations from Dame Judith Hackitt's 2018 review of fire safety and building regulations after the Grenfell fire.
As part of this law, Karbon Homes must create, review, and share a Building Safety Resident Engagement Strategy with all high-rise building residents aged 16 and over.
You can access the strategy by:
- Reading the strategy below
- Emailing: buildingsafety@karbonhomes.co.uk
- Calling 0800 533 5442 (Byker customers)
- Calling 0808 164 0111 (Karbon customers)
Translated versions
Building Safety Resident Engagement Strategy
The safety and wellbeing of Karbon’s residents is an absolute priority
After the devastating Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017, there has been a strong push for improved communication and engagement regarding safety with residents in buildings. The National Housing Federation highlights the importance of this:
“The Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety found that residents did not have a strong enough voice in the management of their buildings. The Building Safety Act requires that clear routes to resolve issues raised by residents about their safety are established, and residents have a chance to participate in decision making as well as have access to key building safety information.”
The Building Safety Act 2022 requires us to produce a Building Safety Resident Engagement Strategy for all residents and homeowners living in high-rise residential buildings (HRRBs). This is our first version of our strategy. We’ll update it as new regulations or guidance emerges.
Strategy requirements
This strategy aims to ensure all residents:
- Are informed about the building safety information we will provide.
- Understand what we may ask you about building safety and how you can contribute to it.
- Know how we will contact you and use your feedback to influence decisions.
- Understand how we will measure and review our engagement methods.
- Feel safe in your home.
Who is this strategy for?
- Everyone who lives in or owns a flat in a high-rise residential building.
- Colleagues and contractors working with us that play an important part in doing the things we say we’ll do in this strategy.
- Other stakeholders who have a role and interest in the building and keeping residents safe – for example the fire service, local authorities and the building safety regulator.
Which buildings are defined as higher rise residential buildings?
We own five buildings that meet the Building Safety Act definition of higher rise - residential buildings because of their height. These are:
- Byker Wall (Dunn Terrace) - consisting of Tom Collins House, Wolseley House, Dunn Terrace, Graham House, Northumberland Terrace and Salisbury House
- Byker Wall (Grace Lee) - consisting of Felton Walk, Felton House, Long Headlam, Headlam House, Shipley Rise and Rabygate
- Byker Wall (Shipley Street) - consisting of Shipley Walk, Brinkburn House, Kendal House, Dalton Crescent and Gordon House
- Harlequin Lodge, St Oswalds Court, Felling
- Mandarin Lodge, St Oswalds Court, Felling
Equality, diversity, and inclusion
We’re working hard to collect the data to help us make sure that this strategy is meaningful and effective for all residents, whatever their needs, backgrounds, or characteristics (for example ethnicity, sex, age, disability, religion, or belief).
We’ll gather information about each building from various sources like surveys, in-person visits, lease agreements, and more. This helps us understand if there are any people or groups in these buildings who
might be more vulnerable or may face difficulties if they don’t receive information or help in other ways. Once we know this, we’ll adjust our plans and actions to make sure we can help everyone according to their specific needs. Where individuals might need additional support to be safe, we will make referrals to our person-centred fire risk assessment (PCFRA) processes.
Efforts will also be made to gather information about all adults aged 16+ in each property. This is essential to fulfill legal obligations concerning the sharing of our strategy with everyone involved. All data collected will be
processed and protected in accordance with data protection laws.
Where we know that an individual needs information in a different format, we will make sure that it is provided in a way that is understandable and accessible. We will review this information regularly through tenancy
sign-ups, tenancy contact visits, surveys, and by acting on information we receive regularly.
Roles and responsibilities
We want residents to be safe. As the owner of the buildings and as the Principal Accountable
Person (PAP), we have a responsibility to make sure that the building meets fire and structural
safety requirements. Everyone has a role in keeping buildings safe, whether a resident or a leaseholder.
Every resident must:
- Follow all the rules in their tenancy agreement or lease.
- Avoid doing anything that might make the building unsafe.
- Not damage or tamper with safety equipment like fire alarms.
- Ensure items such as furniture, wheelchairs, e-scooters or waste are not left in communal spaces and only stored in designated areas only.
- Ensure that any bulky waste items such as furniture are not left in communal spaces
and suitable arrangements are made for prompt removal or disposal. - Provide access to their home for critical safety checks such as assessing fire doors.
Our approach
To ensure resident engagement and communications are well coordinated, we’ve outlined the groups below that will ensure this strategy:
- Remains fit for purpose for all residents, staff, and all other stakeholders.
- Encourages participation, empowerment and collaboration with residents and staff on all appropriate building safety matters, risk and decision making.
- Complies with and is aligned to the relevant regulations.
- Is regularly reviewed and improved where required.
- Clearly defines what residents should expect, what this means, and how we will deliver it.
Responsible for reviewing any feedback posed by Karbon residents and leaseholders, including feedback and actions from the Karbon Scrutiny Bank.
The Panel is made up of customer representatives from Byker and Felling who work alongside colleagues from our Building Safety and Customer Engagement teams. They are responsible for acting as a sounding board and allowing twoway conversations between residents and Karbon. They discuss building safety
related issues and help us in meeting certain requirements set out in the Building Safety Act. They will also be responsible for reviewing any resident feedback following a strategy consultation. We routinely review attendance of the groups and continuously promote involvement opportunities in all customer communications. This is to ensure all high-rise buildings have resident representation where possible.
Karbon Group Customer Committee
The Committee has responsibility for overseeing customer experience and engagement and ensuring that customers have their voice heard. They are also integral in ensuring the needs and safety of customers are at the heart of the Board’s decision making; and that our performance is monitored to strive for excellence across our services. They will be responsible for reviewing any recommendations in relation to building safety.
Byker Customer Committee
The Committee includes a minimum of four customers. They are responsible for overseeing the quality of services delivered by us and ensuring the Community Pledge is delivered. Committee Members give their time, skills and expertise to help Byker Community Trust (BCT) achieves its strategic objectives.
Measuring and monitoring
We commit to share this strategy with residents and homeowners in our high-rise residential buildings that are aged 16+ and in a format that is accessible, clear, and understandable. Progress on the strategy will be reported annually to all residents.
We will measure:
- Overall satisfaction that we keep residents safe in their home.
- Number of reports of building safety issues reported.
- Number of complaints received about building safety.
- Proportion of residents who state that if there was a fire in their building, they would
know what to do. - Proportion of residents who state that if they had any building safety concerns about their building, they would know who to contact.
- Proportion of residents who state that they feel safe from fire in their home.
- Proportion of residents who state that they feel happy that any building safety issues reported to Karbon will be resolved.
This strategy will be reviewed:
- At least every two years.
- After every consultation of this strategy.
- After a mandatory occurrence report.
- After the completion of significant material alterations to the building.
Complaints
We’re always listening and ready to work hard to resolve concerns straight away. If we are unable to resolve the problem there and then, we’ll undertake a full investigation to understand the facts. Complaints can be reported here.
Under the Building Safety Act 2022 a “relevant complaint” about building safety may relate to:
- A building safety risk to a specific building.
- The performance of an Accountable Person in fulfilling its duties under the Building Safety Act.
If a resident remains unhappy with the outcome of a complaint, it can be referred to the Building Safety Regulator by either Karbon or the complainant.
Version control – February 2025
Appendix 1
Building Safety Action Plan
Clear communication
Fire risk assessments
Provide fire risk assessments to residents on request.
Safety information
Write to residents and homeowners annually to provide clear building safety information.
Noticeboards
Ensure there are noticeboards in the entrance areas to all high rise buildings. Monitor these
noticeboards to keep them up to date with safety information and campaign materials, community event invitations, safety contact information and how to report concerns. They will be reviewed every four weeks.
Safety campaigns
- Review all building safety literature and web content regularly, consulting with residents on content and format through our various engagement channels.
- Publish regular safety information in the customer e-newsletters and magazines.
- Publish and share regular safety information on our websites and customer facing social
media channels. - Work with local fire services to share their safety information and partner with them on national and regional campaigns.
Sharing and collecting information
Statutory consultations and notifications
We will consult with residents on complex building safety decisions when required. To do this, we will:
- Contact residents digitally or via letter depending on their communication preferences.
- Consider all language and alternative formats like large text, easy read, braille, or audio where required.
- Ensure consultations last at least 3 weeks (21 days) to give residents time to respond.
We’ll clearly state the consultation period and closing date in all communications.
- Inform residents about safety decisions and related work on buildings.
- Ask for opinions on anything that affects them, including timing and ways to minimise disruption.
- Provide enough information about the planned work and its purpose so residents can consider the proposals.
- Consult with residents if the work will last more than a day and block part of the building or cause any disruption.
Sometimes, we need to perform work to meet legal requirements. We’ll inform residents about this and clarify that we’re not consulting on whether the work should be done, but rather on the timing and method of
carrying it out.
We’ll typically not consult with residents regarding the following types of work unless there is an impact on building safety.
- Routine repairs and maintenance inside the building.
- Scheduled testing, inspection, and servicing of equipment.
- Cleaning activities.
- Emergency repairs that need immediate action to protect health, safety, or welfare.
- Preparing empty homes for new tenants.
- Planned investment work like exterior painting.
Easy ways to report, comment and suggest
Report and comment easily
We encourage residents to flag concerns, raise issues, respond to consultations, or make complaints about safety. Residents can do this anonymously if preferred.
Face to face
Residents can speak to their scheme coordinator or housing officer during routine site visits or regular estate walkabouts.
Suggestion boxes
We will install physical suggestion boxes across all high rise buildings, regularly checked by a member of the building safety team.
Annual fire safety leaflets
Each year, our fire safety leaflets will ask you to tell us about any issues that might put someone at greater risk from fire. We’ll undertake person-centred fire risk assessment (PCFRA) to put a residential personal
emergency evacuation plan (PEEP) in place working with the fire service where necessary. Our PCFRA process will identify any new customers who may need PCFRAs.
How we will use feedback
Review and consideration
Following any consultations, we’ll gather all feedback and opinions from residents centrally for review and due consideration by colleagues specifically responsible for building safety management. This may include the
Building and Customer Safety Working Group and other relevant colleagues within Karbon or external stakeholders if appropriate.
Record keeping
Any resident feedback will be stored and processed in accordance with data protection laws. More information about how we handle data can be found in our Privacy Statement.
Acting on feedback
Where appropriate, we will act upon feedback and opinions from residents when making decisions that affect building safety and during the planning and delivery of works.
Written response
At the end of each consultation exercise, we’ll publish a written response detailing the level of consultation response received, a summary of the feedback, and explaining any changes made as a result. If changes cannot be made, we will provide an explanation for the decisions taken. This response will be provided in several ways such as:
- Newsletters
- Noticeboards
- Letters
- Emails
- Face to face
Review of consultation effectiveness
We’ll review the level of consultation response, and the methods used to ensure future consultations are more effective. This will help ensure the overall consultation response is representative of the residents in the building and their various specific needs, including those who require alternative languages.
Colleague training
Put in place processes and training to make sure any safety concerns that come to us are identified, properly recorded, actioned, with our action reported back to residents.
Annual resident survey
- Create an Annual resident survey will be sent to all HRRB residents asking about safety and asking for suggestions or safety concerns.
- Measure and monitor how safe customers feel in their building, and how satisfied they are with the information they get via the new Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) data and resident surveys.
Stakeholders
Maintain a list of relevant stakeholders for each HRRB to ensure we keep them informed and engaged.
Community engagement
Events
Carry out regular engagement activities and events for residents to participate in such as scheme walkabouts, demonstrations of building and fire safety works (where suitable and possible). These events will all have a
focus on building and fire safety and gathering resident feedback.
Customer visits
Continue to promote the importance of being in for our customer contact visits. These visits will also be used to discuss and understand any safety issues or suggestions with residents (reporting any feedback to the appropriate team at Karbon) and are an opportunity for customers to identify any information that may be helpful to us in keeping residents safe and well.
Things residents can do to stay safe
We’ll be clear about what residents need to do to help keep their home and building safe, and how to participate in building safety matters (e.g., through flagging and taking action on safety issues.
Working together
Fire service partnership
Work with the fire service to invite them to building events and meetings.
Residents’ Building Safety Panel
- Work with residents to strengthen the building safety panel and any other engagement opportunities linked to building and fire safety.
- Aim to attend scheme events regularly to listen, agree safety actions and report back on promises. We will encourage residents to have regular safety items on their associations’ agenda.
- Encourage residents to join Karbon’s resident scrutiny group and other engagement groups.
- Encourage residents to take a lead role in the building safety panel and as a building safety champion for their schemes.
- Support residents to undertake basic safety training where appropriate.
Glossary
Building Safety Act 2022
The Building Safety Act is a law that aims to make buildings safer for people to live or work in. It requires better communication between residents and building managers about safety concerns, and it gives residents a stronger voice in decisions about their building’s safety. It also ensures that important safety information is easily accessible to residents.
Building Safety Regulator (BSR)
BSR is part of Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and was established under The Building Safety Act 2022 to regulate higher-risk buildings, raise safety standards of all buildings, help professionals in design,
construction, and building control, to improve their competence.
HRRB (high rise residential building)
The Building Safety Act and this strategy applies to buildings with at least two homes that are at least 18 metres in height or have at least seven storeys. These are sometimes referred to as higher risk residential buildings or HRRBs.
PAP (principal accountable person)
This is Karbon Homes. Each of these buildings must have a principal accountable person (PAP) with overall responsibility for ensuring building safety risks are being managed appropriately and statutory obligations are
met.
FRA (fire risk assessment)
Building owners and landlords, like Karbon Homes, are required by law to carry out regular fire risk assessments on residential buildings. These routine checks look for issues that affect the safety of the building and everyone who lives in, works in or visits them. If any actions are needed, these are listed and
prioritised and the building owner must carry them out.
Mandatory occurrence report
A mandatory occurrence report for building safety is a document that must be filled out whenever there’s a safety incident or concern in a building. It’s required by law and helps keep track of potential safety issues.
PCFRA (person-centred fire risk assessment)
PCFRAs are carried out to find out whether any individual living in a building is at a greater risk from fire. This could be a disability that makes it harder for them to evacuate or notice a fire alarm, or it might be that their home or lifestyle puts them at a higher risk.
PEEP (personal emergency evacuation plan)
If a PCFRA finds that an individual needs support to safely evacuate in an emergency, a PEEP should be agreed with the resident and made available to the emergency services. The PEEP will set out any actions needed to make sure the individual can evacuate safely.
