Home safety guide for new homeowners

Few things are as exciting as becoming a new homeowner. After working hard to set up the home purchase, closing on the home, as well as going through a move and getting settled in, there’s a sense of responsibility that comes over you as you prepare to take care of your new place.

With that responsibility creates a new list of things you need to think about, and one of the most important areas to consider is home safety. This is a broad term, but it’s important to examine all areas of your home, develop safety precautions, and have emergency plans in place should anything go wrong.

This safety checklist is a good place to start!

Water and pipes

It’s a good idea to look around your home and find out where the water shut off is located. This will come in handy in the unfortunate situation where you would need to quickly shut it off, such as flooding or a broken pipe.

Be sure to go around the home and check for leakage, corrosion, and rust on pipes in your home so you can get a jump on the problem and fix it before anything serious happens.

Smoke alarms and detectors

Make sure each area of the home is equipped with smoke alarms, and most importantly, test them to ensure they work properly!

If they are not working, install new, fresh batteries that will last for a while. It’s a good idea to test smoke alarms every month or so to provide peace of mind that you’ll be alerted should a fire happen. For added safety, also consider purchasing a fire extinguisher for your home.

Another detector that should be checked into is a carbon monoxide alarm, which should be located on each level of your new home.

Electrical

The best rule to follow when it comes to all things electrical in your home is that if something doesn’t look right, it’s best to get it checked out and fixed. This could be anything from a cord or wire that is frayed or eroded, an outlet that is damaged, and so on. These issues could become potential fire hazards if something goes wrong. Feel all of the outlets in your home to see if they are warm, and if they are, have an electrician take a look.

Find the electrical box in your home and familiarize yourself with it, and also check to make sure nothing looks unusual. Figure out the best way to shut off the electricity in your home in case of emergency.

Home Protection System

Not so much a checklist item as it is something to consider, but a home protection alarm system might be worth looking into. Unfortunately, home burglaries happen, and installing a new alarm system on your home could be the difference in protecting your items.

It’s also important to make sure you have working locks and bolts on all doors around your home, and keep things such as cars, garage doors, sheds, and gates locked.

Emergency plan

It’s better to be safe than sorry, and the first step to following this rule is having an emergency evacuation plan for your home and your family. Talk it over and figure out what the best escape area is in each part of your home and make sure everyone is on the same page, with a designated meeting place for when everyone is outside.

Another important emergency plan to discuss is what to do in case of a weather emergency like a tornado.

Miscellaneous emergency checklist items

-Have a first-aid kit readily available in your home.

-Develop an emergency kit that can be easily accessible in case of an emergency. Use this comprehensive guide to building one from the American Red Cross.

-If there are senior citizens living at the home, consider the possibility of a medical alert system.

-Report anything that is broken, damaged, or not working when moving into your home so it can be fixed.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.