Have a very merry (accident free) Christmas

Holiday-time means time with loved ones, gifts, great food and escaping the elements – the last thing you’d want is the stress of something going wrong with your home.

Worry not! Below is our checklist of things to do before Christmas to keep you and your home safe.

Avoiding a big freeze: The checklist

□ Check your boiler is working if you haven’t yet turned on your heating

□ Check when you last serviced your boiler

Here’s why:

There’s no convenient time for your boiler to breakdown. Plus, even with Home Emergency cover, if you haven’t had your boiler serviced in the last 15 months, you won’t be covered by our Home Emergency policy. So check when you last had it serviced and, if you’re due, pencil in an engineer as soon as you can.

Avoiding burst pipes: The checklist

□ Find your stopcock

□ Insulate your pipes

□ Going away? Turn your mains water off, or your heating on to timer mode

Here’s why:

If the weather gets cold, we always see a rise in burst pipes – and you’ve probably noticed that the temperature has already dipped a few times this year. The good news is there are things you can do to try and avoid this happening to you.

Firstly, make sure you know where your stopcock is. It’s always better to know where it is before something goes wrong rather than looking for it in a panic.

Secondly, if you’re able, insulate your pipes. This keeps heat in, so helps you save money in the long run. Plus, it reduces the risk of your pipes freezing – which is what causes them to burst. Don’t worry if you’re not sure how to do this – there’s are lots of articles online with simple instructions.

Finally, if you’re going away over Christmas, consider turning off your mains water supply. Alternatively, make sure your heating is set on a timer or frost mode, so that the pipes never freeze over.

Avoiding storm damage: The checklist

□ Remove leaves from your gutters and drains

□ Get a roofer to check your roof

□ Put away garden furniture and trampolines

Here’s why:

Every winter, storms affect people up and down the country. When the weather is calm, check your guttering and drains for leaves, and ask a roofer to do a maintenance check. Remember that, even if you have roof cover as part of Home Emergency Plus, your roof won’t be covered if it hasn’t been well maintained.

It’s also a good time to put away any garden furniture or trampolines which aren’t being used now the weather has turned. This will avoid them causing damage to your property in high winds.

Avoiding electric frights: The checklist

□ If you’re using lights from a previous year, check the condition of them before plugging them in

□ Turn all Christmas lights off when you leave the home

□ Don’t leave charging high-capacity lithium batteries unattended (e.g. landscaping tools or electric scooters or bikes)

Here’s why:

If you’re dusting off Christmas lights from a previous year, make sure they haven’t got any damage before plugging them in and make sure you always turn them off when you’re not at home.

And if Santa is bringing any gifts with high-capacity lithium batteries, like scooters or hoverboards, make sure you’re always at home when they’re on charge.

In both these cases, fires can easily start and spread quickly through the home.