Preparing a resident engagement strategy

Purpose of a resident engagement strategy

The resident engagement strategy sets out how residents are:

• involved in building safety decisions
• informed about building safety decisions

Building safety decisions are made by an accountable person (AP) and are about:

• the management of the building
• management of building safety risks
• any decision connected to the duties of an accountable person

Legal duties

The principal accountable person (PAP) must:

• prepare a resident engagement strategy
• act in accordance with the strategy
• review and revise the strategy and keep a record of the reviews
• provide the latest version to each AP
• when necessary consult residents and APs about the strategy and take their opinions into account
• tell residents about building safety work resulting from a building safety decision

APs must:

• provide the latest version of the strategy to the residents in their parts of the building
• work with any other APs for the building to create and update the strategy

When to prepare a strategy

The PAP should prepare a strategy as soon as possible when:

• the building is, or becomes occupied
• they become the PAP

Building assessment certificate

The PAP must submit a copy of the resident engagement strategy when the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) tells them to apply for a building assessment certificate.

Your strategy must cover

Your resident engagement strategy should be specific to the building and take account of the needs and preferences of the residents.

The information you’ll provide residents with

Describe the information you’ll provide to residents about building safety decisions.

Information may vary depending on the type of decision and what aspect you’re asking about. You can give examples or list typical information you’ll provide. Include how you’ll provide the information, including when any work will start.

What you’ll ask residents about

Describe what decisions you’ll ask for opinions on. Sometimes you’ll only need to ask residents about certain aspects of a decision that could impact them. For example, if work is needed to repair a faulty fire door, you could ask residents when they would prefer the work to take place. This can help minimise disruption.

How you’ll collect and use opinions

Describe how you’ll ask residents about building safety decisions. Methods you could use include:

• letters or surveys by post
• a website, emails, social media, or apps
• meetings or visits

The strategy should show that you have considered different communication needs. You can ask if anyone needs communications in a different language or in alternative formats such as large text, easy read, braille, or audio.

You should describe:

• the process you’ll use to collect, review, and act on opinions
• how you’ll give feedback on opinions and any changes you make because of them
• how much time residents have to submit their opinions and explain the timescale
• how you’ll collect and store information in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

How you’ll measure and review participation

Describe how you’ll assess and review the methods you use to encourage involvement in building safety decisions. You should do this regularly and record the results of your review.

To measure and review participation, you can:

• record how many responses you get when you ask about a building safety decision
• use surveys and focus groups
• set up meetings and visits

After you have prepared your strategy

Distribute

The PAP must provide a copy of the strategy to all APs. APs must distribute the strategy to all residents in their parts of the building.

You should provide copies of the strategy in a way that considers the needs of the residents. For example, some may prefer a paper copy and others may prefer email.

APs must take all reasonable steps to know who lives in their part of the building and understand their needs. This can include accessibility needs and communication needs, such as language spoken. APs can use a range of methods to collect this information, such as sending out a survey by post or by email or making visits to residential units.

If, after collecting resident information, an AP is not aware of one or more residents in their part of the building, the duty to provide a copy of the strategy does not apply.

Consult

The PAP must consult on the strategy following:

• the first time it’s issued
• any change to it

The PAP must consult all:

• residents

• APs for the building

The PAP is not legally required to consult with resident organisations. However, doing so could help reach more residents.

Do not rely on resident organisations as the only way of reaching residents because they may not represent everyone in the building.

Each consultation period must last at least 3 weeks but can be longer. The PAP must set out in the strategy how long the consultations will be.

If the building is new, and residents will move in gradually, it may be best to consult on the strategy in stages. If this is the case, the staged approach to consultation must be set out in the strategy.

Action after consultation

The PAP must consider any opinions received during the consultation and, if necessary, update the strategy. The PAP does not have to reconsult if they make major changes to the strategy as a result of a consultation.

Review

The PAP must review the strategy:

• at least every 2 years
• after you submit a mandatory occurrence report to BSR
• after the completion of significant material alterations to the building

Disputes

The PAP must review and consider any opinions they receive from residents about the strategy. The PAP is not required to change the strategy if they do not think it is appropriate.

A resident can make a complaint about the strategy to the PAP. If the resident is not satisfied with the outcome of the complaint, they can contact BSR.

Building safety complaints from residents

The strategy should not deal with how you’ll handle complaints about the building’s safety. The PAP must operate a complaints system which residents can use to raise building safety concerns.