Health and safety plays an important role in flats because apart from being a home for flat owners and their tenants, it is also a place of work for many people, such as managing agents, porters and contractors.  There is a host of legislation designed to ensure that the premises are safe and that precautions, where necessary, are taken to minimise and reduce accidents.

Here you can learn about all the health and safety risks in flats and what to do about them.  If you have more questions, require further clarification, or want to suggest an article don’t forget to contact us, comment on an article or leave a comment in our forum.

First Landlord jailed over fire safety

Is your contractor covered?

We read about people being sued in the papers, see it on the news, watch television programs about it and it is even used in plot lines on films but we never think it will happen to us – do we? We discussed the situation of health & safety with Pete Gilgallon, operations manager, The GOL Group.

Health & safety advice – part 1

You will be pleased to know you are not the only people who find dealing with health & safety (H&S) issues time consuming and occasionally irritating. Anyone who manages any type of property has to deal with the issues you are facing; whether it is commercial property, offices, shops, hospitals or councils, you have to comply.

Block security

Daren Wood, Northern Regional general manager at the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), looks at the ways that homeowners can protect their flats and why resident groups should be taking a holistic approach to security...

How mobile phone masts can contribute to your sinking fund

The debate over whether mobile phones and the masts that transmit signals to them are safe has been wrangling for years; however a recent report concluded they cause no ill-effects. Jamie Reid investigates how the new research could be good news for people living in blocks of flats.

Management of Health & Safety risk assessments

You will be pleased to know you are not the only people who can find dealing with all the H&S issues time consuming and occasionally (!) irritating. Anyone who manages any type of property has to deal with the issues you are facing; whether it is commercial property, offices, shops, hospitals, councils you have to comply.

The hot topic

In this occasional health & safety series, David Foster explains about fire management in a block of flats.

How safe is your block?

David Foster of Eljay Health & Safety Services Ltd, explains about health and safety management in a block of flats.

Working At Height In The Residential Sector

David Foster explains how the new Work at Height Regulations 2005 affect managing agents and all those working in the residential sector. ‘Working At Height’ conjures up visions of steeplejacks, window cleaners on long ladders, roofers and builders scrambling about on scaffolding. However the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WAHR) apply to all work at height wherever there is a risk of a fall likely to cause injury. This can mean any height above ground level (even inches) where a person could be injured if they fell from that place. WAHR 2005 replaces previous regulations that applied only to heights over a minimum of two metres.

Security Tops Apartment Wish List

Security is the number one priority for homebuyers searching for an apartment, according to new research published by housebuilder, Linden Homes. The added security of apartment living, including measures such as underground parking, gated access and videophone entry systems, ranked higher than a balcony or communal gym on the homebuyer’s wish list.

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The recent Hosebay Case

The recent case of Hosebay Limited v Hugo Benjamin Day and Lady Hilary Maureen Greenslade Day (2009) is the latest judicial offering on the thorny issue of what constitutes house under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 (the Act).

Abandoning the communal heating system

Communal heating systems are very common within older blocks and it is inevitable that at some point the Residents Association will consider abandoning the system in favour of installing independent boilers and heating systems to each flat.Whilst the idea of each resident having their own heating system is desirable for all sorts of reasons, making it happen is not as straight forward as you would imagine, so in order to save you time and money on consultants and surveys let us first look at the practical issues.

One Park West in Liverpool

Over the past 10 years it has become a cliché for residential developers to hire famous architects. And in Liverpool Grosvenor didn't spare a penny by hiring international architect Cesar Pelli (famous for the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur) to design their landmark city centre block, One Park West.

Peverel OM Relaunch

Leading national property management company Peverel OM has relaunched as OM Property Management. Andrew Billson, Managing Director of Operations at OM Property Management, comments:

Leader of the Pack - NOTB Interview with Melissa Briggs of CARLEX

As membership of pressure group CARLEX swells, News on the Block interviews co-founder Melissa Briggs, about the Campaign for the Abolishment of Retirement Leasehold Exploitation.

How to keep your block rodent free

Dr. David channon explains why winter is the busiest period for rodent control. As we all shiver and long for the warmth of our comfy houses whilst commuting to work in the freezing weather, rodents share our sentiments and are also looking for cosy hideouts during the cold snaps.

Peverel Awarded Investors in People

Peverel Property Management has been awarded the prestigious Investors in People accreditation in recognition of its performance in training and developing its 1,200 staff.

FPRA steps up campaign for independent regulation of managing agents

Federation of Private Residents Associations (FPRA) Chairman, Bob Smytherman has written to the Secretary of State with responsibility for the private leasehold sector calling for an independent regulator for the industry, similar to the one that regulates Council Housing and Housing Associations.

Flat Owners Petition Downing street

The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has been petitioned “to create a body which will oversee and regulate the leasehold management industry, enforce a proper code of conduct offering protection to owners of leasehold properties from unreasonable service charges and poor quality of service”.

Stonedale MD Becomes IRPM fellow

Ruth Emanuel, Managing Director of Stonedale Property Management has been awarded Fellowship of the Institute of Residential Property Managers (IRPM) for her contribution to the property management industry over the past 23 years.