East Village is a vibrant, welcoming community and it’s important to us all that residents feel safe and secure at home. As with any busy London neighbourhood, staying aware of our surroundings and taking simple steps to protect ourselves, our buildings and shared spaces help to ensure East Village remains a safe place for everyone.

Keeping your building safe

Recently, there have been increasing instances of ‘tailgating’, where individuals gain access to buildings by following residents through doors or being let in by someone they know.

While it may seem harmless at the time allowing unknown or unauthorised individuals into buildings can create wider issues for the community, including:

• Increased security concerns
• More anti-social behaviour within communal spaces
• Parcel theft, which is already increasing

The fob entry system across East Village is in place for a very good reason – it helps us manage who has access to buildings and communal areas such as the courtyards. Your fob is personal to you and plays an important role in maintaining the safety and security of everyone who lives here.

A moment of vigilance can make a big difference

We understand it can sometimes feel awkward not to hold a door open for someone, or may feel rude to question someone you don’t recognise. However, one of the simplest ways residents can help protect the community is by ensuring everyone uses their own access fob when entering the building.

A few helpful reminders:

• Please avoid allowing unknown individuals to enter the building behind you
• Shut the entry door to the building behind you before you make your way to your apartment
• Never share your access fob
• Encourage visitors to contact residents directly for entry
• Report lost fobs immediately so access can be deactivated

By remaining mindful, residents help maintain the secure environment that makes East Village such a welcoming place to live.

Looking after your parcels

With online shopping and deliveries continuing to grow, the lobby areas can sometimes become busy with parcels. In large numbers, this could pose an escape risk if the building were to be evacuated, but day-to-day the risk is that people could either take the wrong parcel or intentionally take a parcel they know isn’t theirs.

Where possible, residents are encouraged to:

• Arrange deliveries for times when someone will be home
• Use secure collection points such as Amazon Counters or InPost lockers in Stratford (further information below)
• Collect parcels promptly after delivery notifications

These small actions help reduce congestion in communal areas and safeguard your parcels from theft.

Reporting concerns

If you witness anything suspicious, anti-social behaviour, unauthorised access, or any incidents affecting the safety and security of the community, please report it to security immediately.

Prompt reporting allows teams to respond quickly and helps protect both residents and shared spaces.

You can contact the EVML security team 24/7, on the following details:

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: 0208 221 7013

For other contact information, please visit our Who’s Who at East Village page.

A shared responsibility

Keeping East Village safe and secure is something we all contribute to together. By staying aware, using access systems correctly, and looking out for one another, residents can continue to help create a safe, respectful and welcoming environment for the whole community.

Thank you for doing your part to help keep East Village secure.

 

We understand that residents may have questions about the ongoing front door inspections taking place around East Village. Below you’ll find answers to some of the most common queries.

Why is the inspection of my front door necessary?

Your front door plays an important role in the building’s fire safety. It is designed to slow the spread of fire and smoke, helping to protect you, your neighbours and the emergency services in the event of a fire.

The inspection is to check that the door remains in good working order and continues to perform as intended. This includes checking that:

• The door closes fully and securely
• The self-closing device works correctly
• Intumescent strips are in place and effective
• Hinges, frames and other components are in suitable condition

These checks are a normal and important part of maintaining building safety.

Why are inspections taking place now?

We appreciate that some residents may feel there has been limited visible repair work in recent years.

Previous findings form part of a wider and more complex programme of works. This involves technical design reviews, legal considerations and ensuring that any works undertaken are appropriate, compliant and carried out safely. That wider programme remains ongoing.

In the meantime, these inspections are important because they:

• Check whether doors have deteriorated or changed over time
• Identify any new or minor issues that can be addressed more quickly
• Ensure doors continue to provide effective fire protection while longer-term solutions are progressed

Regular inspections help us stay on top of safety and ensure that urgent matters can be dealt with promptly.

Can I rearrange the inspection time?

If the scheduled time is not convenient, you can request for the inspection to be carried out within a specific time window on the day your block is being inspected.

Where access cannot be gained during the scheduled programme, a follow-up period will be arranged to revisit properties that were unavailable at the original appointment.

Details of how to request a change will be included in your inspection notification.

Can I refuse to allow the inspection?

We would strongly encourage all residents to allow access.

Under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, there is a shared responsibility to ensure that fire doors are properly maintained. Front entrance doors form part of the building’s overall fire safety strategy.

If access is refused, we will need to follow up separately, as we have a legal duty to ensure that fire safety measures across the building are effective.

Our priority is always to work cooperatively with residents to arrange access in a way that is reasonable and convenient.

What has happened to the front door repair programme consulted on in 2024?

The issues identified during earlier reviews form part of a wider and more complex programme of works.

This programme involves detailed design checks, technical assessments and legal processes to ensure that any proposed works are correct, compliant and in the best long-term interests of residents. That work is still ongoing.

We will provide further updates as soon as there is more clarity on the next stages.

What work is likely as a result of the inspection?

The inspections may find some issues with fire doors which have a straightforward fix, such as:

• Adjustments to door closers
• Replacement or repair of seals
• Minor hardware adjustments

If more significant issues are identified, these will be reviewed as part of the wider programme of works. Any larger repairs or potential replacements would be carefully planned, with clear communication provided to residents before any work begins.

The purpose of the inspection is to understand the current condition of each door so that safety can be maintained and the right works prioritised at the right time.

Are you also checking doors in corridors and shared areas?

Yes. Fire doors in communal corridors and shared areas are also subject to regular inspection and maintenance as part of the building’s wider fire safety management.

These are inspected separately as part of EVML’s ongoing compliance programme.

How is my personal data being handled?

To arrange and carry out the inspections, we have shared limited and necessary information with the contractors undertaking the work.

All contractors are required to follow strict data protection procedures and operate in full compliance with UK GDPR requirements.

We only share information that is essential for carrying out the inspections safely and efficiently. This is done because the work is necessary to protect the safety of you, your household and your neighbours.

From 10^th November to 12^th December, Remediation Director Johnathan de Beer, met with residents at East Village via a series of virtual meetings and a face-to-face drop-in day at Bridget’s Café. The meetings were held to offer residents the opportunity to speak one-on-one with the EVML Remediation Team, having the opportunity to find out fire safety information specific to their building and tenure.

We appreciate that not all residents can attend these meetings and we’re not able to accommodate one-to-one meetings with everyone. However, as many people we spoke to had the same queries, we’ve compiled the most frequently asked questions in the hope this supports more residents in becoming clearer on the remediation works across East Village.

Q: What work is required on my building?

A: All residents were sent a letter in the middle of May outlining the specific building safety risks present in their building. This information can also be found on the individual building pages on the homepage of our website – evml.co.uk. Simply scroll down the list or search for your building and there you can view specific fire safety-related safety works, as well as the Fire Risk Appraisal of the External Walls (FRAEW) for your block.

If you’d like any further information about your building, you can email us.

 

Externals works

Q: What is the externals work?

A: The externals work at EVML includes remediation to balconies, replacement of spandrel panels and minor façade work required to aluminium rainscreen panels. These do not apply to all buildings.

Q: What is the status of the externals work and when will it start?

A: There are a number of milestones to meet in order to progress with the externals work, however we are well underway in every aspect.

• Funding – EVML has funding approved by the Building Safety Fund (BSF) for all of the external work required across East Village. Leaseholders will not be liable for any costs relating to the external work.
• Design approval – EVML is waiting for approval from the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) on its technical designs. The BSR has experienced significant delays nationwide, with some of EVML’s applications having been with them for 14 months. EVML has had one application approved and has since updated all its other applications in line with feedback from the BSR. We’re hopeful that these will now meet expectations and get approved quickly.
• Contractor tender – We have gone through the tender process to find a suitable contractor and have identified a preferred bidder who has a successful history at East Village. There are a few details that need to be confirmed before they are officially appointed and a schedule of works can be fully developed.

In line with the above, we are hopeful and optimistic that the externals programme will start early in 2026. We will communicate with all impacted residents to confirm a start date when this is guaranteed.

Regular status updates on the externals project can be found here: https://evml.co.uk/remediation-works-progress/.

 

Internal works and investigations

Q: What will the internals work entail?

A: The internal issues were identified following a series of fire door and internal wall investigations which took place across all buildings at East Village from September 2024 to February 2025. The internal wall investigations were completed within four apartments in every building, as well as communal areas.

These investigations found that the walls may not offer enough fire protection. This affects the corridors, lift shafts and apartment walls.

No two buildings are the same in the findings; however, a range of issues are present across all 63 former Olympic blocks. Some of these include missing back boxes on electric sockets, the spacing of the frame within the wall, how the frame has been screwed into the concrete above and the number of layers of plasterboard – among other things.

We cannot confirm whether there are specific issues present in your own wall, given we haven’t investigated every wall at this time.

We’re still conducting investigations across the Village so our fire engineers in conjunction with the original developer can get a better understanding of the work that is required, to be able to develop a remedial solution to address this. Once we have more concrete details on how we plan to remediate the internal walls, we will let residents know.

In the meantime, you can read regular status updates on the internals project here: https://evml.co.uk/remediation-works-progress/.

Q: Will kitchens or bathrooms be affected?
At this stage, most internal investigations focus on partition walls rather than fittings. If more extensive works are required, this will be discussed clearly with affected residents.

Q: Who is liable for the cost of the internals work?

A: The Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) is incredibly clear in its protection of leaseholders and confirms that no cost can be passed onto leaseholders if it is what is known as a ‘relevant defect’. A relevant defect is a building safety risk, such as fire spread, that was created at the point of construction of a building – such as the design, craftmanship or products used. This differs from wear and tear which is a natural part of a building aging.

As the internal fire safety defects originate from the initial construction of the Olympic Village, leaseholders will not be liable for any costs.

Q: When will the internal works happen?

Due to the legal proceedings involved in the internals work and this work being contingent on receiving the required funding, we’re not able to put a timescale to this project as yet.

We’ll continue to keep the website up to date and communicate with residents at key moments in the lead up to this project.

Q: Does internal remediation mean I won’t be able to sell?
Internal works do not automatically prevent sales. As with external works, lender decisions vary, and some sales are progressing successfully.

 

What disruption may look like

Q: Will you need access inside my flat for external works?

In most cases, external works (such as balconies and soffits) are accessed from outside and do not require entry into apartments. If internal access is needed, residents will be contacted well in advance.

Q: What if I’m away during works?

If works only require external access, this should not be an issue. If access is needed, we will contact you to agree suitable arrangements.

Q: Will works affect evenings or weekends?

The majority of works take place during standard weekday working hours, and it is likely you will have free access to your balcony outside of these hours, unless we are working on your specific balcony. Any exceptions will be communicated in advance.

Q: Will balconies need to be cleared?
Yes, residents will usually be asked to clear balconies before works begin. Clear guidance and reasonable notice will be provided.

Q: Will my home be protected from dust or damage?
Yes. Contractors are required to protect residents’ homes carefully and make good once works are complete.

 

Buying, selling and mortgages

Q: Are people managing to sell homes at East Village while works are ongoing?

Yes. We are aware of sales completing across East Village, including in buildings where remediation has been identified. Some mortgage lenders are comfortable proceeding based on the current fire safety position and mitigation in place, while others take a more cautious approach.

Q: I want to sell my home, but I don’t have an EWS1 form.

A: The good news is we are seeing apartments selling at East Village, including in buildings that do not currently have an EWS1 form and require some form of external remediation work. Your landlord Triathlon Homes can support in providing the necessary information to guide your sale and the EVML team will always provide the required paperwork to support.

Q: Can EVML help if my buyer or their solicitor has questions?

Where appropriate, EVML can help by explaining the fire safety position, current mitigation measures and the remediation process. While we cannot advise buyers or lenders, we are happy to provide factual information to support the process.

Q: Does outstanding internal remediation mean a flat cannot be sold?

Not necessarily. Each buyer and lender makes their own decision. Internal works being identified does not automatically prevent a sale, and we know this can vary significantly between lenders.

 

Information and communication

Q: How can I keep up to date with the most relevant information?

A: For any significant project milestones or building updates, EVML will communicate with residents in either a letter format or through an email via your landlord (Get Living or Triathlon Homes).

To ensure a constant stream of regular and timely information, the EVML website serves as a key resource for all residents and is updated on a weekly basis. There are a number of useful pages to refer to:

• Your building page – all of the 63 former Olympic blocks has a dedicated building page on the website. You can view and search through these on the home page.
• News – the news page is regularly updated with important building safety information, ways you can keep yourself safe, general Village news and important notices. It also features our newsletters and any community news.
• Remediation Works Progress – this page offers the latest status updates on both the internal and external remediation programmes. It offers background information respective of both projects and includes a time-stamped status update, so you know how recent that information is.

 

Safety questions beyond remediation

Q: Why are EV charging points currently switched off?
This is linked to fire safety assurance following recent Fire Risk Assessments. We are working to confirm safe long-term arrangements and will update residents once this is resolved.

Q: Are underground car parks safe?
Yes. Fire Risk Assessments cover car parks and communal areas. Any required measures are addressed through the Estates and fire safety teams.

Q: What about alarms, AOV systems or corridor conditions?
Issues such as alarms, overheating corridors or ventilation systems should be reported to the Estates team. These sit alongside, but separate from, the remediation programme.

Q: Can EVML fix other issues while works are happening?
Remediation works are focused on fire safety. Other maintenance issues should continue to be reported through normal Estates channels, though we do coordinate where possible.

 

Have we answered your question? If not, you can always email the EVML team at [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns relating to your building or the remediation programme.