We want to keep you and your neighbours safe and can only do this with your help. If you live in a building where you share communal areas with other residents, you must make sure that you keep them clear of clutter and rubbish.
Shared communal areas include stairways, lifts, landings, hallways, and any other spaces that you share with other residents. It also includes service or meter cupboards in your building and shared outside spaces.
Please make sure you do not leave any items in these areas, including shoes, shoe racks, prams, pushchairs, bicycles, mobility scooters, wheelchairs, electric bikes, e-scooters, children’s toys, bin bags, plant stands and door mats.
Fire and Rescue Services outline that storing belongings in these shared spaces can pose a real risk to everyone’s safety as it could stop you leaving the building and prevent the fire fighters from doing their job in an emergency. Items could also give off smoke or fumes that would affect you or hinder the Fire Service in a fire.
As uninvited visitors could also use or take items, it’s better to keep them in your own home for this reason too.
SNG is responsible for these communal areas in our buildings (unless these are looked after by a management company) and legally required to carry out a risk assessment which considers escape routes, including communal areas and stairways.
We regularly check communal areas in shared accommodation for general health and safety hazards.
It’s important we all do what we can to prevent these, which is why your tenancy agreement or lease will state that you should not store items in communal areas and that we will treat any items left as a breach of your tenancy or lease.
We have a zero-tolerance approach to items left in communal areas. This means we will remove any items found in these areas, without warning, as they pose a hazard, and we will dispose of them. You will not be able to get them back as we don’t have the storage space to hold on to items. There may also be a charge for removing any items.
Many of our buildings have a TORT notice displayed in communal area/s to let you know the type of items that are commonly stored in these areas which should not be stored there. These lists have some examples, but are not exhaustive.
London Fire Brigade has seen a huge spike in fires as a result of electric bikes and e-scooters and we recognise that these are becoming common modes of transport. We request that these are stored and charged safely within your homes, not in communal areas (except if there is a dedicated area for mobility scooters).
- If you have an e-bike, e-scooter or mobility scooter, store it somewhere cool, not in a very hot or cold area.
- Charge batteries at the right voltage, with manufacturer approved leads and connections.
- Place batteries on a hard surface, away from escape routes, in a room with a smoke alarm.
- Please do not leave batteries charging constantly, overnight or unattended - only when you're awake and at home.
- Make sure batteries are not damaged and let them cool down before you recharge them.
If we see electric bikes or e-scooters in communal areas, they will be removed and disposed of immediately without prior notice. This is to keep all those living in the building safe.
Click here for London Fire Brigade advice on charging electric bike and e-scooter batteries. 
The latest government research on Lithium-ion batteries also suggests there is a higher risk if these are overcharged, overheated or mechanically damaged. There is also more risk with poor quality conversion kits or if separate batteries or chargers are bought and used together as these may not be compatible.
Clear corridors and closed fire doors save lives
Our short film with Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (still in former Sovereign branding) shows why items in a corridor are a fire risk, and how closed fire doors help to stop fire spreading.
Video transcript – Corridors and fire doors
Caption corridors and fire doors
#Getfiresmart
Why you need to keep corridors clear
A firefighter's point of view:
“We see a smoke-filled corridor with a burning mobility scooter.”
Caption 90 seconds later.
The corridor is filled with smoke and is 300 degrees.
A firefighter’s point of view:
The corridor is now filled with black smoke. the mobility scooter and the floor are covered in red flames. Outside black smoke billows from a window.
Fire doors are important. They have special strips that expand and they hold the fire back for longer.
A circular blue sign reads fire door keep shut caption. If you leave them open, we see dark burnt out flat, cables hang from the ceiling. A firefighter's torch shines light on ash and debris on the floor. The walls are blackened and burned. A firefighter wipes black soot from a wall with their hand.
A melted smoke alarm hangs from the ceiling.
But if you close them, a different flat ……
There is no sign of smoke or fire, a firefighter runs their hand over a clean white wall, the tiled floor of the room is clean.
Get fire smart keep corridors
- Keep corridors and exits clear.
- Keep doors closed, especially fire doors.
- Know your exits and make an escape plan.
- Join in with any fire drills or other exercises.
- Check your smoke alarms regularly.
- Know the fire safety arrangements for your building.
- Report any faults with your fire safety equipment.
- Never use the lift to escape if there's a fire.
If you'd like to see subtitles for the video, please click on the CC button at the bottom of the video.