Resident Engagement – Beyond the Strategy

Under the Building Safety Act 2022, Resident Engagement Strategies (RES) became mandatory for all high-rise residential buildings. This change was a direct result of the Hackitt report, which recommended fundamental changes to building safety regulations following the devastating Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. Specifically, Recommendation 4.3 in the report called for a resident engagement strategy to be in place for all high-risk residential buildings, leading to the regime we know today.

The regime of today calls for an approach that stems beyond the simple compliance of having a strategy in place; it calls for a resident-centric approach, prioritising genuine engagement over simple one-way communication.

Resident engagement goes beyond simply informing your residents about building safety; it’s about making a genuine commitment to engaging them about building safety and involving them in decisions that directly affect them. It’s about creating a two-way dialogue where residents’ voices are heard and valued.

• Transparency and Openness: Clear, honest, and timely sharing of information.
• Accessibility and Inclusivity: Ensuring all residents, regardless of their background, language, or abilities, have the opportunity to participate.
• Proactive Communication: Reaching out to residents before issues arise, rather than just reacting.
• Empowerment and Influence: Giving residents a genuine say and ensuring their feedback can influence decisions.

It’s vital that every resident feels heard and valued, but it’s also important to recognize that not everyone will want to be involved. Some residents may not engage with surveys or consultations, preferring to stick with what they know. The key is to provide diverse opportunities for involvement at various levels. By doing so, you are fulfilling your commitment, regardless of whether every resident chooses to participate.

• Aware: Residents that are aware of the opportunities to be more involved in building safety decisions.
• Opting-In: Residents who simply opt in to communication and respond to surveys.
• Participating: Residents participate in consultations and meetings.
• Co-create: Residents that want to get involved in the process of creating policies that directly affect them.
• Leading the way: Residents that sit on scrutiny panels, boards, or improvement groups.

Effective resident engagement is crucial for several reasons. Your residents are your primary line of defence against safety risks. They are often the first to notice issues in the building. Maintaining an open line of communication make it easier for them to report concerns, ensuring potential risks are identified and addresses quickly.

A transparent and engaging approach it essential for building resident trust, which is crucial when it comes to encouraging residents to get involved in safety initiatives. Without trust, residents are unlikely to engage with surveys or other opportunities to get involved.

When residents feel heard and involved, it significantly reinforces their sense of community and improves the overall well-being within the building. This participation fosters a more connected and positive living environment for everyone.

A Resident Engagement Strategy is a mandatory formal piece of documentation that outlines how you intend to engage your residents. It forms part of the building’s safety case and must be submitted as part of your Building Assessment Certificate (BAC) application.

Under Section 91 of the BSA22, the Principal Accountable Person (PAP) for an occupied higher-risk building must:

• As soon as reasonably practicable after the ‘relevant time,’ prepare a resident engagement strategy for promoting the participation of relevant persons in the making of building safety decisions.
• Review the strategy at prescribed times and revise it if they consider it necessary or appropriate to do so.
• In prescribed circumstances, consult ‘relevant persons’ and prescribed persons on the strategy and take any representations made on the consultation into account when next reviewing the strategy.

“Relevant time” refers to the period after a higher-risk building has been occupied. “Relevant persons” are defined as either the residents of the building or the owners of its residential units.

The RES must be reviewed at least every two years, or

within a reasonable time period following the conclusion of a consultation, or

within a reasonable time period following the submission of a mandatory occurrence report (MOR), or

within a reasonable timer period after the completion of significant material alterations to the building.

The purpose of the strategy is to ensure a structured and consistent approach to engagement, meet legal obligations, and demonstrate a clear commitment to resident safety and well-being. A successful strategy relies on knowing who your residents are and recognising they are not static, changes in demographic will occur over time. Your RES must be flexible and adjusted to account for these changes.

A successful Resident Engagement Strategy must be comprehensive and address several key elements to ensure effective and meaningful engagement. These components, as per the BSA22 and related guidance, include:

Resident Demographics, Preferred Languages, and Communication Methods: Understanding your resident demographics is fundamental. The strategy must detail how you will gather and use information on resident demographics, their preferred languages, and their preferred methods of communication to ensure engagement is accessible and effective for everyone.

Details of the Accountable Person(s) in the Building: The strategy should clearly identify the Accountable Person(s) responsible for the building’s safety and engagement, making it easy for residents to know who to contact.

Methods of Engagement and Information Sharing: This section must outline how the APs currently engage with residents and how they intend to inform residents about building safety work, who will carry out the work, and any other relevant safety decisions. This may include detailing various channels such as:

• Regular meetings (online and in-person)
• Dedicated online portals or apps
• Newsletters, emails, and physical notices
• Surveys and feedback forms
• Dedicated contact points (phone, email, SMS)

Current Available Safety Information and Request Procedures: The strategy must specify the current available safety information that will be provided to and the process by which residents can request additional information.

Complaints System: A clear and accessible complaints system must be in place for residents to submit any relevant building safety complaints, ensuring their concerns are formally recorded and addressed.

System for Submitting Concerns: Beyond formal complaints, the strategy should detail the system in place for residents to submit relevant building safety concerns, fostering an environment where issues can be raised proactively.

Details of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) and Contact Information: Residents need to know about the BSR’s role and how they can get in contact with the BSR if necessary. This information must be clearly communicated within the strategy.

Resident Responsibilities and Management: The strategy should outline how residents will be informed about their responsibilities in an emergency and how these responsibilities are managed and communicated.

Records of Consultations: The strategy must include details and records of any relevant consultations carried out to date, demonstrating a history of engagement and providing a baseline for future activities.

When crafting strategies, proportionality is a key consideration. You must ask: “Is this approach reasonable and proportionate?” For example, it’s not proportionate to provide safety information in a multitude of formats just for the sake of accessibility. Instead, you should first determine your residents’ preferred methods of engagement and communication and tailor your approach accordingly.

The BSR is the lead body in assessing Resident Engagement Strategies. In a BAC application, the strategy is assessed in isolation from the Safety Case Report and the Mandatory Occurrence Report (MOR), underscoring its distinct importance.

Feeback from the regulator on previously submitted strategies has highlighted some common themes amongst the industry which has led to the refusal of many BACs. This includes:

• ‘Some strategies are not specific enough to the building/not taking into account the needs and preferences of THAT group of residents’
• ‘High-Rise residents are a diverse population – ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL’ (even within the same complex of blocks)
• There is a ‘difference between providing information (section 89) and engagement/consultation – it’s a two-way process (section 91)’
• Too many people are just communication, they’re not engaging.

The BSR has set out clear expectations for Resident Engagement Strategies under the Building Assessment Certificate Criteria.

For detailed guidance and templates, duty holders should refer directly to the official BSR publications and resources available on the government’s website.

The Building Safety Act 2022 marks a significant shift in the approach to building safety, placing residents at its heart. The mandatory Resident Engagement Strategy is not merely a compliance requirement but a powerful tool for fostering trust, transparency, and shared responsibility. By embracing a resident-centric approach, duty holders can not only meet their legal obligations but also cultivate safer, more resilient, and harmonious living environments.