Gentoo hosts two national networking groups designed to bring together professionals from across the housing and building safety sector. These groups provide a space to share learning, discuss challenges, collaborate on best practice, and strengthen our collective approach to resident safety.

Each group meets quarterly on Microsoft Teams and is open to professionals working in building safety, housing management, resident engagement, fire safety, or related disciplines.

If you’d like to join either group, the Fire & Building Safety Team would be happy to hear from you. Contact us at: fireandbuildingsafety@gentoogroup.com

1. Let’s Talk: Managing Large Panel System Buildings

About the Group

The Let’s Talk: Managing Large Panel System Buildings focuses on the unique challenges and risks when managing Large Panel System (LPS) buildings across the housing sector. This group offers a collaborative space to share insight and technical knowledge.

This group is actively working together to create a collaborative voice across the sector to influence the Government to develop a long term strategy for LPS buildings, supported by appropriate funding.

Members regularly discuss:

• Structural and fire safety considerations for LPS buildings
• Developing safety cases for LPS buildings
• Lessons learned from assessments and intrusive surveys
• Approaches to communicating with residents
• Co‑ordination with local authorities, fire services, and regulators
• Sector trends, emerging research, and national policy developments
   

Membership

This group is open to:

• Building owners and accountable persons for LPS buildings
• Building safety managers
• Asset and compliance teams
• Structural engineers and technical specialists
• Fire safety professionals
• Housing providers managing LPS blocks
• Any organisation involved in research or oversight of LPS construction types
   

Meetings

The group meets quarterly on Microsoft Teams, with agendas shaped around current sector issues and member suggestions.

2. Let’s Talk: Engaging with Residents on Building Safety

About the Group

This group brings together professionals committed to improving how we engage with residents on building safety. It provides a collaborative environment to explore what meaningful engagement looks like in practice and how we can build trust, transparency, and confidence across our communities.

Topics typically include:

• Designing effective resident engagement strategies
• Meeting the requirements of the Building Safety Act 2022
• Co‑producing engagement activities with residents
• Sharing tools, templates, case studies, and good practice
• Supporting colleagues to deliver consistent, person‑centred engagement
• Learning from resident feedback and lived experience
   

Membership

Ideal for:

• Resident engagement professionals
• Building safety managers and accountable persons
• Communications colleagues
• Tenant voice or engagement leads
• Fire safety representatives
• Anyone developing or delivering building safety engagement activities
   

Meetings

The group meets quarterly on Microsoft Teams, featuring discussions, presentations, sector updates, and open sharing of resources.

Join a Group

To express interest or join either networking group, please contact Gentoo’s Fire & Building Safety Team: fireandbuildingsafety@gentoogroup.com

We welcome new members from across the sector. The more perspectives we bring together, the stronger and safer our communities become.