Hillingdon Council has a duty to ensure that the means of escape from any of its residential buildings or communal areas is not obstructed and to ensure that residents and visitors can exit safely in the event of a fire. We operate a zero-tolerance policy in respect of storage of belongings in communal areas.
A communal area is any area that is not within the confines of the resident's property. This will include stairs, stairwells, hallways, landings, common rooms, laundry rooms, boiler rooms, open areas and the entrance to the building.
Under the fire legislation, Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the council as the responsible person, being the landlord, must carry out a fire risk assessment and take reasonable steps to remove or reduce any risks that have been identified.
Residents have a responsibility to keep all communal areas clean, tidy and free of personal items and to ensure you do not to impede or obstruct any common parts. No one is permitted to store personal items such as (but not limited to) bicycles, pushchairs, electric scooters, plants, pet cages, clothes airers, footwear, children's toys etc. in the communal areas.
If you have any bulky items (items that are too large or too heavy for the normal household waste collection) you can request a special collection from us by calling our contact centre on 01895 556000 or visit our bulky waste collections section of the website.
The council is entitled to remove and dispose of items left in the communal areas in accordance with the provisions of Section 41 (3) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982. It can be considered a breach of the Tenancy/Lease Conditions for which we may take formal action.
Report a fire risk in a communal area