Keep it clear
It’s important to keep shared areas such as hallways and courtyards clear. That way, it would be easy to evacuate your home if there is a fire. This includes buggies and bicycles in stairwells, doormats, and personal items in riser cupboards.
Leaving items outside your flat might make it easier to leave and return to your home. But we don’t want anything to prevent you and your family from evacuating the building if you need to.
Keeping communal areas clear will also make sure firefighters can do their job if there is an emergency.
Bikes and scooters
E-bikes and e-scooters have become more popular recently, but they can be a fire risk if they’re not handled properly.
Please read the instructions carefully before you use or charge them.
And make sure you know how to dispose of any batteries. E-bike and e-scooters use lithium-ion batteries, which can lead to explosive fires if they’re not disposed of correctly.
You can find more information about e-bike and e-scooters on the London Fire Brigade website.
Balcony manners
It’s fine to have non-flammable items on your balcony, such as garden furniture and bicycles.
Other household and flammable items are best kept inside since they could help a fire to spread throughout your building.
We’ve put together some handy balcony dos and don’ts on our website that you might find useful.
Communal fire doors
The fire doors in your building stop the spread of heat and smoke if there’s a fire.
Without them, fire and smoke can spread, and high temperatures can make it difficult to evacuate a building.
Please make sure you close the fire doors after you, and don’t leave anything around that might prevent them from closing.
If you notice that fire doors are not closing or think they need to be repaired, please contact us on 0800 432 0077 or via My Account to log a repair.