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Home safety checklist

Home safety checklist

Your home should be your sanctuary. Unfortunately, hazards can sneak in. These home safety tips can help safeguard your family, home and belongings all year-round.

Protecting your home from fire

  • Replace your smoke alarm batteries every year and test these every few months to ensure they work
  • Prepare an Essential Emergency Kit and make sure everyone living in your home know where it’s located
  • Create a fire emergency plan and make sure all members of your household know what to do to get out quickly and safely
  • Check solar power systems are in good working order
  • Ensure down lights aren’t covered by ceiling insulation as this is one of the lesser known causes of home fires
  • If you see any damaged power points or switches around your home, make it a priority to get these repaired immediately
  • Throw away any damaged electrical appliances and leads
  • Avoid using electrical appliances in wet areas like your bathroom or near pools
  • Install safety switches and test them every 3 months
  • Sounds intuitive, but remember to keep matches and lighters out of reach of children
  • Keep flammable material away from heaters and don’t dry your clothes directly on them
  • Install a fire extinguisher near your outside grill or BBQ if you have one
  • Turn off kitchen burners if you leave the room or go out
  • Clean hotplates and ovens, as food spillages or grease can be a fire hazard
  • Shake breadcrumbs out of your toaster
  • Check electric blankets and heaters for damaged controls and wires
  • Keep clothes dryers clear of lint and make sure the exhaust duct is well ventilated when switched on.

Renovating your home

  • Make sure you know where live electrical cables are located in wall cavities before you cut holes, or drive screws or nails into your walls
  • Always use a certified electrician to do any electrical work
  • If you purchase electrical accessories or appliances that need to be hard wired, make sure you use a certified electrician to install and connect them
  • Always turn off the power before you go into the ceiling space
  • Be aware of overhead power lines when using ladders outside your home.

Using a generator

Only use a generator for portable appliances such as a bar fridge and never use it inside an enclosed space such as a garage or carport, as you may get carbon monoxide poisoning. Make sure you also stay within the generator load rating.

Vehicle accidents and power lines

Vehicle accidents can bring down power lines. If an accident happens near you, remember that the vehicle, fences and trees in contact with the fallen power lines may be live so don’t touch them. Advise occupants of the vehicle to stay where they are and keep any bystanders well away from power lines. Call emergency services for immediate help.

Check insurance

It’s important to make sure your home and contents insurance is up-to-date.

Check if your premium can be lowered if you’ve improved your home security, or if the policy covers your property when it’s vacant more than 60 days.

 

The Detail

Any financial product advice provided on this page is general in nature and does not take into account your personal circumstances. Before making a decision, please consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS), supplementary PDS (if applicable) and Target Market Determination (TMD). To see some of the events covered and not covered, please refer to the Key Facts Sheet (KFS)

Home and Contents Insurance is issued by Allianz Australia Insurance Limited ABN 15 000 122 850 AFSL 234708 (Allianz). Bank of Melbourne – A Division of Westpac Banking Corporation ABN 33 007 457 141 AFSL 233714 (the Bank) arranges the initial issue of the insurance under a distribution agreement with Allianz but does not guarantee the insurance.

By selecting 'Get a quote' you will enter a third-party site hosted by Allianz. Any personal information you provide to Allianz will be collected, used and disclosed in accordance with Allianz’s Privacy Statement and Privacy Policy available on their website.

If you purchase Home and Contents Insurance with Allianz the Bank will receive a commission of up to 12% of the premium excluding Government fees and charges, plus GST.

Bank of Melbourne's Privacy Statement is available at bankofmelbourne.com.au/privacy/privacy-statement or by calling 13 22 66. It covers:​

  • How you can access the personal information Bank of Melbourne holds about you and ask for it to be corrected;​
  • How you can complain about a breach of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) or a registered Code by Bank of Melbourne and how Bank of Melbourne will deal with your complaint; and​
  • How Bank of Melbourne collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information in more detail.