Security and safety, and contents insurance

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:

Don’t let strangers into your home or block of flats

Always ask for proof of identify if someone calls at your house. If you are still not completely sure, tell them to wait outside, close the door and contact the police. You may call BCHF if the person/s claim to be a Contractor carrying out repairs on our behalf.
Never allow someone into the building as you are entering or leaving if you have a door entry system unless you know them.
Read the tips put together by Bristol Trading Standards as part of their Scamwise scheme by clicking here.

Lock Doors and Windows

Most burglaries are carried out by opportunist thieves. In two out of ten burglaries they don’t even have to use force - they get in through an open door or window. Always double lock the front door and lock your windows and doors when you go out with the key. If you do not lock your front door with a key it can be easily opened by an intruder.
Do not leave keys under door mats or on view inside your front hall or leave any notes on your door telling people you are out.

Make it look like you are at home when you are out

Remember, most burglaries happen when a house or flat is empty. They are also more likely to happen during the evening or at night.
Don’t leave curtains closed during the daytime.
Use time switches to turn on lights, radios and other appliances when you’re out. You can buy these from DIY shops. But don’t use them if they will show a burglar that you're out, for example, in ground floor rooms where the curtains have been left open.
Keep all valuable items out of sight.

If you’re going away:

cancel any milk or newspaper deliveries
cut the lawn and so on before you go
don’t put your home address on luggage labels when travelling to your destination
if you can, get a friend or neighbour to look after your home while you’re away. Ask them to collect your post, draw your curtains at night and open them in the mornings, and generally make the place look lived-in. Give them an emergency number. Be prepared to do the same for them.

Use time switches to turn lights on and off. This gives the impression someone is in.

See link to further advice from crime prevention advice website

Safety in your home

Carbon Monoxide and Gas Inspections

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.

The symptoms of CO poisoning are very similar to flu. People experience tiredness, headaches, cramps, feeling sick, weakness and painful joints. If you think you may have CO poisoning go to your GP for a test – it is expelled from the body quickly, soit is important to gostraight to your doctor if you think you have been exposed to CO before levels in your blood drop.

As a precaution you can install a CO detector, either mains or battery powered, which are available at all large DIY outlets.

The Foundation 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.

We do not check your appliances. As a tenant you are responsible for your own appliances, such as your cooker. It is your responsibility to ensure that these are checked regularly.

Typical signs of problem appliances are:-

On a gas appliance the flame is yellow or orange and is flickering rather than a crisp blue flame that burns steadily.
There is an orange or brown stain on the surface of the appliance or nearby, e.g. on the wall.

Please do not block up air bricks, vents or flues which provide air to gas appliances as this could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Fire Safety Precautions

Smoke detectors are very good for warning you about fire. All our properties have smoke detectors and in the newer properties these are 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.

Keep smoke detectors free of dust and dirt – you can use the narrow attachment on yourvacuum cleaner.

To reduce the risk of fire:-

Keep matches and cigarette lighters away from small children.
never keep petrol or paraffin in your home.
do not use paraffin or bottled gas heaters.
never leave chip pans unattended on the stove - never pour water on to a burning chip pan - smother flames with a damp cloth, fire blanket or a lid.
put out cigarettes and matches especially before going to bed
use fire resistant curtains and furniture.
make sure you know how to get out in a hurry. If you find a fire, GET OUT OF THE BUILDING and DIAL 999. Don't try to fight it yourself.

In addition if you live in a block of flats:-

Never use the lift in the event of a fire. Always use the stairs.
Keep the stairways and landings free of anything that could catch fire

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 asmall hole in the bulge to let the water out. This will help stop the ceiling from falling down.

Frozen or Burst Pipes

Frozen pipes can cause a lot of damage if they burst.
To avoid the problem it helps if:-

you know where the stop cock is.
you keep your home warm.
you keep the heating on low when you are away from home in the winter.

If your pipes freeze:-

call us for advice
turn off the stopcock and the heating system
thaw out the pipes gently using a hair-dryer or cloth soaked in hot water. Don't use a naked flame.
check for leaks as the pipes thaw.

If your pipes burst:-

turn off your heating system and immersion heater if you have one.
turn off the stopcock and turn on all the taps to drain down the water quickly.
call us for advice or call the out of hours emergency service.