Safe as Houses

The annual 'Safe as Houses' report has just been published, and it makes for eye opening reading. It showed that although we’re good at having home security features in place, we’re not good at checking that they're still working and could even be putting off repairs to broken or faulty home security equipment.

The survey asked people to provide details of the security and safety devices they have in their homes, and has shown an increase in the number of people with home security features fitted. Figures show that nearly 90% of us have a smoke alarm, 85% have window locks and 72% good quality door locks.

However, of those that are putting off home maintenance, 37% one in five, 21% are delaying plans to repair broken or malfunctioning window and door locks and 11% are ignoring faulty alarm systems. For example, nearly 40% stated that they had a house alarm fitted, but 44% admitted that they had actually checked that it was in working order.

The most worrying evidence came in the list of things that people admitted they had never checked: Fire extinguishers 69%, Intruder alarm 56%, Electrical wiring 54%, Gas pipes 51% and even the roof and chimneys.

Roof and chimney 42%

Head of communications for the report Ruth Wilkins, commented: "It's very encouraging that there has been an increase on last year in the number of people that have security measures in their homes. People mentioned that they’ve made their homes more secure with new windows and quality locks. Although there were still a small number, 13%, mentioned that they still rely on a dog to protect their property. Although 76% stated that they feel just as safe in their home as they did five years ago, if people are not checking their safety and security measures, they may not be as safe as they think."

A simple consultation will sort all this out. I contacted the first company that came up on an internet search, Kwik Fit Insurance, who appear to offer very competitive home insurance deals, and they were extremely helpful in detailing what was most important to check and what would seriously cost if I didn’t sort it out. I am now much happier with the state of my house and the home insurance policy that covers it. I’d recommend you do the same.