Tick Tock Test 28-29 March 2015
The government’s Fire Kills campaign is asking people across the country to welcome British Summer Time by Tick Tock Testing their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when they change their clocks over the weekend of 28th – 29th March. For many people testing alarms is often low on their list of priorities, so the campaign, in partnership with fire and rescue authorities, is asking people to make an online pledge to test their alarms.
Further advice on the campaign is available online.
Why Chimney Safety Inspections are Important for Your Property
A well-maintained property gives you warmth, security and a deep sense of satisfaction. Keeping the property in that condition is a responsibility you’re well advised to embrace. Most people do not conduct complete safety inspections on their homes. This can lead to a variety of problems. You definitely want your home to last – for it to do so, you have to invest time and resources in activities like inspection, care and maintenance. Complete chimney safety inspections are important for a number of reasons.
They reduce the risk of injury
As the owner of a property, you are legally and otherwise responsible for any accidents that occur within the confines of your property. This means that anyone who enters your property is under your watch, including family, friends and strangers.
Safety inspections are a great way to assess risks that could cause personal injury and take the necessary precautions. For example, loose tiles and roofing material could be a cause of disaster in the future if you do not work on them.
Evaluating the structural integrity of your home will help you know if there are any risks of glitches in the future. In addition, areas like the chimney require regular maintenance or they might get clogged up. This could result in smoke and dangerous gasses entering your home or even a chimney fire, both of which are dangerous.
Reduction in costs
While conducting safety inspections on your property, you will definitely notice areas of weakness that need attention. When you notice them in time, you can set repairs and maintenance in place. If you do not have the inspection done, chances are that certain areas like the chimney will deteriorate over time. When the actual risk occurs, you will likely have to spend many times the amount you would have spent to make repairs had you noticed the glitch in time.
Future planning
Your property will not stay the same forever. At some point, you will need to change things around. Safety inspections help you to keep a mental checklist, where you tick off the items that you think are compromising the safety of the property. Correct maintenance will allow you to plan for future additions to the existing set up. In addition, inspections will enable you plan how to make changes without necessarily disrupting designs that you created in the past, allowing new structures to fall in place and blend in naturally.
Maintenance of property value
You never know. At some point in the future, you might have a change of mind regarding your property. You might want to sell or rent it out.
Regular inspections will help keep your property in top condition and you will be very unlikely to have a problem renting it or selling it.
Insurance complications
When an accident happens on your premises, your insurer is going to be very interested in what has happened and why. Complications might arise if you have not effected complete safety inspections. They will look for areas of non compliance and they will most certainly have a dim view of the claim if they realise that the accident was avoidable and may of have happened due to your actions or inactions. Simple things like having your chimney swept by a professional company regularly can help you to avoid certain risks. You should always stay on the safe side.
Buying a property is an achievement. Owning it should be blissful. Do not make it hard on yourself by being negligent. Safety inspections put you at a distinct advantage when it comes to risks of accidents, or plans for the future management of the property. It could be a hectic procedure, but in the end, you will realise that the effort was well worth it. Inspections should be thorough and carried out by competent companies.
Contact Apex Chimney Sweeps to book a professional chimney sweeping company!
