In our previous blog, we delved into the importance of effective communication when it comes to engaging residents on building safety. As many will be aware, the Building Safety Act (BSA) 2022 mandates that Accountable Persons (APs) prepare and keep under review a resident engagement strategy.
The aims of this strategy are to ensure all residents:
- Feel safe in the buildings in which they live.
- Know how to easily report any problems about their home or any part of the building which may impact on their or their neighbour’s safety.
- Know what to do in the event of an incident in the block where they live.
A core component of this is establishing and operating a system for the investigation of relevant complaints, as well as ensuring that residents are fully aware of their own responsibilities.
So where do you start?
Firstly, it’s imperative to implement an effective system for residents to report issues and submit feedback, with building safety complaints able to be prioritised based on the level of risk involved rather than that date they were received. You should also consider what to do if residents find it challenging to articulate issues. For example, you may want to allow them to submit photos that help communicate their concerns.
In addition, the Principal Accountable Person (PAP) must keep a record of any relevant complaint for seven years, including details of the complaint, actions taken by APs, regulatory involvement, and the complaint’s resolution.
How technology can help?
With 81% of residents saying that it’s important or very important for them to be able to access a portal from a mobile device, it’s paramount that you have a system in place that is mobile-friendly. This will encourage residents to report issues when they spot them rather than having to wait until they are back in front of a computer.
With Spike PMS, residents are able to report any concerns or issues via the Spike app, and even attach photos so that staff can get a clearer idea of the issue.
What’s more, Spike PMS can flag any high priority issues based on the information that has been submitted. This means that high-risk issues can be immediately flagged and directed to the relevant team members, with SLAs being set up and tracked against. Issues can also be automatically shared with external approved contractors to be investigated and resolved, with residents being informed and kept up to date on the progress. As all history is recorded against a property, leaseholder and tenant, this provides a central log of all communication which can be used as evidence of notification, in case of future disputes.
Additionally, according to the government’s building safety advice, residents must:
- Read and understand all information provided to them by the building’s duty holders.
- Communicate any identified risks, hazards or concerns with the building’s structural safety and fire safety measures.
- Strictly follow all fire safety measures for the building.
With this in mind, Spike PMS provides residents with easy access to key documentation such as safety policies and fire safety documents via a mobile app. Furthermore, whenever newer versions are available residents can be notified, with staff able to see who’s opened and read them which forms an important part of the golden thread.
Example
A resident notices a fire door isn’t closing properly. They immediately report the issue via the Spike app. The issue automatically gets sent to the maintenance team and flagged as a priority seeing as it is integral to the safety of the building and the rest of the residents.
The maintenance team respond directly back to the resident acknowledging the reported issue and then send out a building-wide communication via email and the Spike app to notify the rest of the residents of the issue.
Once the maintenance team arrive onsite and after inspecting the fire door, they find that the hinges are loose, causing it not to close properly. They replace the faulty hinges and ensure that the door meets all safety standards and regulations. They then schedule regular inspections over the coming weeks to prevent similar issues in the future.
The property manager sends out an update to the rest of the building informing them that the issue has now been resolved and to remind residents of their responsibility to report any issues via the Spike app.
Summary
With Spike PMS, property managers can ensure that they not only have an effective resident engagement strategy in place which can be communicated easily to all residents, but also able to provide a quick and effective way for residents to report safety concerns and request additional information via a dedicated app. Thus, ensuring building safety remains a collective responsibility among all stakeholders.
