The days are getting darker and colder, and it’s no secret that we’ll all be spending a lot more time in our homes this winter. So, while we await the brighter months of spring, we need to prepare ourselves and our homes to ensure we stay comfortable and safe.
While our property and grounds maintenance team will be on hand to respond to the repairs and maintenance issues that need attending to this winter, there are a lot of simple, yet important things you can do to make sure you’re ready.
Here are our top tips on ways you can prepare for the winter period:
1. Do you know how to turn your water off in an emergency?
Do you know where to find the stopcock in your home? It can usually be found either underneath the kitchen sink or in the airing cupboard. It’s important to know where this is so that you are able to quickly turn off the mains water supply in the event of a burst pipe or any other plumbing-related emergency.
2. Heating and keeping warm
Do you know how your heating system functions? It’s a good idea to get clued up on the basic instructions for your boiler to ensure you can stay warm throughout the cold weather. Keeping the heating on at a low constant temperature, rather than heating your home up rapidly and then allowing it to cool down again, will avoid any build-up of condensation.
Make sure your radiators or heaters are not obstructed by any pieces of furniture or curtains so the heat can flow evenly around your home.
In the unfortunate event that your heating stops working, we will always endeavour to respond as quickly as possible, but please be aware that we may not be able to respond immediately. Therefore, you may wish to purchase a small electric heater to use as a back-up.
3. Power cuts
Make sure you’re ready for a power cut by preparing a handy power cut kit. The kit could include items such as torches, blankets and maybe even a battery-operated radio. This is a great way to avoid getting caught out in the dark this winter.
4. Food
It’s a good idea to keep a reasonable supply of food and other essentials in the house if a cold snap is forecast.
5. Medicines
If you take medication, make sure that you have enough supplies in the house so that you can keep taking them regularly in the event that you are required to stay indoors.
6. Neighbours
During extreme weather conditions, make sure to check on your neighbours, particularly if they are elderly, have a disability or are housebound, as it can be a difficult time for them to get out and about. A friendly call from a neighbour could be just what they need, and it is often greatly appreciated!
7. Fire safety
As Christmas is fast approaching, many people will be decorating their homes for the festive season. However, we would like to remind you to be mindful of the dangers of flammable decorations which could potentially obstruct an access route for the emergency services during a rescue situation. Therefore, we would like to advise the following safety precautions:
- Avoid placing potentially flammable wreaths on front doors.
- Decorations, such as tinsel and electrical ornaments, should not be placed within any communal areas without the express permission of LACE Housing. If any unsuitable items are put up in the communal areas, we will unfortunately have to remove them for safety purposes.
- Please don’t leave lit candles unattended and always make sure they are extinguished at the end of the day. Avoid placing them near anything flammable, i.e. Christmas trees, curtains, soft furniture or cushions.
- Christmas trees are highly flammable and should be kept in a well-ventilated area. They should never be left unattended with the lights on. Living trees need to be watered regularly to prevent them from drying out.
- If you use any tissue paper or cardboard decorations, remember that they can burn easily and should not be placed around, on or above lights, heaters or candles.
- Please ensure that all fairy lights are in good working order and replace any bulbs that have blown. Avoid overloading sockets or placing the lights near anything flammable as they may get hot, and remember to turn them off overnight or when they are left unattended.
- Please ensure that your smoke alarm is working, tested every week and kept clean and free of dust.
Bad weather arrangements
The roads adopted by local councils are gritted and cleared by the local council. We have also arranged for the grit bins at our schemes to be topped up and have purchased additional stocks of grit should we need to refill the bins over the coming months.
While we are unable to grit all the paths at each scheme, sufficient supplies are available for use by residents and visitors. We ask that residents contact us if supplies are low. Please be mindful that grit works more effectively when spread thinly across a wide surface area using the supplied grit shovels.
Festive period repairs service
Please note that when our offices are closed, we provide a repairs service for emergencies only. This means that over the festive period, from 1pm on 24th December until 9am on 4th January 2021, we will only respond where a repair is needed: to remove a safety hazard, to make a property fit for habitation, or to prevent serious damage or further serious damage to our property.
Emergencies include incidences of fire, flood, water ingress or emergency repairs to heating and hot water systems.
Utilities firms should be contacted if the mains supply of electricity, gas or water is affected.
TO REPORT EMERGENCY REPAIRS PLEASE CALL: 01522 514444
