24Housing reported on the letter sent by management company Centrick to residents, which said that due to the ‘mortality risk of the virus currently [being] higher than the risk of fire’, external agencies will ‘no longer’ provide a waking watch for fire, and instead residents ‘should be taking up the mantle’. While this is only for a trial basis, it means residents will have to take turns checking for fires ‘without training or warning’.
The letter stated: ‘The current Waking Watch cost is £3,284.40 per week. This is funded by the service charge meaning Leaseholders are liable for the costs and tenants could see an increased rental charge. We must also be cautious that outside people coming into the building present a high risk of the bringing the COVID-19 virus into the building, especially if they are travelling to and from home each day.
‘The mortality risk of the virus is currently higher than the risk of fire. On the basis of the high risk we are stopping the Waking Watch and we would like the occupants to take over the role. We are therefore writing to all leaseholders and tenants to ask whether you would be willing to undertake the patrol in shifts which would remove the cost of the service charge and reduce the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus.’
The news outlet noted that waking watch issues nationwide ‘have been heavily documented’, with the government being urged to ‘speed up the process of remediation while service charges spiral out of control with the extra costs’. Among the responsibilities Centrick said fall under the waking watch include undertaking routine block inspections, sounding communal fire alarms in an emergency and knocking on every door to alert neighbours, spot check fire panels for faults and call the fire and rescue service.