Remember fire safety

Fire and smoke alarms can limit damage to property, as well as saving lives.

Battery-operated alarms are cheap (from £5) but it is better to have alarms wired into an electrical circuit — whether or not you’re having the house rewired, add a smoke alarm circuit.

Make sure that you have at least one alarm on each storey — no more than 7m (22') from the doors to the living room and kitchen and no more than 3m (9') from each bedroom door.

Alarms should be mounted on the ceiling, at least 300mm (1') from any wall, light, heater or air-conditioning outlet.

Alarms can be fitted with different types of sensors — use the right type of sensor for the different spaces around your home:

Until you have wired-in alarms fitted, fit battery alarms that comply with BS 5446 and keep checking that they are working. Test them every week. If an alarm doesn’t work, fit a new battery. If it still doesn’t work, buy a new alarm. If an alarm is bleeping from time to time, change the battery. Change the battery once a year, even if it’s still working.

If you live in a flat you’ll need to get a building warrant before adding a smoke alarm circuit. Whether it’s a house or a flat, wired-in smoke alarms should have a standby power supply, such as a built-in battery in case the mains power supply fails.

Security

If you replace window or door locks, repair the frames with solid timber screwed and glued into the existing frame to make it as strong as possible.