A clear door: what does it mean?

If you live in one of our apartment buildings, villages, or schemes you may have heard of a clear door policy. It’s something that’s been introduced to help keep you safe at home and has been recommended by our latest fire risk assessments.

It means that all personal items now need to be kept exclusively inside your apartment and any items you have stored in communal areas like corridors, rooms, or around your front door will need to be removed.

Keeping personal items in communal spaces could prevent you from being able to exit the building safely in the event of a fire or could even increase the likelihood of a fire starting and spreading.

A fire can be deadly, and smoke can fill a room in seconds, as can be seen here, making it difficult to spot trip hazards.

Here are some examples of things found in schemes at one of our latest fire risk assessments and the hazard they pose to you and your neighbours:

1. A bike was left in a communal area which could prevent fire fighters from being able to access the building quickly
2. A mat had been placed outside a door which could become a trip hazard if smoke had filled the corridor
3. Multiple decorations had been attached to a front door which were highly flammable and could’ve caused a fire to spread

We know that for many of you, these items help make your apartment feel like home and that you’ve had these in place for some time. However, fire safety regulations are constantly changing and it’s important you follow these to keep you and your neighbours safe.

To help you understand what a clear door means, here’s a list of all the things that must be removed from communal areas:

• Bikes
• Prams
• Furniture
• Rubbish or bulky items (even if only temporary)
• Decorations around or fixed onto your front door including magnets, flowers, plant pots, pictures, noticeboards or wreaths
• A doormat outside your front door
• Mobility scooters – all mobility scooters must now be left inside your apartment unless your scheme has a dedicated scooter store.