BCHFHome Safety
Gas Safety Checks
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas, which is colourless and has no smell. It kills around 50 people a year in the UK. It can be produced by poorly installed or poorly maintained appliances (gas, solid fuel, oil or paraffin fuels), or when there is poor ventilation to a room.
Please do not block up air bricks, vents or flues which provide air to gas appliances as this could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
BCHF is required by law to carry out a safety check of our gas appliances at least once a year to reduce this risk to your health. We will also check gas pipework inside your home. We may disconnect faulty appliances. The servicing process begins 10 months after the last service to give us plenty of time to make appointments with you and make sure you have a new test certificate issued before the previous one runs out. Please help us by allowing access for the checks to be carried out.
View our current gas policy below.
Home Contents Insurance
BCHF insures your home against fire, storm and flood. We cannot insure your belongings such as carpets/floor coverings, appliances, curtains, furniture or furnishings or any personal possessions. You are responsible for putting right any damage to your own belongings.
WE STRONGLY ADVISE YOU TO TAKE OUT YOUR OWN HOUSEHOLD INSURANCE.
Your policy should cover you and your belongings in case of theft, fire or other accidents and any damage caused by you to other people and their belongings e.g. if your washing machine overflows into another property.
Home Security
The vast majority of BCHF homes meet Secure by Design accredited standards which means they have additional security features for your protection.
However, there are additional measures you can take to ensure your home does not provide any opportunities for criminals. For further advice on home security, download our PDF below.
Fire Safety Precautions
Smoke detectors are very good for warning you about fire. All our properties have smoke detectors connected to the mains electricity. They all have batteries so they will work even if your electricity supply fails. Test them each week by pressing the ‘test’ button. If it fails to bleep (or if it gives off an intermittent bleep by itself when you are not testing it), replace the batteries as soon as you can. Please do this with care as you will have to pay for any damage you cause to the smoke detector. Please call us if you are not sure how to replace the battery. For further advice on fire safety, download our PDF below.
Water Safety and Ceilings
If there is a water leak from upstairs and the ceiling is bulging or is very wet in one spot, get a bucket and make a small hole in the bulge to let the water out. This will help stop the ceiling from falling down.
Frozen Pipes
You can read further advice on frozen pipes in our PDF below.
