Consultation introduction

The Resident Engagement Strategy set out on this page applies to students living in Imperial-owned and managed accommodation.

We have reviewed and updated this strategy to ensure it fully meets the requirements of the Building Safety Act 2022. We are now consulting with students on the updated strategy to ensure it is clear, accessible and meaningful in practice.

The consultation is open from Friday 6 March to Friday 10 April. It explains what has changed, why the updates have been made, and how you can share your views before the strategy is finalised.

Please read through the strategy on this page, or view the online pdf, and share your feedback via the consultation form.

What’s changed in the Resident Engagement Strategy?

We’ve updated our Resident Engagement Strategy to make it clearer how students can engage with us about building safety and how your feedback is used.

The overall approach hasn’t changed: we’re still committed to keeping communication clear, proportionate and focused on what matters to you. But we’ve made the following improvements:

Clearer two-way engagement
We’ve made it more explicit that engagement is ongoing and two-way. You can raise concerns or suggestions about building safety at any time, and we’ll actively seek your views where your experience can shape how decisions are delivered.

What we’ll consult you on
We’ve added a clearer explanation of the types of issues you may be consulted about. This focuses on matters that directly affect you, such as disruptive works, timing, communication methods and mitigation measures.

How your feedback is handled
We now clearly explain what happens after you raise a concern or provide feedback how it’s recorded, reviewed alongside professional advice and legal duties, and how outcomes are communicated.

Disruptive works and urgent repairs
We’ve strengthened the section explaining how we’ll communicate and engage with students during disruptive works, including how affected students will be contacted, updated and involved in mitigation where options exist.

Ongoing review
We’ve clarified how we review the strategy each year, using feedback and participation levels to ensure our engagement methods remain effective.

Building Safety Act

What is the Building Safety Act?

The Building Safety Act is recently implemented legislation in England and Wales, which plays a critical role in ensuring the safety of buildings – particularly residential buildings. In line with the new law, we’re required to keep comprehensive documentation of how the building is designed, built, maintained and changed.

Furthermore, there are additional regulations for tall buildings which include any exceeding 18 meters in height or comprising of 7 or more floors.

What is a Resident Engagement Strategy?

A key part of the new legislation is the establishment of a Resident Engagement Strategy. This strategy sets out how we’ll communicate about building safety decisions, how we’ll collect and use your opinions, and how we’ll measure and review participation in these building safety decisions.

This strategy is for Imperial students residing in accommodation that is managed by Imperial College London. If you are a private tenant living in one of our buildings, or a postgraduate living in GradPad, please contact your building management team for more information about your legal obligations and how you can engage with us about building safety.

Who is responsible for building safety?

Under the Building Safety Act, an organisation known as the Accountable Person is legally responsible for managing building safety risks in higher-risk residential buildings.

For Imperial-managed student accommodation, Imperial College London is the Accountable Person. This means we are responsible for ensuring that building safety risks (particularly fire and structural risks) are properly assessed, managed and reviewed.

While students play an important role in helping to keep halls safe, overall responsibility for compliance with building safety legislation remains with Imperial.

Our Resident Engagement Strategy for student accommodation

Ensuring your safety is a top priority. We’re committed to keeping you informed about our safety protocols and outline how we plan to communicate any unforeseen circumstances. This encompasses fire safety, electrical safety, structural safety, and security measures.

We’ve asked our residents to share their thoughts on how best to communicate this and have used them to create this strategy. With their input, along with the latest regulations, we’ve come up with three main goals:

  1. To engage
  2. To inform
  3. To empower

Engage

Whether online or in person, you’ll always have access to safety information about your hall.

Engage

Keep connected

We’ll engage with you through our website and various digital platforms, including email and e-Halls, and on local noticeboards, ensuring that information is readily available and easily accessible. If you want to reach out in person, your Hall Management team or Wardens are available.

Quick, decisive actions

We’ll promptly notify you through our digital channels and physical noticeboards about any safety-related issues in your building. We’ll make sure it’s clear, what it means for you and what steps we’re taking to sort things out.

Your opinions matter!

We’re not just here to talk at you, we value your input and will actively seek your involvement in shaping our strategies. Expect emails, talks, and surveys. You can also reach out directly to your wardens and hall staff.

Engage part 2

Two-way engagement

Engagement is two-way and ongoing. You can raise questions, concerns or suggestions about building safety at any time through the routes set out below.

Our approach is proportionate and reflects prior student feedback, which indicated a preference to be consulted where there is a direct impact on you – such as disruption, access, or changes to shared spaces.

Engagement routes remain open throughout the year, and we will actively seek your views where your experience can shape how decisions are delivered. We will also communicate outcomes of engagement where appropriate.

What we will consult you about

We will consult residents on aspects of building safety decisions where your experience can shape how things are delivered. This includes:
- The timing and impact of safety-related works
- How disruption is managed and mitigated
- Communication methods and frequency
- Accessibility or support needs linked to safety arrangements

Some safety decisions are set by law or based on professional safety advice. In these cases, the decision itself may not change, but we will consult on how it is communicated and how the impact can be reduced.

Inform

We’ll keep you informed about matters concerning the safety of your home. Throughout the year, various safety-related activities take place in our halls. Much of this involves routine maintenance, such as fire door checks and emergency light testing, which won’t affect the peace and enjoyment of your home. Occasionally, there may be works that could cause minor disruption for short periods or require access to your room.

Inform objectives

Relevant updates

To ensure safety messages remain focused and impactful, we will only notify you about safety work that directly affects you.

Unless it is an emergency, we will notify you in a timely manner.

Our commitments

We will inform you directly:

  • When works are required in your room
  • If work being conducted in communal areas are likely to be disruptive whilst you are in your room (eg. in your kitchen or corridor, or window cleaning)

Request information

We are open about the safety of our halls and the works carried out within them. If you have questions about any safety measures we have not directly communicated to you, you can request this information from your hall team.

We will respond within a reasonable timeframe, depending on the nature of the request.

Disruptive works and urgent repairs

Where works are likely to cause disruption, we will identify affected students and communicate directly with them.

This will include:

  • A clear explanation of the issue and why the works are required
  • The expected impacts and likely duration
  • Advance notice where reasonably practicable
  • Regular updates during prolonged works
  • A single route for questions and concerns

Where options exist, we will engage with affected students on mitigation measures. This may include scheduling works during holiday periods, providing alternative quiet study spaces during exams, or discussing room moves where necessary.

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:

  • In person or via email to your Hall Supervisor, Hall Wardens, Resident Assistants or Reception team 
  • Online via halls defect form
  • Online via e-halls

Empower

Contact us

In the first instance, you should contact your hall team or Village Manager with your questions or concerns about your building's safety.

You'll find contact details for your halls in your hall reception or can raise a request via the defect form.

Should you be dissatisfied with the way in which your concern has been dealt with, you can make a report to the Director of Residential and Community Services. This form cannot be used for any initial reporting of safety concerns.  

Contribute

We review this strategy annually, taking into account student feedback, participation levels, and themes arising from safety concerns.

If engagement methods are not working, or guidance changes, we will update the strategy accordingly.

Make sure your voice is heard by participating in our Annual Hall Survey. Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity to comment on this strategy during your pre-arrival induction, ensuring you’re informed right from the start.

How your feedback is handled

When you raise a building safety concern or provide feedback, we will:
- Acknowledge the issue
- Record and track it to identify themes or repeat concerns
- Review it alongside professional advice, legal duties and risk assessments
- Take action where required, or explain why a change cannot be made
- Communicate outcomes clearly

This ensures your views are considered and, where appropriate, inform how building safety is managed.

Personal details

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

Responsibilities

Keeping our homes safe is on all of us. Below, you'll find what we all need to do to keep things secure.

Responsibilities

Our responsibilities
  • Promptly notify you of any issues detected regarding a property's structure, electrical components, or safety systems.
  • Outline the measures taken to ensure your safety during the repair process.
  • We will provide you with information on fire safety and prevention.
  • We will conduct regular assessments of fire risk.
  • We will regularly test and assess our safety systems, including smoke detectors, fire alarms, emergency lighting, fire doors, and evacuation routes.
  • Mitigate risks during the maintenance of safety systems.
  • Perform regular patrols to ensure escape routes are kept clear and hazardous items in communal areas are promptly removed.
  • Clear emergency exit routes will be clearly identified, and an evacuation plan will be clearly communicated.
Your responsibilities
  • Complete the safety inductions
  • View the appropriate fire safety videos for your hall
  • Read safety materials about your halls (Living Guide)
  • Attend welcome talks from wardens.
  • Understand the evacuation procedures and ensure your guests know the protocols.
  • Keep all fire doors shut.
  • Do not tamper with any safety equipment.
  • Use appliances appropriately and as intended.
  • Report any faults or concerns with equipment.
  • Tell us about any safety concerns you have.

Last reviewed: February 2026