We want you to live in quality homes which are warm and safe. We carry out appropriate and necessary tests in all of our homes and have created help sheets and videos with information and tips to help keep you safe.
Tenants are kindly reminded that pets must remain under control when Saffron representatives visit their home. To ensure appropriate Health and Safety we request that dogs are kept away from the area where our team may be carrying out repairs or inspections.
All tenants are invited to attend our first-ever fire safety workshop on Wednesday 16th October, between 10am and 3pm. These workshops are a great opportunity to learn more about a variety of subjects. The workshop will be run by Aico, Market Leader's in Home Safety, and will take place at Saffron Barn, Swan Lane, Long Stratton, Norfolk, NR15 2XP. Please email communications@saffronhousing.co.uk to reserve your place!
Important information about Carbon Monoxide
We’ve been made aware that there are some dangerous trends on social media about using aluminium foil gas burner covers and standard kitchen foil to keep gas hobs clean. They can restrict the airflow and lead to the release of Carbon Monoxide (CO) - known as a silent killer as it’s not detectable.
We have some short videos (which you can find by clicking on other topics below) and a fire safety leaflet with information to help keep you and your neighbours safe.
Download our Fire Safety in Flat Blocks leaflet by clicking here.
All tenants who live in blocks of flats or in our Independent Community Living schemes will have a fire door. They will save lives when there is a fire because they prevent it from spreading quickly. You must never tamper with a fire door, and you must report anything faulty to us immediately by emailing info@saffronhousing.co.uk or calling 01508 532000 so we can arrange repairs and/or inspection as necessary.
The video below explains how fire doors work and what you should look out for.
If you live in a block of flats or one of our Independent Community Living schemes you will have something called a ‘protected escape route’, meaning that when there is a fire there is a route out which will keep you and your neighbours safe, usually for up to 60 minutes. This is achieved by using fire resistant materials such as bricks, fire doors and walls, which keep the fire contained. It is vital that all corridors and stair wells are clear of rubbish, to eliminate the risk of fire, prevent any trip hazards, and to give the emergency services space to work in if there is a fire.
The video below has more information about protected escape routes.
Whether you live in a flat or house it is important to keep the risk of fire within your home as low as possible. Click here for more fire safety advice from Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service.
If you smell gas or think there is a leak you must phone the National Gas Emergency number on 0800 111 999straight away and then notify us with the reference number you have been given.
Do not:
Smoke
Set anything on fire
Touch, or do anything, which may spark and ignite gas (this includes light switches, lighters, and cooker ignitions)
Use mobile phones near the leak
As a responsible landlord, we carry out an annual safety inspection of heating appliances within your home. This is to make sure they are safe for you and your family to use. The service includes gas appliances, flues and pipework, oil fired appliances and tanks, solid fuel burning appliances and open fires, air source heat pumps, and unvented cylinders.
A registered GAS Safe, OFTEC or HETAS heating engineer will carry out the safety inspection. All our engineers carry appropriate identification, which they should show before entering your property.
After the safety inspection, we will provide you with a copy of the appropriate safety record, certifying that the appliances are safe. We will either leave a copy of the safety certificate with you at the time of the appointment or post it to you within 28 days.
If any appliance fails the inspection and is not safe to use, the engineer will have to take action. They are legally required to disconnect appliances that fail and/or make them safe and issue the appropriate warning notice.
If it is not possible to carry out the repair on the same visit the engineer will provide you with temporary heating if appropriate, and, wherever possible, temporary hot water facilities.
We will contact you by post 8 weeks before the date your annual safety inspection is due. This letter will offer you an appointment time and date. You can contact us to rearrange the date and/or time if the appointment is not convenient for you.
If you do not contact us, we will assume this time and date is suitable.
If you are not home on this appointment date the engineer will leave a card for you and take a picture of the front door to prove that we attended. We will contact you again with a second appointment offer. Again, if this is not convenient you can contact us to rearrange it.
If you are not home on the second appointment date we will contact you a third time with another appointment. This third appointment will be very close to the overdue date for the inspection. If this happens your heating appliances are potentially unsafe for you to use.
What is my responsibility as a tenant?
Your tenancy agreement states that you must allow us access so that we can carry out these regular safety and service checks. You should co-operate fully to enable this work to be done by allowing our heating engineers access to your home on the agreed appointment time and date. It is also your responsibility to make sure enough electricity, gas, and oil is available on the meters at the time.
If we are unable to carry out the heating service after three attempts we will seek to obtain a court injunction to gain access to carry out the safety inspection. We may also seek a Possession Order for breach of tenancy conditions. We will charge you for any associated costs relating to this action. The current cost of a court injunction is £332.00.
Carbon monoxide gas is highly poisonous to people and animals. It is difficult to recognise because it has no colour, smell, or taste. Learning to identify the danger signs such as stains, soot, or discolouring around the top of a gas fire or at the top of a gas water heater or boiler can be crucial to your safety. A conventional gas appliance should have a normal blue flame – not yellow or orange. All our properties are equipped with carbon monoxide detectors to alert you if there is a leak.
The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are similar to those caused by other illnesses, such as colds or flu. However, if you suffer from any of the below while using an appliance or open fire, stop using it and contact us on 01508 532000 and select option 2.
Unexplained headaches
Chest pains
Muscular weakness
Sickness
Diarrhoea
Stomach pains
Sudden dizziness when standing up
General lethargy
If your carbon monoxide alarm activates and is constantly sounding you must phone the National Gas Emergency number on 0800 111 999 immediately and then notify us with the reference number you have been given.
By law we must carry out an electrical test every five years in our rented properties. This is for your own safety and to highlight any faults which could lead to an electrical fire. The video below explains what this test involves:
Asbestos is a building material which has previously been used but has been banned since 1999. If your home was built before the year 2000, there is a chance it may have been used in your home.
Left undisturbed and in good condition, most asbestos containing materials are not dangerous. The threat from asbestos is from inhaling airborne fibres when they are disturbed, for example when doing DIY.
It is our responsibility to deal with any asbestos found in your home but that does not mean we will automatically take it out. Sometimes the removal process has more risk than leaving the asbestos where it is, but we may remove it when we do home improvements.
Any exposure to asbestos should be avoided, however, that does not mean that you should necessarily worry about a one-off exposure.
If you find damaged or broken material that may contain asbestos then leave it alone, keep away from the area and call our Customer Contact Team on 01508 532000.
For more information you can view our Asbestos Advice Help Sheet at the bottom of the page.
A clean water supply is essential for good health. It is normal for water systems to contain some bacteria, but if conditions allow them to multiply, then they can occasionally pose a risk to your health. Legionella is a common bacteria that can cause illness (Legionnaires’ disease).
The risk of Legionella posing a threat in the home is very low as water is generally stored and used in such a way that bacteria does not to grow to dangerous levels.
For more information, view our Water Safety Help Sheet at the bottom of the page.
We carry out annual safety inspections on your oil tank. It is important this inspection takes place and there is oil in the tank.
Heating oil delivery drivers are also required to inspect the condition of an oil tank before delivering the oil.
Before ordering your heating oil, please check your oil tank for any signs of damage, such as cracking. If you do see any signs of damage, please contact us at heating@saffronhousing.co.uk or call 01508 532000 and select option 2. An engineer will attend to inspect your oil tank.
Safety checks are essential and have to be carried out within once a year.
If safety checks are delayed this could put you, and your neighbours, at risk.
Read about what to expect from a safety check, including how to rearrange, below.
The safety of tenants is really important to us. We have an ‘Accident & Investigation Report Form’ which must be completed if you need to report a near miss or minor incident to Saffron. This will include incidents such as:
A missing or faulty stair tread on steps, nearly resulting in a fall or trip
Poor lighting in communal areas, resulting in a trip due to low visibility
A faulty smoke alarm sounding
For more information about what a near miss is and further examples, please read the ‘Near Miss’ document which can be found in the ‘useful documents’ section at the bottom of this page.
Please speak to either your Neighbourhood Officer, Wellbeing Coordinator or a member of our Customer Contact Team who will help you to complete the form. The form will then be passed onto our Health & Safety Team. It is important they are made aware of any near misses or minor incidents so that trends can be identified, and measures put into place to stop them developing into more serious incidents.
Management Information Measures 2023-2024
100%
Gas Safety Checks
Proportion of homes for which all required gas safety checks have been carried out.
100%
Fire Risk Assessments
Proportion of homes for which all required fire risk assessments have been carried out.
100%
Asbestos Checks
Proportion of homes for which all required asbestos management surveys or re-inspections have been carried out.
100%
Legionella Risk Assessments
Proportion of homes for which all required legionella risk assessments have been carried out.
100%
Passenger Lift Safety Checks
Proportion of homes for which all required legionella risk assessments have been carried out.
60.2
Anti-social behaviour cases
Number of anti-social behaviour cases opened per 1000 homes.
0.5
Anti-social behaviour and hate incidents
Number of anti-social behaviour cases that involve hate incidents opened per 1000 homes.
0.6
Decent Homes Standard
Proportion of homes that do not meet the Decent Homes Standard.
66.3%
Non-Emergency Repairs
Proportion of non-emergency responsive repairs completed within the landlord's target timescale.
66.9%
Emergency Repairs
Proportion of emergency responsive repairs completed within the landlord's target timescale.
81.1
Stage One Complaints
Number of stage one complaints received per 1000 homes.
9.6
Stage Two Complaints
Number of stage two complaints received per 1000 homes.
89.4%
Stage One Complaints Response
Proportion of stage one complaints responded to within the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code timescales.
91.7%
Stage Two Complaints Response
Proportion of stage two complaints responded to within the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code.
We also offer INTRAN, which provides interpreting and translation services for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or who do not have English as a first language. To arrange support with INTRAN please contact a member of the Customer Contact Team on 01508 532000 or at info@saffronhousing.co.uk. Find out more by clicking here.
