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Resident Engagement Strategy

How we will communicate building safety decisions, collect and use your opinions, and measure and review participation in our building safety decisions.

Our Resident Engagement Strategy

The Building Safety Act is a new law in England and Wales designed to ensure building safety. There are specific regulations for tall buildings—those over 18 meters in height or with 7 or more floors. While not all of our student residences fall into this category, some do.

Our Resident Engagement Strategy focuses on achieving three main goals:

  • engaging residents on building and fire safety issues
  • providing relevant information to help residents stay safe
  • empowering residents to take proactive steps and assist in maintaining safety for all

We are confident in the safety of our buildings and encourage your feedback about any property-related concerns or aspects covered by the Act, including:

  • Electrical Safety
  • Fire Safety
  • Structural Safety
  • Resident Engagement Strategy

Engage

It is key for us to engage with you and all our residents on the Building Safety Act.

We will engage with you through our website, via email, on our social media channels and ResLife community pages, ensuring that information is always accessible. For matters that require in-person communication, your ResLife team will reach out to you directly.

We will update you on how we are ensuring your safety and outline our response if any issues arise.

If there is a matter related to the Act affecting the building, we will notify you via our digital channels, explaining the impact on you and what we are doing to ensure your safety.

When we need to adjust our strategy, we will involve you in the process. You can provide feedback through email, direct conversations, surveys, ResLife Ambassadors, and the Hall Reps Forum.

A student studying in a bedroom.

Inform

Throughout the year, we perform safety-related maintenance in our residences, such as fire door inspections or emergency light testing, which generally won’t affect your comfort. However, some tasks might cause minor, temporary disruptions or require access to your room.

We will only notify you about safety work that directly impacts you and will provide timely updates in emergencies.

You will be informed directly if:

  • work is needed in your room
  • communal area work might disrupt you while you’re in your room (e.g., kitchen or corridor)

For larger projects causing significant disruption, we’ll work with you to minimise impact by:

  • scheduling major work during holidays
  • offering alternative locations during the work
Outside Polden student accommodation.

Empower

We provide you with all the necessary information to keep yourself safe in halls. Additionally, there are numerous channels available for addressing any questions or concerns you may have regarding hall safety. This includes:

You can also give us feedback or make a complaint by emailing reslifefeedback@bath.ac.uk.

We will send you surveys and invite you to focus groups whenever we update our strategy, for as long as you reside with us.

Your information will be collected and stored inline with the University's privacy policy.

Students socialising in The Quads.

Responsibilities

Where we as a University and you, the student, need to take responsibility.

Our responsibilities:

We will promptly notify you of any issues detected with a property's structure, electrical components, or safety systems. We will detail the measures taken to ensure your safety during repairs.

We will provide information on fire safety and prevention, conduct regular fire risk assessments, and test our safety systems, including smoke detectors, fire alarms, emergency lighting, fire doors, and evacuation routes.

To mitigate risks during maintenance, we will perform regular patrols to keep escape routes clear and remove hazardous items from communal areas. Emergency exit routes will be clearly marked, and an evacuation plan will be communicated to you.

Your responsibilities:

Complete your safety inductions and watch the fire safety videos for your accommodation before you arrive. Review the safety materials provided in the Good to Know Guide and attend welcome talks from the ResLife team.

Familiarise yourself with the evacuation procedures and inform your guests of these protocols. Ensure all fire doors remain closed and do not tamper with any safety equipment.

Use appliances correctly and report any faults or concerns with equipment. Share any safety issues or concerns you may have with us.

Download the Safezone app.

Contact us

Speak to us for more details about student accommodation.