Frequently asked questions about building and fire safety

We take safety seriously, ensuring that we follow the law and keep our residents safe.

New government guidance requires that we inspect all buildings with a communal entrance and we're making progress on doing this. Not all buildings need the same level of inspections and some can be done without disturbing residents.

If we need to inspect your building and expect it to disturb you, we'll write to you and let you know.

Your building will also continue to receive regular Fire Risk Assessment inspections.

An EWS1 form used to be required from lenders, to demonstrate that a building meets the current building safety guidelines.

These forms produced a rating of your building's compliance and would indicate if remediation work was required.

Over time, lenders have stopped asking for this form. Should your lender require one, please email our Fire Safety Engagement team.

An EWS1 is usually only required for buildings above 18m in height. Some lenders may ask for this, for lower buildings, if they have a specific concern.

EWS1s are slowly being phased out and lenders should ask for these less often. If you're asked for an EWS1 form, please email our Fire Safety Engagement team.

Our Building Safety Programme inspections will involve opening up various sections of the building and looking at the full ‘external wall system’, including the materials used (such as cladding and insulation) and the way the wall is constructed. The inspection will also look at balconies where present.

We aim to have inspected all relevant buildings by 2025.

Our programme requires the inspection of over 1,500 blocks, which we are prioritising by order of risk. We'll write to you, with an inspection window, in advance of your building being inspected.

We aim to have begun remediation, on all impacted blocks, by 2025.

Scheduling remediation is reliant on several factors, including the level of risk. We'll look to prioritise the remediation of high-risk buildings first.

As we continue to inspect buildings, the scheduling will likely change, as and when urgent remediation is identified.

We'll write to you, informing you of the remediation required, following your building's inspection.

The Building Safety Fund was issued to cover the leaseholder's share of remediation costs, in buildings over 18m. This fund could only be applied for if leaseholders were liable for remediation costs.

The government has taken further steps, since the fund, to ensure fewer leaseholders are liable.

If your building qualifies for the Building Safety Fund, we'll write to you.

You can view our charging policy on our charging for remediation work page.

Most lenders will ask for a summary of what remediation is required, and who is responsible for covering the costs.

If you're looking to sell, or increase your share in a shared ownership property, your lender may ask for this. Should they do so, please email our Fire Safety Engagement team.

Mental health awareness training is compulsory for managers at L&Q. In addition to this our Customer Service teams and Property Managers are trained to support you if you are feeling stressed by signposting you to services that can help – please talk to us if you are struggling.

There are also lots of organisations that can support you in maintaining good mental health: The NHS, Mind and the Samaritans have useful advice to help you deal with stress.

We moved quickly to survey the cladding on all of our tower blocks, following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. We have replaced ACM cladding, the type used in Grenfell, on 27 high-rise buildings that contained it.

Our building safety programme looks at more than just cladding, to ensure your safety. You can find out more about our inspections on our fire safety building inspections page.

Fire safety legislation requires our team of Fire Risk Assessors to carry out regular fire risk assessments.

We make sure that fire equipment is not damaged and that there are no fire risks in the communal areas.

We do this regularly to make sure our residents are safe.

We are also working with the fire authorities and local councils to make sure all fire safety requirements are met and kept up-to-date.

Given the extent of the new guidance, and the fact this was not in place when the blocks were built, the likelihood of most buildings requiring some degree of remedial work is, unfortunately, high.

We will inform residents of any remedial work needed upon completion of the Building Safety Programme inspection.