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Time for HAs to reveal FRAs
Landlords are rightly under increasing pressure to publish their fire risk assessments. They should use it as an opportunity to share information and reassure tenants, says Emma Maier
“Sometimes, not speaking out is more dangerous than speaking.” These are the words of housing association board member and ex-regulator Peter Marsh, speaking to Inside Housing about the lessons that must be learned after Grenfell – and why landlords should publish fire risk assessments (FRAs).
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Now, government has backed those calls for transparency, adding to the growing pressure on landlords. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has shared with Inside Housing the FRA for the building it shares with the Home Office and the Homes and Communities Agency. In doing so, it stated that there is a public interest in “gaining a fuller understanding of the issues surrounding fire safety”.
The department also referenced the information commissioner’s call for councils to proactively publish FRAs. Commissioner Elizabeth Denham strongly encouraged housing associations, which are not subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) laws, to publish too, and suggested that FOIA legislation could be extended.
Inside Housing is creating a databank of tower block FRAs, and has been calling on councils and housing associations to share their assessments for the benefit of other landlords and tenants. Our database already provides the opportunity for landlords to explore common risks and issues. Our aim is to provide a resource to help identify trends and share lessons across the country.
Some landlords have expressed fears about releasing sensitive information. Others have been wary of worrying tenants. But as the DCLG and the 10 associations and countless councils that have shared their FRAs have shown, it is possible to overcome this. The DCLG redacted sensitive information that might pose a security risk. Some landlords have withheld details of vulnerable tenants. As Mr Marsh argues, landlords have a duty to explain what action is being taken on risks that sound frightening to tenants.
The majority of the 500-plus assessments submitted so far have been from councils and we commend those that have published their FRAs already.
We call on others to join them by emailing sophie.barnes@insidehousing.co.uk