Health and Safety

As your landlord, we want to ensure you are safe in your home. This page explains how we do that and how you can help.

Safety checks

As your landlord, Eastlight is responsible for carrying out certain safety checks in your home.

Gas and oil safety checks are carried out annually, an Electrical Safety Installation Condition Report is completed every five years, and fire safety checks are undertaken in the communal areas of blocks of Eastlight flats every three years.

We're also know where asbestos is present, so that any work required can be carried out safely.

More details about the checks, and how you can stay safe, are below.

Testing your household alarms

Watch the video below to see how to test the smoke & carbon monoxide alarms in your home to ensure they are working effectively. If you are unable to view this video, please click the shield icon on the bottom, left-hand-side of this page and allow ‘Targeting cookies'

1:12 Youtube

Gas and Oil

Our contractors, Axis or Gas Call, will contact you annually to arrange a Gas or Oil Safety Check at your convenience.

The Gas Safe Registered engineers will make sure your appliances, carcassing and pipework are well-maintained.

Please do keep those appointments, or let them know if you need to cancel. They are a legal requirement and action will be taken if we are repeatedly unable to access your home.

Please also ensure you use gas safe registered engineers to install and service your own appliances.

If you suspect a gas leak, turn off the supply immediately, ventilate the room, switch of all appliances and call the national gas emergency number - 0800 111 999.

It is recommended that you check the carbon monoxide alarm in your home weekly.

More information on staying gas safe can be found here.

Fire

What to do in the event of a fire

In the event of a fire, you must:

Call 999 or 112 from any telephone and ask for the Fire Service
Give your address and postcode.

If you live in a flat, the Fire Action Notice in the communal area will tell you what to do in an emergency. It may be that it is safer for you to remain in your flat, rather than leave immediately.

Fire doors

Fire doors are crucial, life-saving safety devices, designed to restrict the spread of smoke and fire.

Please do:

Ensure fire doors are kept shut when not in use
Report any faults or damage immediately to Eastlight by clicking here.

Please don't:

Alter or change your flat front door without prior consent from Eastlight
Tamper with doors or self-closing devices.

How we help keep you safe

We carry out Fire Risk Assessments every three years in our General Needs flat blocks, and annually in our Housing for Older People Schemes.

We also distribute essential fire safety information annually to all residents living in blocks of flats.

Click here to see simple precautions you can take to reduce the chance of a fire in your home.

Electric

We are responsible for ensuring that your home has a valid Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR).

The check is carried out by a qualified electrician every five years.

We will also check electrical supplies in any communal areas and arrange regular inspections of electrical equipment installed in them.

Please allow our contractors to carry out this check when an appointment is booked.

You can find more electrical safety tips here.

Asbestos

Asbestos is a mineral fibre used in building materials and products used from 1950 to 2000. They have now been banned, and if your home was built after 2000 it is highly unlikely to contain absestos.

Asbestos is safe if it is undamaged, but it can become dangerous if the fibres are disturbed through age or DIY activity and harmful when breathed in.

Eastlight hold an asbestos register so we are aware where asbestos is present in our properties.

It is important to obtain permission from us (landlord's consent) before doing any work in your home. In addition, as Asbestos Survey needs to be carried out prior to any major refurbishment.

Please click here to find out about obtaining landlord's consent.

Policies

These policies outline Eastlight's obligations as a landlord to our residents.

Contents Insurance

Whether you are a tenant, shared owner or leaseholder, it is your responsibility to insure your home contents, which we highly recommend doing with a reputable company.

When we say ‘contents’, we mean your belongings, your liabilities and all of the responsibilities you have to Eastlight and to others, including your guests, family and visitors.

The possessions cover is wide-ranging and includes money, shed contents and, essentially, everything that could be put in a removals van if you were to move house, including things like white goods, electronic devices, televisions, curtains and even the food in your freezer! Carpets are covered by contents insurance, too.

The cover and support available from this type of insurance is invaluable, and we're currently exploring options to provide an affordable scheme designed specifically for our residents' needs. In the meantime, we recommend using a comparison website to find the right quote for you.