Waking watches keep residents safe while a long-term fire safety solution is developed – but they come at a cost. For estates carrying six-figure annual bills, every week a waking watch continues is a cost passed straight on to leaseholders.
That was the position FirstPort found themselves in, across an estate of six residential blocks, two of them over 11 metres. Following the identification of building safety defects, including issues with cavity fire stopping and elements of the external wall system, a waking watch had to be put in place while remedial works were planned.
FirstPort’s priority was straightforward: get a compliant alarm system in as quickly as possible, so the waking watch could come down. We designed a bespoke wireless system for the estate, managed every resident access appointment, carried out the installation and issued certification in what the client called record time – with full visibility of progress throughout via our online project portal.
The result was that the waking watch stood down far sooner than expected, delivering significant savings for leaseholders.
“I would have no hesitation in recommending Howler to other managing agents facing similar building safety challenges,” said Bret Gavin, Property Manager at FirstPort.
Read the full case study → to see how the project came together, from design through to certification.
If your estate is carrying the cost of a waking watch, our Special Services team can help you explore a faster route down – including whether funding routes such as the Interim Measures Alarm Fund (IMAF) could apply. Call us on 0303 003 1010 or get in touch.
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