To help raise awareness of fire safety and to highlight how important it is to have contents insurance, we are sharing some real-life stories of recent fire incidents in our customers homes.
This kitchen fire was caused by a washing machine being plugged in to an overloaded extension cable, which unfortunately ended up causing considerable damage to the family home.
Most people have extension cables in their home to increase the number of appliances they can plug into a wall socket. However, although there is space to plug in more appliances, this does not mean it is always safe to do so.
You can avoid overloading sockets and risk of fire by visiting https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/guidance/safety-around-the-home/overloading-sockets/ and following Electrical Safety First simple advice – they even have an overload calculator to check if you are exceeding the maximum load.
Electrical fires can happen very easily and without contents insurance could end up very costly. This is why we and the SFHA suggest all tenants and residents take out home contents insurance, either through the special Diamond Insurance scheme or by making your own arrangements. Please remember you are responsible for replacing your home contents and belongings. Contents insurance is designed to help protect your possessions and personal belongings. It’s a good idea to consider what a home contents insurance policy would cover you for, in order to help you make an informed decision on whether you need one.
To find out more about the Diamond Insurance scheme, designed for tenants in social housing in Scotland, please contact URIS Group on 0345 671 817 or visit https://www.sfha.co.uk/diamond-insurance.
If you would like an application pack, give our Housing Team a call on 01361 884000 or email info@berwickshirehousing.org.uk.
For more information on home contents insurance visit: https://www.berwickshirehousing.org.uk/news/are-you-prepared-for-the-unexpected/
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