Safety in your home

The health, safety and wellbeing of our council tenants, employees and contractors is extremely important to us. We work hard to provide homes and communal areas that are safe and a great place to live. This section provides information and advice on how we do this. 

As a landlord, the Council has a legal duty and responsibility to make sure gas heating systems and pipework provided in our properties and buildings are maintained so that they are safe for use. To this end, we:

• make sure that a gas safety check is carried out on all gas boilers at least every 12 months; this includes those boilers providing communal district heating
• turn the gas off in all properties that become vacant and is tested before being turned back on
• have legal powers to gain access to homes to carry out a gas safety check to ensure neighbouring properties and residents are not put at risk
• use appropriately qualified gas engineers for safety checks and repairs to gas heating systems
• do not give permission to residents to fit their own gas fire or use propane or Calor Gas within their home
• hold electronic copies of gas safety certificates as evidence

We provide a 24/7 repairs service to ensure that any urgent gas repairs or safety issues can be addressed quickly.

Annual gas safety check

If you have gas appliances in your home, then at least once every 12 months we require access to your property to carry out a gas safety check. This is for the safety of you and your household. The safety check will identify faults which if left could lead to a gas escape, fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.

If you suspect a gas leak

If you have concerns that you can smell gas or that you may be suffering from the effect of carbon monoxide poisoning:

• turn off any gas appliances and if you are able to do so turn the gas off at the meter
• open windows and doors
• do not smoke
• do not turn on any electrical switches (eg light switches, plug sockets)
• leave the building if possible
• call the Cadent emergency line on 0800 111 999

We will carry out electrical safety inspections for your safety every five years. When this inspection is due, we will write to you in good time to give you notice of the inspection. We then need to arrange an appointment with yourselves to carry out the inspection and complete this work. 

An electrical inspection consists of:

• your electric meter 
• your fuse box
• all the wires that go to and from the fuse box and feed the electricity to all your sockets and lights within your home

An electrical inspection test is also carried out in every property that becomes vacant before the next person moves in.

What can you do to keep safe?

Please:

• allow us access to your home to complete electrical safety checks
• report any electrical wiring faults
• contact us before making any electrical alterations to your home
• check your plug sockets are not overloaded with too many electrical appliances as this can lead to overheating
• check that visible cables and leads are in good condition
• check that your light fittings are not visibly damaged
• always switch off your electrical items when they are not in use
• don't try to clean or repair an appliance when it is still plugged in

Electrical Safety First (opens new window) provides more information on how to keep safe in your home.

The safety of our residents is our absolute priority and the Council complies with all of its legal responsibilities to keep you safe.

It is a legal requirement that we carry out a fire risk assessment (FRA) for any of our buildings with a communal area. The purpose of an FRA is to help us understand what the potential risks may be and to ensure that we can take the necessary actions to keep you safe in your home. We also carry out regular routine inspections to check all communal areas of our buildings.

The risk assessment will identify fire risks that may be present within your scheme and make recommendations for improvement, if needed. The type of things the assessors will review are:

• fire alarms and detection
• emergency lighting
• fire doors
• compartmentation
• signage (in communal areas)

In the event of a fire, please call the Fire Service by dialling 999.

If you live in a block, you will find a fire safety notice and information on your notice board. Please familiarise yourself with the information.

For the safety of everyone:

• do not wedge fire doors open - remove wedges if you find them
• do not leave objects on the landing that could be in the way when you try to escape
• do not store gas cylinders, paraffin or other highly flammable liquids in your home or store
• do not smoke in communal areas including landings and lifts - it is against the law to do so
• do not park or block access to blocks of flats - access roads and gates are designed to allow fire appliances to get as close as possible to fight a fire

The Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service (opens new window) provides useful home safety advice.