Month: September 2022

There are many things on your mind when going on holiday.

In the frenzy of packing, finding your passport, and double checking your travel plans, it can be easy to forget about the home you will be leaving behind.

Coming home from a holiday is never fun, but finding out that you have been the victim of criminal activity is devastating.

Here at Central FS, we are one of Scotland’s leading security experts and have put together this guide to the top 9 ways that you can keep your home secure whilst you are away.

Following this advice will give you peace of mind to enjoy your well-deserved break without constantly worrying about what might be going on back home.

Top 9 holiday security tips

1. Leave your curtains open

Making it appear as though someone is at home whilst you are on holiday is essential to avoiding being targeted by criminals.

Many people believe that closing curtains and hiding the valuables within is a good idea when leaving the property unoccupied but the fact is that having your curtains closed constantly for several days at a time is a clear indication to criminals that no-one is home.

Furthermore, once a burglar has gained access, they will be able to move around and search for things to steal without any risk of being seen by neighbours or passers by.

2. Don’t advertise your absence

In the excitement of preparing for a holiday it can be tempting to tell everyone you know about your upcoming break.

When chatting on the bus or posting on social media, however, you just never know who might be taking notes.

Try and keep your holiday on the quiet until you return, at which point feel free to go wild with your Instagram pictures.

3. Hide valuables

As mentioned above you should try and keep your curtains open when on holiday, but this does mean that opportunistic criminals will be able to take a peek inside your home.

Even if your home does appear inhabited, the sight of valuables such as laptops, tablets, and jewellery lying about inside might be too tempting for them to resist attempting to break-in.

Therefore, any smaller valuables should be hidden well out of sight of ground floor windows when on holiday, in a sock drawer, under a bed, or somewhere similar.

4. Stay Insured

If you are planning to be away for more than 14 days there is a good chance that your home insurance may not cover you if something happens after this point.

If you are unsure about whether you will be covered by your insurance firm after a certain point, make sure to get in touch before you go away.

5. Cancel regular deliveries

If you have any regular deliveries left outside your front door such as milk or newspapers, remember to ask for them to be halted until you return or arrange for someone to pick them up on your behalf.

A pile of papers, or a number of milk bottles sitting outside a property is a clear sign to criminals that no-one is currently inside.

6. Trim your garden

In a similar way to a build up of deliveries, long grass and untrimmed shrubbery can indicate a lack of ongoing activity in a property.

Make sure to cut the grass and clear away weeds before jetting off on your break.

7. Invest in a home security system

There are many home security technologies than can be used to keep your home protected when no-one is home.

The most effective of these include cctv installation glasgow, intruder alarms, and motion detection lighting.

Thanks to the joys of mobile technology, you will be able to check on the status of your home security from anywhere in the world, getting notifications on any alarm activations and accessing your live CCTV feeds straight from your mobile device.

8. Talk to your neighbours

Having a good relationship with your neighbours can be invaluable when you go on holiday, keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity.

You could also ask if they wouldn’t mind parking outside your home whilst you are away to give the impression that someone is at home.

9. Enjoy!

Once you have taken all these precautions you will have done everything that you can to protect your home whilst you go on holiday.

All that is left for you to do now is to relax and enjoy your well-deserved break in the knowledge that the chances of your home being the target of criminal activity are as low as possible and that you will be alerted to any incidents in real time.

If you have any questions or for more information on home security, contact Central FS today

A fire in the home is a terrifying thought no matter where you live, but for those living in high-rise apartment buildings, the fear is often even greater.

Multi-unit residential buildings pose a range of unique fire safety concerns due to the close proximity of neighbours and evacuation procedures that can become confusing in an emergency.

Furthermore, management companies are all too often under so much pressure to deal with other competing factors, that tenant fire safety is not made enough of a priority.

If you live in a flat within a high-rise building knowing the risks associated with fire, and putting precautions in place to mitigate them, really could be the difference between life and death.

The majority of apartment fires in the UK are preventable, starting as a result of human error, so with the right preparation, you can prevent a minor accident from escalating into something much worse.

Here is all the information you need about the common causes of apartment fires, how to prevent them, and what to do if the worst happens.

What causes apartment fires?

Whilst the consequences of an apartment fire can be much worse, the root causes are similar to a fire in any other property.

Apartment fires start most often as a result of carelessness in everyday activity, with cooking fires being the most common cause.

Electrical equipment malfunctions are another major fire risk, as is anything involving a naked flame, such as lit candles and cigarettes.

Best ways to prevent apartment fires

Many fire risks can be minimised significantly through some simple precautions taken by tenants.

Here are some of the best tips for fire safety:

Cooking

• Never leave a stove unattended whilst cooking.
• Turn off all appliances once cooking is complete
• Avoid wearing highly flammable or loose fitting clothing whilst cooking.
• Take particular care when cooking with oil or grease as a fire involving these is particularly difficult to control.

Heating

• Turn off all electric/space heaters before going to bed.
• Leave at least 1m clearance around electric/space heaters
• Fireplaces are extremely rare in apartments but if you do have one keep it clean and well maintained and ensure that any ashes have fully cooled before disposing of them safely.

Smoking

• If you are renting your apartment you may not be allowed to smoke inside, according to your tenant agreement, but if you are take extreme care when doing so.
• Never smoke in bed or near to flammable soft furnishings.
• Keep all matches and lighters well out of reach of children.
• Fully extinguish all cigarettes before disposal.

Electronic Devices

• Make sure to have all electronic devices checked by a qualified electrician on a regular basis.
• Look for the common signs of wearing and faulty electronics, such as burn marks on wall sockets, and frayed wiring.

Fire Safety Measures

The following fire safety measures should be put in place in every single apartment, to reduce the risk of a fire escalating out of control without residents being aware.

Smoke Detectors

Having a fully operational set of interlinked smoke alarms is now a legal requirement, and for good reason.

Ensuring that your smoke detectors are fully operational is an easy way for apartment dwellers to ensure that if a fire does start, they will be alerted as early as possible.

Detectors should be placed outside every single room where people sleep, as well as in the kitchen, the most popular living space, and in hallways.

Test your alarms once a month to ensure they are in good working order.

Fire Extinguishers

Having a small fire extinguisher in the kitchen is a good way to stop minor fires from escalating.

Make sure to keep your extinguishers up to date and in working order.

If the communal areas of your apartment building do not have fire extinguishers or they are not working properly, contact the building management company immediately.

Waking Watch Services

If your apartment building has been identified as having fire safety issues above and beyond the normal risks mentioned above, a waking watch serviced may be required.

Waking watch was introduced in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower Fire in 2017, to ensure a simultaneous evacuation in properties found to have the same, or similar, flammable cladding to that which had such a devastating impact at Grenfell.

Waking watch involves highly trained professional fire marshals patrolling your building 24/7, looking for fires and raising the alarm if one is found.

In the event of a fire, they will liaise with the emergency services and oversee the safe evacuation of the entire building.

Waking watch officers are highly effective, but should only be put in place as a temporary measure, due to the cost to tenants, until a common fire alarm system can be installed, or the condemned cladding has been replaced.

Here at V360, we take apartment fire safety as seriously as you do, offering both temporary waking watch officers of the highest standard, and an industry leading V-Fire common alarm system.