Reporting building safety concerns in University of Birmingham accommodation
Scope
The principles of this building safety reporting system apply to all accommodation operated by University of Birmingham. Some additional elements included here, particularly the requirement to submit mandatory occurrence notices and reports to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), only apply to the following buildings:
This is because they are considered ‘higher risk’ due to their height or number of storeys and are therefore registered as such with the BSR.
Purpose
University of Birmingham provides accommodation for over 7,000 students across purpose-built accommodation buildings, all with varying ownership and operational models. This document specifically relates to accommodation owned and operated by the University only, which encompasses 4,449 rooms across The Vale and Selly Oak Villages.
Each building has a comprehensive safety strategy to minimise risk to residents, but we recognise that there may still be times when things go wrong – whether through fault of the building’s systems or due to the activities taking place within it.
This document sets out the reporting system that helps keep every building as safe as possible and ensures relevant Building Safety Act requirements are met.
The single Point of Contact for the Principal Accountable Person
University of Birmingham is the Principal Accountable Person (PAP) for the purposes of the Building Safety Act. Timothy Owen, Interim Director of Accommodation & Operations, is the Point of Contact for the University with regards to the Building Safety Act and is responsible for dealing with any concerns raised about building safety in its accommodation.
In his absence, Amy Church, Head of Student Living, and Julia Coverdale, Head of Village Operations, deputise.
Issues that should be reported
We encourage residents to report any issues that affect their accommodation experience. We appreciate that when things aren’t perfect, but are not causing a particular inconvenience, residents may not make reports. That’s why our staff teams proactively and frequently patrol buildings to look for issues and inspect accommodation on a termly basis.
We also conduct regular maintenance and inspections of systems which keep the buildings safe (e.g., fire detection and suppression systems). However, with specific reference to building safety, we want residents to be as proactive as possible in telling us if something doesn't look right to help keep everyone safe.
The sorts of issues that students should report include, but are not limited to:
How to report maintenance issues
The University provides a system for reporting issues relating to accommodation, including building safety incidents and maintenance matters, which is accessible to all residents through the Accommodation Portal. This is a login-based system, which allows for greater communication flow and case tracking between residents and the University.
Residents are advised on how to use this system as part of their online induction, the Accommodation Pass, which they must complete before they arrive on campus. They also receive regular email reminders and can find out more about our maintenance reporting process through our Resident Engagement Strategy and Code of Practice documents.
Matters relating to building safety should be categorised as such on the report form. All submitted reports are ordinarily reviewed within four hours and triaged to assess the urgency of response. Serious safety issues are responded to immediately. Updates are shared with the reporter as appropriate. ‘Building Safety’ categorised reports are also sent to the University’s Point of Contact, as detailed above.
Any non-resident can report incidents by contacting the Student Living team on 0121 415 8520 or through the Student Living Helpdesk. This is manned 24/7, 365 days a year, to ensure the safety and satisfaction of our students.
Any reports will be dealt with in the manner above. All data collected is managed under the University’s privacy policy.
Reporting complaints
The University provides a system for reporting complaints specifically relating to accommodation. All residents and building users can report any matter which – for whatever reason – may not be right, but especially where it relates to building safety.
Routine maintenance matters are be dealt with as above. Where a matter has not been resolved in good time, or is of greater significance, a complaint can be raised.
Any resident or member of the public can use the system by completing our online Accommodation Complaints Form.
Building safety-related complaints should be logged as such on the ‘What area does your complaint relate to?’ section of the complaint form.
Complaints are sent to a large pool of managers to review and triage, ensuring they are dealt with promptly (usually within 12 hours). Initial responses may be made to acknowledge the complaint if an immediate response or resolution cannot be made.
Further responses are made in an appropriate timescale, dependent on the urgency and complexity of the matter. Residents can also request an update by returning to the automated acknowledgement of the complaint. The University commits to keeping communications regular following a complaint.
Residents are informed about this process through our resident induction process as covered in our Resident Engagement Strategy, as well as through relevant Code of Practice documents for their accommodation.
All data collected is managed under the University’s privacy policy.
Reporting incidents to the BSR
Incidents will be reported by the PAP to the Building Safety Regulator if:
The incident must also involve either the structural failure of the building or the spread or fire.
A notice will be submitted to the BSR as soon as possible, and a report within ten days. For more information, please see the Government’s guidance on submitting mandatory occurrence notices and reports.
The Student Living team will maintain a log of building safety incidents or occurrences which meet the criteria for reporting to the BSR, including the nature of the incident, action taken and ultimate resolution.
If you have any queries about this process, please contact the Student Living team in the first instance through the Student Living Helpdesk.
Timothy Owen
Interim Director of Accommodation & Operations
Updated: September 2024
Review: July 2025