Internal anchor system offers high-rise landlords a route to meet Awaab’s Law 24-hour rule

Stronghold is a mobile anchor and barrier unit that can be set up inside a room in under ten minutes. Operatives then clip their safety harnesses onto integrated anchor points on the equipment and can work on the window from inside the flat, rather than needing a scaffold or cherry-picker set up outside.

The unit, designed and supplied by UK firm Glazesafe, can span openings of up to 5m, support up to three people at once, and needs no drilling or permanent fixings.

Phase 1 of Awaab’s Law, in force in the social rented sector in England since October 2025, requires landlords to investigate and make safe any emergency hazard within 24 hours. A high-rise window that poses an imminent fall risk sits squarely in that category – and putting up external scaffolding within that timeframe is rarely operationally possible.

The product’s relevance will widen further in October 2026, when phase 2 of the law comes in, extending the urgent repair duty to a longer list of hazards including fire, electrical risks, excess cold or heat – and falls.

Daniel Cheddie, founder of Glazesafe and designer of the Stronghold system, said, “If a high-level window becomes unsafe, particularly where there is a risk of falling from height, it clearly constitutes an emergency hazard. In those circumstances, landlords must investigate and take action to make the situation safe within 24 hours.

“In practice, that can be extremely difficult. Traditional access methods such as scaffolding remain an essential part of the industry’s toolkit, particularly for large-scale refurbishment programmes. But scaffolding requires planning and installation time. When a repair must be addressed within a single day, that process is just not feasible.

“Our aim has never been to replace established methods but to provide another practical solution when speed is critical. Our internal safety system allows operatives to carry out window repairs entirely from inside the property. With trained engineers, the system can be assembled by two people in under ten minutes and is fully tool-free and requires no drilling or fixings. It allows urgent work to begin almost immediately. Rather than waiting days for access equipment, teams can quickly secure or repair a dangerous window and remove a potential fall risk for residents.”