Everyday disaster preparedness in UK shared housing: an auto-ethnographic analysis of micro-level risk practices

Purpose This study explores how disaster and emergency preparedness is embedded in shared housing at the micro level, examining physical design and social practices within a six-person shared house in the United Kingdom, and how safety is enacted and normalised in everyday domestic life. Design/methodology/approach An auto-ethnographic approach based on two years of participant observation was employed, with the researcher occupying a dual role as tenant and observer, enabling insight into tenant behaviours, landlord practices and the integration of safety into daily routines. Findings Disaster safety remains largely unseen but actively maintained, as measures such as fire detection, electrical systems and emergency protocols are routinely implemented yet often unnoticed. Safety is socially and materially normalised through everyday practices, highlighting the micro-level, temporal and relational dimensions of risk governance. Originality/value The study contributes to disaster studies by repositioning preparedness within everyday domestic life, showing how macro-level risk governance is enacted and rendered largely invisible. It extends discussions on slow and cumulative risk by demonstrating how these processes are materially embedded in shared housing, offering new insights into the social, spatial and temporal dimensions of safety.