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If you are responsible for managing a block of flats, you are required to ensure that any equipment such as lifts, boilers and window cleaning gantries are inspected regularly and are well maintained. Even where specific legislation does not apply, plant and equipment may be subject to Health & Safety guidance notes.

We can negotiate a single policy, written for your building, which will cover the costs of professional inspection of vulnerable equipment specified by you and then cover you for unforeseen breakdown.

What is covered?

• Sudden and unforeseen damage
• Breakdown, explosion and collapse
• Accidental damage
• Debris removal
• Temporary removal
• Claims preparation costs
• Avoidance of impending damage

Optional extensions:

• Own surrounding property for pressure plant
• Own surrounding property for lifting equipment

How much does the policy cost?

This will depend on what equipment is covered. We will negotiate a competitive price for the right insurance solution, tailored to provide the appropriate level of risk protection for your building.

By protecting all of the plant under a single policy, instead of taking out a different contract for each item, you can realise significant savings.

Remember that you will in any case have to arrange — and pay — for statutory inspections of lifts and boilers and that the costs of and arranging of these inspections would be included in your Ferndale engineering and inspection insurance.

Does all this legislation apply to residential flats?

YES! The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 may have been written primarily with the workplace in mind, but blocks of flats, because they have common areas, fall under their remit.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1994 (as amended) place duties on consumers, installers, suppliers and landlords.

What do the inspectors do?

The engineer or surveyor carries out statutory and non-statutory examinations. In a block of flats statutory examinations typically cover lifts, window cleaning gantries, pressurised boiler systems, electronic installations etc.

Non-statutory examinations cover equipment not governed by specific UK or EU legislation (although it may be the subject of Health and Safety Executive guidance notes). E.g.: play equipment and swimming pool pumps.

After an examination is completed, clients receive a report detailing all the items of equipment and record their condition at the time of examination. The report identifies any defects and will make recommendations for refurbishment and maintenance.

Are the inspectors' recommendations mandatory?

Where legislation is concerned, the answer is obviously yes. In addition, your insurance cover will be invalid if you choose to ignore the inspector's recommendations.

Do I really need this cover?

Unless you are fully confident that your service charge budget can cover the costs of unplanned emergency repair work, we recommend that you consider this insurance. If the worst did happen, you might not find that flat owners have much patience if, say, the central heating boiler broke down in mid winter or the lift was out of order for days or weeks.

Lastly, do remember that directors of the management company could be held personally liable if equipment failure causes injury. Inspection and maintenance are essential.