Our responsibility

If you have a gas boiler for heating and hot water, we will carry out a landlord safety check and service every year.

We will also check that your gas appliances, boiler, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors (if fitted) are working efficiently, which not only helps to keep you safe but also helps to save you money on your gas bills.

Our contractors, Aaron Services, will liaise with you to arrange a convenient time to carry out the safety checks and the appointment will take between 30-45 minutes.

If your heating and hot water is provided by a communal boiler, the servicing will also be carried out by Aaron Service and CHS staff contact you to schedule these appointments.

If you have an alternative system for heating and hot water e.g. solar, oil or air source heat pump, Aaron Services will also service these appliances. If you have electric heating, this will be serviced every five years, during our landlord’s electrical safety check.

Our gas servicing contractors are on the Gas Safe Register and should carry identification with a unique licence number – the engineer should always show this to you before entering your home but please ask them for their ID if they don’t.

Your responsibility

If you have any queries about your appointment or would like to amend an appointment date, please contact Aaron Services 01205 319218 or email them chs@aaronservices.co.uk

Failure to allow our staff or contractors access to your home to carry out safety checks may lead to us taking legal action and costs may be recharged to you.

Our responsibility

In communal areas, CHS is responsible for ensuring that our buildings meet fire safety standards. We also need to keep our customers informed of what to do in an emergency, including providing evacuation plans and information about fire doors.

Where CHS is responsible for fire safety equipment and services, such as fire extinguishers and call points, we must also carry out mandatory safety checks.

We will also carry out a fire risk assessment typically every two years. In our high-risk buildings we will do a fire risk assessment every year.

If we identify issues in communal areas, we will instruct a specialist contractor to carry out repairs.

Your responsibility

You can tell if your flat entrance door is a fire door by completing some simple checks.

You are responsible for ensuring that you don’t create a fire hazard, for example by storing flammable items on your balcony, or by blocking fire escape routes *****Link to area with clear landings leaflet.

You should also be aware of fire safety measures in our home, including regularly testing your smoke alarms and knowing the evacuation plan for your building. Check out our fire safety guide for tenants ****TW to provide tenant leaflet for fire safety].

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service also provide lots of helpful advice here and you can carry out your own online fire safety check.

Remember, if you see something that may cause for concern, report it to us on 0300 1113555

Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP)

If you cannot leave your home unaided in an emergency, then you may need an evacuation plan.

This may be needed if you have an impairment or disability such as:

• Mobility impairment
• Sight impairment
• Hearing impairment
• Cognitive impairment
• Temporary impairment e.g., broken leg
• A medical condition or injury which might cause you to need assistance to evacuate safely.

You should contact us on 0300 1113555 to discuss any circumstances that mean you can’t evacuate the building in the event of a fire.

In our high-risk buildings we will provide the fire service with basic information about anyone who tells us that they need help to evacuate. This basic information will be stored in a secure area to protect our customers data.

Stay Put Guidance

The stay-put guidance says you can choose to stay put unless your flat is being directly affected by fire or smoke or if you are instructed to evacuate by the fire service e.g. through 999 call. The golden rule is that wherever you are, if you can see or smell smoke or fire, you should get out and stay out.

Our responsibility

CHS will check the fixed electrical wiring in your home every five years to make sure it is safe.  This check helps identify problems early, that could potentially cause fire or electric shocks if left to deteriorate.

We will check wiring, plug sockets, light fittings, switches, protective bonding and the consumer unit. Your electrical appliances e.g. fridge, cooker are not checked by CHS.

Our contractors, Aaron Services, will liaise with you to arrange a convenient time to carry out the safety checks. The appointment will take between 2-3 hours.

If during the inspection any urgent repairs are identified, Aaron Services will try to fix them at the time of their visit. If this is not possible, a further appointment will be arranged with you.

 Your responsibility

If you have any queries about your appointment or would like to amend an appointment date, please contact Aaron Services 01205 319218 or email them chs@aaronservices.co.uk

Failure to allow our staff or contractors access to your home to carry out safety checks may lead to us taking legal action and costs may be recharged to you.

It is important that you unplug any items from the sockets at the time of the safety inspection and that the area around the electrical fittings are clear of all personal items.

Do not unplug medical equipment, fridges and freezers etc. before speaking to the engineer

Our electrical engineer should always show their identification to you before entering your home but please ask them for their ID if they don’t.

Because asbestos has good thermal properties and is fire resistant, it was widely used in building materials up until 1999; therefore, any CHS home built before 2000 may contain asbestos.

Asbestos can be found in textured ceiling coating, bitumen floor tiles and some external cement products.

Our responsibility

Where asbestos is known to be present in communal areas we will inspect its condition every year. We will also inspect homes when they become void.

CHS maintains an ‘asbestos register’ which is a live document which contain current information on the presence and condition of asbestos-containing materials in our properties.

Where asbestos containing materials are assessed as being in good condition and not in a position where they are likely to be damaged, they will be left in place and monitored.

If asbestos is found to be in poor condition or likely to be damaged during the normal use of the building, it will be sealed, enclosed or removed, as appropriate.

When you move into our property you will be told if asbestos containing materials are present and their location.

Your responsibility

If you are not sure there is asbestos in your home, you should always contact us to request this information especially before undertaking any DIY or alternations.

If you think you may have disturbed any material containing asbestos, call us immediately on 0300 1113555 for assistance.

Legionella bacteria is commonly found in hot and cold-water systems in homes and larger buildings like blocks of flats where there is a shared water supply.

Although the risk is low, if not managed, Legionella bacteria can cause a form of pneumonia called Legionnaires’ disease, caused by the inhalation of small droplets of contaminated water.

Our responsibility

To reduce the risk of legionella bacteria forming, every two years, CHS will inspect water systems in its high-risk buildings where those exposed to the water systems are likely to be at high risk of infection.

When a property becomes void (vacant), we will carry out basic checks on the hot and cold-water supplies before reletting the property e.g. check the boiler is the correct temperature and ensure water outlets are free from limescale and dirt.

Your responsibility

When you move into your home you will need to take some precautionary measures to prevent any problems occurring. Our simple guide to water safety in your home can be found here

Symptoms of Legionnaires are like flu symptoms. If you’re worried you might have Legionnaires’ disease, you should contact your GP as soon as possible.

 If your doctor diagnoses Legionnaires’ disease, please call us on 0300 1113555 to let us know immediately so we can take action and investigate this. 

Your responsibility

If left open, windows can be dangerous to unsupervised small children or vulnerable adults, especially windows at height e.g. above ground floor level.

Balconies can also become unsafe if items are stored in these areas. Do not store items under windows or on balconies.  It might only take few seconds for an unsupervised child or vulnerable adult to climb onto a table or chair, become unsteady and fall. Please keep objects well clear of windows and balconies.

Most windows are fitted with window restrictors to stop windows from being fully opened, but there are some things you can do to minimise the risk of accidents. Our simple guide to window safety in your home can be found here

If you notice a fault with your window, or you are concerned about a family member and/or falls from height, you must immediately report it to us on 0300 1113555

Taking care of your windows will also prevent issues with your windows and help to identify repairs.

Our window manufacturer has provided an operational maintenance guide *****[insert file] which provides additional information about window restrictors and general care instructions for windows and doors.

Our responsibility

Where a routine risk assessment identifies the risk of falling against or through glazing, CHS will undertake repairs to reduce the risk of falls from height.