Safety at home

Home fires can devastate your family, yet so many of them are preventable. Keep your family and your neighbours safe by following a few simple rules. All Curo homes have smoke and heat detectors, and these will be tested as part of your annual home safety check.. Please also make sure that you test smoke alarms regularly, have a fire escape plan and make sure everyone in your household is familiar with it. Also check everything is safe and switched off before going to bed.

If you live in a block of apartments please make sure that communal areas, such as corridors and stair wells, are kept clear. Never store personal belongings or rubbish in communal areas - this is a serious fire risk.

We carry out fire risk assessments on all of our accommodation blocks and our front-line staff do a variety of ongoing checks to help ensure your safety.

 You can also book a free home fire safety check with your local fire safety service.

If you smell gas or fumes you should always:

• Open all doors and windows
• Turn the gas off at the meter
• Put out cigarettes and any naked flame
• Don't use electrical switches
• Call the National Gas Emergency Service 0800 111 999

As part of your home safety check our fully qualified gas engineers carry out a gas safety check and service every 12 months to make sure everything is working properly and to keep your running costs as low as possible. Only Gas Safe registered engineers are authorised to work on gas appliances - residents should always check an engineers’ card.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas which you can’t see, taste or smell, but it can kill quickly and with no warning. CO can be produced from appliances served by gas, wood, coal and oil. These are fuels which can be found in your home as they are used in boilers, open or gas fires, water heaters, and solid fuel appliances.

All our properties that use gas are fitted with CO detectors. As part of our annual gas safety check and service we will check and replace any that don't work or are out of date.

Find out what the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning are and what you can do to minimise the risks.

We will check electrical installations before you move in and carry out further checks at regular intervals. To keep safe:

• Use a qualified electrician to repair electrical appliances.
• Do not tamper with the fuse or circuit boards. If your electrics keep tripping out report a repair. You can usually reset a tripped fuse yourself - click here to see how.
• Use the correct fuse for each appliance.
• Do not overload sockets.
• If the flex has frayed, get it replaced or replace the whole item.
• Keep electrical items away from water.
• Switch off appliances at the socket and unplug TVs etc. at night.
• Use an RCD 30ma plug-in circuit breaker with power tools and lawn mowers etc.
• Check electric blankets for signs of wear. If they are worn, do not use them and get them checked by an electrician.

For more electrical safety tips visit the Electrical Safety Council’s website.

Our water safety leaflet has simple tips that will help your tap water stay safe for drinking, cooking and washing.

Find out more about Legionella here:

To help prevent your home being broken into:

• Don’t leave doors and windows open if you go out.
• Ask to see the identity card of callers. All our employees and contractors carry these cards as do workers from other companies, e.g. gas, water, electrical. Genuine callers will not mind if you ask to see their card. If in doubt don’t let them in and contact the police.
• Do not give your personal information or bank details to strangers who contact you in person, on the phone or by email
• If you have bought expensive new items such as a computer, do not leave the packaging in the street for burglars to see. Bag it for collection or take it to your local recycling centre.
• Destroy bank statements and card receipts etc. before throwing them away.
• Keep ladders out of sight and secured to fixed object if possible.
• We also strongly advise you to take out home contents insurance.

Going away?

• Remember to cancel milk and newspapers.
• Make sure doors and windows are securely locked.
• Use time switches to turn lights on and off. This gives the impression someone is in.
• Unplug electrical appliances wherever you can.
• Leave an emergency number and a key with a neighbour or friend so they can go round now and then to check everything is OK.

Please take extra care if you have to go out in icy or snowy conditions this winter. Although we may not be able to grit around your home, we will be prioritising our most vulnerable residents living in sheltered housing.

Radon is a natural radioactive gas which has no smell and cannot be seen. It is produced from all rocks and soils and seeps from the ground where gas can collect in properties. In a small minority of cases the amount of radon may increase to unacceptably high levels. Where tests indicate high levels, we will carry out remedial works.

To find out more about radon and whether your home may be in an affected area visit www.ukradon.org. For information about testing properties in affected areas please contact us.

Many houses and flats are built with materials which contain asbestos. Asbestos in good condition is not a problem, but if it gets damaged it can release tiny fibres into the air. These fibres can cause serious lung disease if they are breathed in. For this reason, you should not drill, saw, cut, sand or scrape materials which may contain asbestos. If you plan to do some work or think you may have asbestos in poor condition, you should let us know so that we can give you advice and arrange for any tests to be carried out.

To ensure residents’ safety, we carry out a number of asbestos surveys every year. We will write to you in advance if we need to survey your property. Please help us by letting our asbestos surveyors into your home to carry out these important inspections.