Winter can be a hazardous season. Fires, floods, slips, and spills are more likely than in other seasons of the year. As a tenant, you hold a lot of responsibility to maintain the home during the colder months of the year. What can you do to keep your, your family, and your rental home safe during the winter?
Keep Your Rental Home Safe in Winter
Keep Walkways Clear
Test the Smoke Detectors
Childproof Your House
Prevent Fires
Chilly days bring out the chefs in all of us but if a pan catches on fire you need to know the immediate steps to take. When cooking with grease, NEVER try to extinguish the fire with water and NEVER try to remove the pan from the burning surface. Baking soda will be your best friend in the kitchen and not just for cooking. [On average, there are roughly 1800 cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day alone]
Naturally, you should never leave candles or fireplaces unattended and if your home has a Christmas tree, keep it watered and lights off whenever you leave.
If your property has gas, be aware of any gas leaks that could be problematic. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 25,000 residential fires are caused by space heaters causing more than 300 deaths and 6,000 burn injuries annually. Make sure that your heater has an Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) label and has a tip-over safety switch. Plug them directly into a wall outlet; do not use an extension cord.