The Grenfell Legacy: What's Changed for Disabled Residents?
When Grenfell Tower caught fire on 14 June 2017, nearly half of the building's disabled residents lost their lives. Fifteen people died, trapped without any evacuation plan tailored to their needs. The tragedy forced the nation to confront an uncomfortable truth: we had systematically failed to protect some of the most vulnerable people in our homes.
Nine years later, that failure persists. Despite successive governments pledging to learn from Grenfell, disabled and deaf people across England still face the same fundamental fear: if a fire broke out tonight, could they escape safely?
Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans: The Missing Piece
The Grenfell Inquiry identified a simple but critical gap. Residents who couldn't self-evacuate during an emergency had no formal plan in place. These Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans, or PEEPs, were meant to be the safety net that ensured everyone could leave a building quickly when danger struck.
The principle sounds straightforward: everyone deserves a realistic way out. Yet in practice, it's been anything but simple to implement across England's housing stock.
In April 2024, the government introduced new Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan regulations (RPEEP). On paper, they sounded like a meaningful response to years of campaigning by disability charities. In reality, according to Laura Vicinanza, senior policy manager at Inclusion London, they leave disabled residents with the same anxieties that gripped Grenfell survivors.
Why the New Rules Fall Short
The regulations don't work because they give landlords and building managers too much discretion. Without clear, enforceable standards, disabled residents end up relying on the goodwill and competence of their housing providers. That's not a safety plan. That's a lottery.
For homeowners in multi-storey buildings, this matters directly. If you own a flat in a high-rise and are deaf or disabled, or if you live with someone who is, your safety depends partly on whether your building's management has put a proper evacuation plan in place. Many haven't. Some don't even know they're supposed to.
Renters face an even steeper hill. They can't force their landlords to create or update evacuation plans. They can't demand that staff are trained. They're passengers in their own homes, hoping someone else will think about their safety before disaster strikes.
What This Means for Property Buyers and Sellers
If you're buying or selling a flat in a multi-storey residential building, fire safety and evacuation procedures should be on your radar. Ask questions during viewings. Request copies of the building's fire safety policies. Find out whether the managing agent or landlord has formal evacuation plans for residents with mobility issues, hearing loss, or visual impairments.
This isn't academic. Buyers are increasingly concerned about building safety, especially after Grenfell. Lenders and insurers have tightened their scrutiny. A building without proper evacuation protocols is a liability, and that can affect resale value and mortgage terms. With average UK house prices sitting around £268,132 and mortgage rates holding steady at around 4.92% on five-year fixes, buyers are carefully weighing every aspect of their purchase.
For sellers, demonstrating that your building has robust fire safety measures, including formal evacuation plans, can strengthen your position. It's a genuine selling point, not a nice-to-have.
Renters and Disability Rights
The regulations also expose a wider gap in how we protect disabled renters. Tenancy agreements rarely mention evacuation planning. Landlord and Tenant Act provisions don't explicitly cover it. The burden of ensuring disabled residents can escape safely has fallen between different government departments and agencies, meaning it falls to no one in particular.
Renters who've flagged concerns to landlords have been met with vague assurances. Disability charities have reported that many buildings still have no written evacuation plans whatsoever. When pressed, some landlords claim they'll "help residents get out" in an emergency. That's not a plan. That's improvisation in a crisis.
What Needs to Change
Real safety requires clarity. Buildings need explicit, written evacuation plans for every resident who needs one. Staff must be trained and regularly tested. Plans must be updated when residents move or when circumstances change. Landlords shouldn't have discretion to skip this. It should be compulsory, inspected, and enforced.
For homeowners, the takeaway is simple: don't assume your building's management is on top of fire safety. Ask. If you're disabled or living with someone who is, make it clear that you need a formal evacuation plan in writing. If you're a leaseholder, push your building's managing agent to put these measures in place. If you're a freeholder or managing your own building, make it your responsibility.
Nine years after Grenfell, the conversation shouldn't still be about whether disabled people deserve to be safe. It should be about how we've finally made it happen.