Frequently Asked Questions

Since the fire at Grenfell Tower in June 2017, the government has released a series of advice notes on building safety, particularly around tall buildings (defined as buildings over 18 metres, or six storeys high). This guidance requires, amongst other things, that building owners should understand the construction of the external walls, and how they may perform in the event of a fire.

Empiric Student Property (ESP) is a responsible provider and operator of student accommodation. Building safety is an integral part of our approach to continually improving our buildings. As part of our duties as a responsible building owner, we have assessed all our buildings and where necessary we are carrying out remedial work in a programme designed to ensure that all of our buildings meet the government’s building safety requirements. 

No. All of ESP's buildings have an up-to-date Fire Risk Assessment. These are independently reviewed every year and any recommendations are dealt with immediately or, where appropriate, put into a programme of work to be completed within a suitable timeframe.

The evacuation procedure for each building is designed to meet the requirements of the specific building, based on the building’s fire strategy and the fire safety system installed.

The steps taken to help manage building safety and support residents and staff have been guided by the advice of the appropriate local fire services, including guidance on the relevant building fire safety precautions for each location.

Working with ESP and its contractors, we will do our best to make sure that the in-depth investigations and any subsequent improvement works will not affect our residents’ use and enjoyment of their accommodation and facilities. While some disruption is likely while the works are carried out, our onsite team will ensure that any disruption is kept to a minimum.

In the meantime, a range of additional temporary safety precautions have been put in place for our buildings while the programme is carried out, including increased staff safety patrols 24/7. Please make yourself familiar with the new precautions and procedures, which can be found throughout the building.

ESP's building safety programme has been developed over time in response to its risk-based assessment approach. This is in line with the UK government’s guidelines and covers all our buildings.

Our Building Safety Team, supported by our panel of independent, external experts, have made assessments on a property-by-property basis and from these, developed our ongoing proactive programme. 

Although our experts' assessments are as accurate as possible and used to inform the basis of our programming, it is important to remember that until we carry out in-depth surveys, it can’t be known for certain exactly what work is needed to bring each building up to the current safety standard. 

Throughout the process, ESP is committed to providing timely, clear and accurate communications. As the programme and its timings are evolving, so it makes sense to share details with residents once we are certain of what is going to be happening at each building. In this way, the information is as reliable as possible. This includes the building and student-tailored solutions we are putting in place to minimise disruption to residents.

We will always put student welfare and safety first.

Depending on the outcoming of the inspections, this could include removing and replacing any materials on the outside of buildings which do not meet the latest regulatory standards. 

The UK Government has issued clear guidance on prioritising buildings and sets out a range of criteria that should be considered, such as the limited number of specialist qualified professionals in the country able to carry out the work. As changing building safety regulations are a national issue, the services of those qualified professionals are in high demand. Implementing a phased programme based on risk was therefore deemed to be the safest and fairest approach. 

At the outset of the programme, ESP carried out a risk analysis based on what it already knows about its buildings. This desktop review looked at a range of factors, including building heights, known construction methods and materials, and existing measures in place, to determine which buildings should be prioritised.