Housing (Major incident)
Hotel & serviced apartment
When generators failed at a high-rise block of flats in South East London, the housing association immediately instructed ICAB to provide emergency temporary accommodation. The request was passed directly to ICAB’s dedicated Major Incident (MI) team.
The number one priority of ICAB’s MI team is always to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all residents and to book them into temporary accommodation as soon as possible, whilst the extent of the damage is assessed.
A resident list was provided by the housing association and initial calls were made by the team. Of the 256 occupied flats, many residents were overseas students sharing accommodation. That same night, 238 residents were successfully booked into local hotels through ICAB’s specialist hotel booking portal.
The initial survey of the generators revealed that the fix was going to be complex and lengthy. Therefore, a longer-term accommodation solution would be required, specifically serviced apartments. These provide suitable solutions for longer stays as they offer greater independence than hotels, especially for families with children, as they have facilities that facilitate cooking and laundry.
ICAB is always committed to placing residents as close to home as possible to minimise disruption to work, school, and daily life. Our bespoke database offers access to an extensive network of serviced apartment providers. Initially, availability in the immediate area was limited, so the MI team expanded the search radius slightly to ensure all residents could be accommodated in appropriate accommodations swiftly and seamlessly.
At the time of this incident, ICAB was already managing another large-scale major incident—testament to the trust and reputation the organisation has built with clients in delivering this crucial service.
Despite the simultaneous demand, this presented no issue for the MI team. Thanks to ICAB’s multi-skilled, cross-trained staff—and even support from one of the directors—all teams pulled together seamlessly to secure suitable accommodation for every resident. No one was left without a roof over their head. ICAB’s end-to-end service once again proved its strength when it mattered most.
“We had a few interactions with ICAB in the past few days and all staff members have been kind and helpful but Georgia has been our saviour, finally managing to book us an incredible serviced apartment checking in on the weekend after days of calls and follow ups with other staff members. Georgia resolved all our requests promptly in a few hours. Really great work!”
“The staff, Noreen and Alison have been incredibly helpful during a distressing time! Lovely staff, speedy responses and good quality service.”
Specialists in arranging both planned and emergency alternative accommodation, assisting those who suffer unwelcome events in their home, such as flood or fire. Acting on behalf of Insurers, Social Housing organisations and a large range of Instructing Principals.
