Your safety and wellbeing is very important to us, so please let us know if you are worried about the safety of your home.
Gas Safety
As your landlord, we have a legal duty of care to repair and maintain the gas pipe work, flues and appliances within your home. We will carry out an annual gas safety check and service in your home, this will be performed by a qualified gas engineer.
For more information about how a gas safety check is conducted, what is covered, where the risks are and how to prepare, please look at the Gas Safety Leaflet.
Electrical Safety
We carry out an electrical safety check before you move in and continue to maintain the installations in a safe condition throughout the tenancy. Installations include things like plug sockets, consumer units, light fittings and electric heating systems.
- All electrical works and upgrades will be carried out by a NICEIC approved contractor in accordance with current British Standards, and certified upon completion.
- A periodic inspection of the electrical installation in your property is tested for safety every 5 years, by a NICEIC approved electrical contractor and a copy of the report made available to you on request.
- All installations will have a Residual Circuit Device (RCD) installed within the consumer unit (fuse box) to provide additional protection against electric shock.
We will need access to your home to complete an electrical safety check every five years. This is to ensure that the wiring and electrical installations in your home are safe. Unsafe electrical installations are unlikely, but they can cause fires so it is important to let us in to check.
Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
What is Folkestone & Hythe District Council doing to keep my family safe from the risk of fire in my home?
- Smoke alarms installed to provide an early warning and detection of a fire, are tested annually and replaced before expiry.
- Heat detectors and smoke alarms in communal areas are tested weekly and serviced regularly.
They are also checked when we perform gas and electrical safety checks. Although many detectors are hard wired, some have batteries. If a backup battery fails or runs out you may hear an intermittent beeping noise and flashing of the detector. In this case you are responsible for the replacement of batteries.
Please do not remove, cover or damage the detectors in any way, and report any damage to us immediately.
Fire safety
These are the things we do to ensure fire safety to your home
- Gas boilers, pipework and other gas appliances are safety checked annually and before you move in.
- Any fire sprinkler systems installed in flats are inspected and serviced annually.
- The electrical installation in your home is inspected every five years and where required upgraded in line with current standards.
- Emergency lighting installed in communal areas to provide additional lighting in the event of an evacuation, is tested and serviced on a regular basis.
- Flat entrance fire doors are maintained to ensure they function correctly in the event of a fire and protect the common areas, allowing people time to escape.
- Fire Risk Assessments are carried out within communal areas of all blocks of flats and Independent Living housing. Their aim is to remove/reduce the risk of fire hazards and to determine what safety measures are needed to ensure the continued safety of everyone in the building.
- Fire extinguishers, where located in communal areas, are inspected and serviced annually. Their purpose is to put out a small fire whilst waiting for the emergency services to arrive and should ONLY be used by trained individuals.
For more information about fire safety, sprinklers, communal areas, escape plans, balconies and what to do if a fire breaks out, please refer to the Fire Safety Leaflet
In every case of a fire dial 999.
Water safety
Running all of your taps and your shower for a few minutes each day will cut the risk of legionella bacteria lurking in the system.
The bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ Disease which can make you very ill. Symptoms include having a flu-like illness with aching muscles, tiredness, headaches, a dry cough and fever. Diarrhoea, confusion, a bad chest and breathing problems may also be symptoms. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, please call NHS 111, visit the nhs.uk website or contact your GP for advice.
For more information please refer to the Water Safety Leaflet .
Communal areas
Here is some important information about your use of communal areas, this is for the health and safety of all residents, staff and visitors. If we discover items left in communal areas, we will put a notice on them and if not removed within the deadline, we will remove them. This is because they might pose a trip hazard in the unlikely event of a building evacuation.
Do ensure that fire doors remain closed when not in active use; do not prop them open with doorstops.
Do keep escape routes clear and follow any evacuation procedures displayed in communal areas.
Don’t store, clutter up, or dump items in the internal or external communal areas. This includes internal hallways, stairs and landings, parking areas, drying areas and bin stores. These items can be a hazard and cause fires, slips, trips, falls and restrict access for cleaning, our staff visiting, and other services in the event of an emergency.
Don’t store mobility scooters in communal corridors. Only specially designated scooter stores are acceptable for their storage outside of your home.
Don’t smoke or drink alcohol in internal communal areas, or within your home when we, or our contractors, visit you.
Don’t interfere with installed smoke or fire alarms in any way.
Flammable or explosive substances
Please don’t use or store paraffin heaters, liquid petroleum, propane and butane gas appliances or other flammable or explosive substances in the home. Please also let us know if you intend to keep pressurised oxygen tanks at your home.
Locks and keys
All the keys to your home are handed to you when you take up your tenancy. If you lose your key it is your responsibility to arrange and pay for any lock change. Only under certain circumstances we may be able to assist vulnerable tenants to access their home.
Loft spaces
Do not access or store items in your loft space, or attempt to convert the space or use it as an extra bedroom. Doing these things can risk your health and safety and cause damage to the property.
Rubbish
You must take your household rubbish from own waste bin(s) to the council ‘wheelie bin’. These should be kept in the allocated place if one is provided and only brought out on collection day. Do not leave bin bags outside where birds or animals could get at them and cause a mess. Do not encourage pests by feeding birds or animals outside near the bin areas. If you have any large items of rubbish, you can use MyAccount to book a bulky waste collection.
Please use bin stores with communal bins appropriately. It is very important that you separate your recycling properly and put it in the correct bin if you have recycling facilities. The council want to make every effort to reduce waste and recycle more, so if you don't have recycling facilities, please contact our recycling and waste team.
The council may be able to provide you with an assisted bin collection if you are having difficulty putting your rubbish out.
Vermin and pest control
If you are troubled with any kind of vermin or pest e.g. fleas, rats, mice, ants, wasps, etc. Customer services will advise on any measures you may need to take to control any pests you may have. It is your responsibility to deal with this and to pay any costs. For further advice please visit our Pest problems page.
Aids and adaptations
We want you to live comfortably and safely in your home so if you need any aids or adaptations to help you to do this, please get in touch with us and we will talk to you about what help may be available.
We may also talk to you about moving to a more suitable home if your home is not best suited to your current needs. We also recommend tenants contact the social services occupational therapy team to seek a referral, as we can only carry our major works if we have an occupational therapists recommendation.
Please visit the 'Moving Home' section to find out more details about downsizing and the incentives available.
Asbestos
We are committed to ensuring the health, safety and welfare of all our residents, visitors, contractors and staff, by identifying and managing the risks of any asbestos materials in our buildings.
We are doing this by:
- Collating information through surveys, testing and regular re-inspections, to determine the presence, type and condition of asbestos. These works will be carried out by licensed and UKAS accredited consultants.
- Recording all asbestos information on our asbestos database as part of F&HDC’s comprehensive management plan and complying with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) requirements.
- Assessing and managing the risk from materials containing asbestos in all of our properties.
- Providing information, when asked, about the condition and location of materials containing asbestos to anyone who could be exposed to them.
- Ensuring all our repair operatives are fully trained and equipped to carry our repairs and maintenance work safely without disturbing asbestos containing materials (ACM).
- Checking the asbestos database to identify any ACMs prior to undertaking any planned maintenance in your home.
- Removing or encapsulating ACMs identified in poor condition. These works will be carried out by licensed and UKAS accredited contractors
Encapsulating can be a safer alternative especially if the asbestos is only slightly damaged or cannot be removed. The procedure involves treating the asbestos with a sealant that forms a protective layer between the material and indoor environment. This ensures wear-and-tear won’t cause microfibers to be released into the air.
Generally if the asbestos is in good condition and is not likely to be disturbed or damaged when worked on or near, then its best left in place. This is in line with current HSE guidelines. For more information about asbestos, please refer to the Asbestos Safety Leaflet.
Insurance
We insure the structure and permanent fittings of your home. We do not insure your furniture, furnishings or your personal possessions. We strongly advise that you take out your own household contents insurance which includes replacing damaged glazing. If a water pipe or tank bursts and damages your belongings, we will not pay for the damage unless it is proved that we have been negligent or it was our contractors’ fault. If you are flooded by your neighbour’s washing machine, for example, you cannot claim from our insurance. Similarly, you are not insured under our insurance for damage to your possessions or decoration caused by fire.
Condensation
Every property gets condensation at some time, especially when the weather is cold and when lots of moisture and steam are being produced from rooms such as the bathroom and kitchen. Condensation, if left unchecked, can cause mould growth, and you should clean this off regularly. To reduce condensation and prevent mould growth, you should do the following:
- Keep your home at a reasonably warm, consistent temperature most of the time.
- Provide ventilation by keeping some windows open. In winter, open windows a little but only for as long as they are misted up.
- Whenever possible, dry your clothes outside.
- Keep kitchen and bathroom doors shut, especially when cooking, washing or bathing. If an extractor fan is installed in your bathroom or kitchen, switch it on whilst bathing or cooking.
- When cooking, always keep lids on pans and do not allow pans or kettles to boil any longer than is necessary.
- Avoid putting beds or wardrobes right up against outside walls.
- Do not use liquid propane gas heaters.
- Ensure that tumble dryers have adequate ventilation.
What we expect of you
- You allow us in to complete gas and electrical safety checks.
- You will allow us in to complete asbestos surveys.
- You keep communal areas clean, and tidy and free from hazards.
- You live in your home in a way that minimises condensation that can cause mould growth
What you can expect from us
- We will inspect your gas and electrical installations to ensure they are safe and in good working order.
- We will carry out Asbestos Surveys when required.
- We will take legal action if you continually do not allow access to your home.
- Contact if there are items left in communal areas and removal if necessary.
- Advice on reducing condensation, adequate ventilation in your home and a heating system in good working order.