Keeping communal areas clear

We want to keep everyone safe who live in blocks with communal areas. This means that shared areas like hallways, landings and stairs must be kept clear at all times.

Items in these areas can:

Block escape routes in an emergency.
Get in the way of fire crews or other emergency services.
Become a fire risk.

What this means for residents

You cannot store personal items in communal areas.
This includes things like doormats, flowerpots, benches or shoe racks.

What happens if items are left in communal areas

We will try to find the owner and ask them to remove the items.
If we cannot identify the owner, we will place a legal notice (called a Tort Notice) on the items before removing them.

What is a Tort Notice?

A Tort Notice is a legal document which we attach to any items that are left in communal areas. It gives you notice that we are going to remove the items once the notice has expired, which is usually after a period of seven days. A notice would be sent to the whole block if we don’t know who left the item in the communal area. The Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977 allows landlords to dispose of goods, if reasonable efforts to trace the owner fail.

What happens if you receive a Tort Notice

If we identify items that have been left in communal areas we will attach a Tort Notice to them, which gives a date by when they must be removed.
You can either store the items within your own home or dispose of them as soon as possible.
If the items are not removed by the date shown, Westward will arrange for the disposal of them in line with our policy, and you may be charged for the removal.

Please work with us to keep your communal areas clean and safe for everyone. Whilst we understand that removing any items can be irritating and inconvenient, we are doing it to protect lives and to keep you and the fire service safe.

If you have any questions, please get in in touch.