The Grenfell Tower Tragedy: Our response

The health and safety of our residents has always been the top priority at L&Q. In the wake of the tragic incident at Grenfell Tower, we are taking immediate action to review our fire safety procedures.

All our fire risk assessments are currently up to date. We visit sheltered housing schemes and tower blocks over six storeys high once a year to review fire safety. However we are now taking another look at what we can do to ensure the safety of our residents. 

We are carrying out additional safety reviews of all blocks over six storeys. And, while the circumstances behind the fire are still unclear, we are taking the additional precaution of surveying the cladding on these blocks. Where we find any materials that pose a fire risk, these will be removed and replaced as soon as possible. If these materials pose an immediate risk to our residents, we will move them to suitable alternative accommodation until we can resolve the problem.

We are prioritising risk assessments for older and vulnerable residents, as well as those living in high rise blocks. We will consider all possible methods of mitigating fire risk - cost will not, and never has been, a barrier to providing the most appropriate solution. We will seek to replicate new build fire safety standards, such as sprinkler systems, in our existing blocks. Where practical constraints mean this is not possible, we will develop a bespoke fire safety strategy and communicate this clearly to our residents. We have also taken the decision to fit smoke alarms in all the homes we own.  

This work is an immediate priority for L&Q and we have set aside the necessary staffing and budgetary resources to deliver solutions quickly.

Further fire safety advice from the London Fire Brigade can be found here https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/media/1107/fsith_web.pdf

Any residents with specific questions about their properties should contact us via our online contact form and we will be happy to look into these.