Sector Expertise

Health and Safety for Housing Associations and Almshouses

Name: Integral Safety Ltd
Address: 53 John Cooper Way, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 4AP, GB
Telephone: 01530 382 150
Price range: ££

Registered providers, almshouse charities and small housing trusts carry landlord duties that sit on top of ordinary employer duties. We help trustees and housing managers meet both without turning compliance into a full-time job.

Get a Free Quote 01530 382 150

Chartered (CMIOSH) Advice led by a Chartered Member of IOSH
20+ years Protecting Midlands workplaces
Local to you Based in Coalville and Melton Mowbray
Free quote Clear, fixed prices with no obligation

Why it is different

Housing Associations & Almshouses: What Makes This Sector Different

Housing associations and almshouse charities occupy an awkward position in health and safety law. You are an employer, so the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 applies to your staff and contractors. You are also responsible for communal areas in buildings people live in, which brings in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and for many providers the Building Safety Act 2022 and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 on top.

Almshouse charities feel this most sharply. Many are run by volunteer trustees, often with no full-time staff, and are responsible for buildings that can be centuries old, listed, and impossible to alter freely. The legal duty is identical to that of a large registered provider with a compliance department. That mismatch between duty and resource is the single most common thing we are asked to help with.

Know your risks

The Risks That Matter Here

The hazards we see most often in housing associations & almshouses, and the ones a regulator or client will ask about.

Communal area fire risk assessments, and keeping them reviewed rather than filed
Fire doors, compartmentation and escape routes in older and listed buildings
Legionella control in shared or intermittently used water systems
Asbestos management plans and surveys before any refurbishment work
Gas and electrical safety certification across a scattered portfolio
Contractor control, permits to work and who is allowed on site unsupervised
Lone working for scheme managers and visiting housing officers
Resident vulnerability and personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs)

The law

Your Legal Duties

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 makes the "responsible person" accountable for fire safety in the common parts of residential blocks. For almshouse charities that responsible person is usually the trustee body, collectively. Trustees are frequently surprised to learn that the duty is personal to them and cannot be delegated away by hiring a managing agent. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 added further duties for buildings above certain heights, including information for residents and checks on fire doors.

How we help

What We Do for Housing Associations & Almshouses Clients

Fire risk assessments for communal areas, compliant with PAS 79
A prioritised action plan a trustee board can actually work through
Health and safety policy and arrangements written for your size of organisation
Contractor approval and permit-to-work systems

Annual compliance reviews so nothing quietly lapses
Training for scheme managers, wardens and maintenance staff
Support preparing for regulator or insurer scrutiny

Relevant services and training

“Integral Safety provides the authoritative support and assurance our charity needs to keep residents, staff, and visitors safe. Their expert guidance ensures we remain fully compliant with all health and safety legislation and regulatory requirements. With tailored in-house training and excellent value for money, we highly recommend them to any organisation seeking comprehensive safety support.”

Chris Jones Wyggestons and Trinity Almshouse

Questions

Housing Associations & Almshouses: Common Questions

Do almshouse trustees personally carry the fire safety duty?

In most cases yes. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the responsible person for the common parts is whoever has control of the premises, which for an almshouse charity is normally the trustee body. You can appoint a competent person to advise you and a managing agent to act for you, but the legal duty itself stays with the trustees.

Does a fire risk assessment cover inside residents' individual homes?

Generally the Fire Safety Order covers the common parts, not the inside of a self-contained private dwelling. In practice a sensible assessment still considers how a fire starting inside a flat would affect escape routes and neighbouring homes, which is where fire doors and compartmentation matter.

Our buildings are listed. Can we still comply?

Yes, and this is common in almshouse settings. Listed status limits what you can alter but does not remove the duty. The usual route is a combination of management controls, detection and alarm systems chosen sympathetically, and agreement with the conservation officer on what physical work is acceptable. We are used to working within those constraints.

We are a small charity with no staff. Do we still need all this?

The duties do not scale down with your size, but the paperwork should be proportionate to your risk. A small single-site almshouse does not need the compliance apparatus of a large registered provider. We help trustees put in place something proportionate, defensible and manageable.

How often should our fire risk assessment be reviewed?

It should be reviewed regularly and whenever something significant changes, such as building work, a change in how a building is used, a change in resident needs, or after a fire or near miss. Many providers review annually as a matter of course.

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