Neutron Tower FAQs

We continue to advocate for our residents with FirstPort, as the responsible managing agent of the building. We understand residents are frustrated that things are taking a long time, we are committed to sharing updates and information with you regularly and ask for your continued patience while we work with all the partners involved to get residents moved back home as soon as it is safe to do so.

Please reach out to the team if you need some support in the usual ways, we are happy to meet with you if helpful.

If you need access to your home to collect belongings you can currently do so from 9am to 6pm at weekends and between 5 and 7pm on weekdays, this is to allow the essential works taking place in the building to progress.

You are welcome to turn up at Neutron Tower during these times but please note an on site staff member will escort you for safety reasons.

Please do not attempt to access the building outside of the agreed arrangements.

Please speak to your local officer, a member of the on-site team, or contact our customer service centre on 0203 815 0000. We are working directly with service providers and The Square to arrange accommodation on a like for like basis for residents who require support.

FirstPort have stated the works required are more complex than first thought, at present we know they will continue into November.

We understand this is frustrating for residents but it is important they complete all essential works to make sure the building is safe and fully compliant before you return home.

As we cannot give a specific date for you to return home, we have put plans in place so you will not need to move from your serviced apartment. Our commitment is that the next time you move will be to return home to Neutron Tower and we will keep all our residents fully updated as we know more.

We have worked with The Square to secure serviced apartments in the local area so you are close to local services, work and schools.

While living in the serviced apartment you will be expected to cook, clean and maintain it, similar to your own home. Please report any maintenance issues or concerns to us in the usual way. Residents will also be asked to sign a decant license outlining how you will look after the property during your stay.

Once you have moved into the serviced apartment, you will be assigned a dedicated local officer for this period to help maintain regular communication and support until you can return home.

After you have spoken with us about your move, you’ll be contacted by The Square, to agree further arrangements for you to move into your serviced apartment.

We understand you will need access to your home to collect more belongings. We will work with FirstPort to arrange access for residents to help transport your belongings, but as your serviced apartment will be fully furnished, we recommend you visit before deciding what to take with you.

FirstPort have informed us that specialist electrical contractors are carrying out temporary electrical works to safely restore power to the building while a longer-term permanent solution is developed and implemented. This includes cabling through the building and temporary distribution boards.

Once complete they will need to access your home to complete essential checks on electrics and heat units. (We are contacting all residents to agree access arrangements for this.) Once the electrical checks have been done the building will require a new fire risk assessment. We are committed to updating residents on these works and any changes to the timeframe as we know more.

All costs for the serviced apartments will be met by NHG, but you are expected to continue to pay rent during this period. We will also reimburse all reasonable expenses during this time, please keep evidence of these so you can claim these back.

For those who’ve moved into serviced accommodation we will no longer be making payments for food costs. Once moved from a hotel to a serviced apartment we stop paying a daily food allowance as you can now shop and prepare meals as if you were at home.

We can help you to apply to Tower Hamlets for financial support Neutron Tower fire, please talk to our team if you are struggling.

Breakfast and dinner are included within the emergency accommodation arrangements at the hotel. The food allowance stops when you move into serviced apartment accommodation as you can now prepare food and cook as you would have in your home.

If you incur additional reasonable expenses as a result of being unable to return home, such as travel or laundry costs please keep any receipts and discuss these with your local officer.

Please contact the NHG team before committing to any significant additional expenditure so that we can advise you about what support may be available and the appropriate process for reimbursement.

We’ve had confirmation from FirstPort’s insurers that residents are entitled to receive £500 emergency expenses. This is a one-off discretionary payment in response to the disruption you have faced since moving from your home. We aim to pay this into your existing bank account by 23 October.

This £500 payment does not impact separate expenses for food which were paid prior to you moving into serviced apartments when you had no cooking or facilities to prepare food.

We will also continue to pay reasonable out of pocket expenses which you have incurred as a result of moving from your home. These should be submitted to your local officer as usual with the relevant receipts.

No. NHG residents will receive reimbursements for expenses from us directly, so for anyone who has logged a form with FirstPort for this, they will share this information with us so we can progress any expenses claims for you.

We recognise that where electricity has been disconnected for a prolonged period, food stored in residents’ fridges and freezers may no longer be safe to eat.

Where this has happened, NHG will provide affected households with a one off food replacement payment when they return home. This is intended to help replace perishable food that has had to be disposed of because of the loss of electricity.

• The standard payments will be
• One person household £75
• Two person household £100
• Three person household £150
• Four person household £200
•  Five or more person household £225

You will not need to provide receipts for the standard payment. This payment is specifically intended to contribute towards replacing refrigerated and frozen food. Food normally stored in kitchen cupboards is not included as this should not generally have been affected by the loss of electricity.

Please continue to pay this as normal for the time being.

Following the evacuation of Neutron Tower, the Council has placed affected council tax accounts on hold and applied the appropriate exemption while homes remain unoccupied. As a result, residents may be eligible for a reduction in their council tax liability during this period.

When residents are able to return home, you will need to notify the Council that you have returned, either through your online council tax account or by contacting the Council directly. This notification must be made by the resident, our team can help guide you through this if you need help.

Once the Council has been notified, it will review the account and reassess any applicable discounts, exemptions, council tax support or housing benefit from the date you move back into your home.

Specialist contractors have been assessing the extent of damage and identifying the work required. We appreciate that you will have questions regarding repairs and next steps and we will provide further information as soon as we are able to do so.

The building's insurers have been notified and are actively involved. We are working closely with them and will provide you with further information as the claims process progresses. 

Additional security personnel are on site 24 hours a day to help keep the building secure and support the controlled access arrangements currently in place. 

NHG residents should contact their local officer or our customer service centre. Our teams remain available to support residents and answer any questions throughout this incident. 

We recognise that incidents of this nature are distressing. Should you require any medical assistance or support, in line with NHS guidelines residents should:

• Call 999 for urgent medical or safety concerns
• Call 111 for health support, including access to the Tower Hamlets Crisis Support Line
• Contact the Samaritans at any time on 116 123

Tower Hamlets Council has established a dedicated webpage for residents affected by the Neutron Tower fire. The page includes information about available support and useful guidance. You can access the webpage here or via the QR code below: