Fire Safety in Your listed property Part 1: Time to turn the heat up (safely)

By Julie Talbot Insurance Advisor

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Now winter is setting in, we’ll see the outdoor temperature start to drop more and more. And with that comes the need to heat up yourself and your listed home.

Heating yourself and your home can take many different forms; from an electric blanket to save on the bills to a log-burning fire, there are many ways it can be done. Whilst each has its benefits, they also carry their own risks. We’ve detailed the best ways to keep yourself and your home both warm but also protected, minimising risk to you and your listed property throughout the colder months.

Fires

While fires can provide listed properties with a cosy atmosphere and a great deal of warmth in the winter months, they also pose a number of risks to your home. However, there are a few ways you can minimise these.

Ensure your fireplace is well maintained and regularly cleaned – with every fire there’s debris, ash, and soot amongst other things. These build up and over time this may well become a fire hazard.

When using your fire, ensure you have a guard in place to protect not only you and your family (including pets), but also to stop any embers flying out – embers can set combustible materials alight.

When you’ve had the fire on, even if you think it has died down, check the area fully before going to bed or leaving the property – just a small spark has the potential to make your home go up in flames.

Ensure in any room with a fire, you’ve a carbon monoxide detector and a fire alarm. These should also be placed outside of bedrooms.

Electric blankets

Many people enjoy using an electric blanket as they’re thought to be cheaper, heating you rather than the room. Whilst electric blankets come with their benefits, they can also pose risks to your listed home should they be misused or neglected.

As we mentioned with fires, you must check your electric blanket is turned off before going to bed. Whilst many modern-day electric blankets may be fine, some run the risk of overheating, which could cause you burns and your home serious damage.

In general, electric blankets boast a ten-year life span, but we’d recommend a safety check every three years. This will need to be done by a qualified electrician.

In between uses of your electric blanket or when storing throughout warmer months, pack your blanket flat if possible, but if not fold carefully to reduce any strain on the wiring inside.

Historic candle holder with melted lit candle

Candles

In the winter, candles are commonly used for not only heat and warmth but for aesthetic purposes. They cast a warm glow across your historic home, perhaps giving a sense of how it would have felt to live there in bygone eras.

When using a candle, we recommend only doing so in secured, purpose-made holders, that reduce the risk of any mishaps and stop heat from spreading to the surface the candle is placed on. This reduces the risk to your listed property.

Once again, check that all candles have been put out before you leave a room or go to bed, even if using purpose-made holders.

Thatch

Living in a historic property with a thatched roof brings its own style and charm. Often found on postcard-perfect cottages, thatch roofs can also bring with them an elevated risk of major damage should a fire occur.

We’d recommend fitting a fire alarm in your roof as well as others across your home. Make sure that the one in the roof connects to the others, too.

Regular maintenance on your listed thatched home is a must.

Thatched cottage surrounded by shrubbery

Chimneys should be frequently swept and cleaned thoroughly to avoid soot, as a build-up can lead to a chimney fire that can very easily and quickly spread to your thatched roof.

Keep a check throughout the year that birds are not nesting in your chimney. This will increase your fire risk. Regular sweeping should catch instances of this but the most effective way to stop this happening is to get a bird guard.

Policy exclusions, and your insurance cover

In this article we’ve detailed the best ways to reduce the risk across your home this winter, but one fail-safe way to guard yourself against potential issues arising from damage being caused is suitable insurance.

When you own a listed property, your historic home comes with quirks that a standard insurance policy may not cover or consider. So, if you haven’t used a specialist broker to obtain insurance, ahead of the colder months setting in fully, we’d advise you to read through your documents to ensure you’re adequately insured.

What’s more, even if you have secured your policy with a broker suited to the job, your policy may still come with certain exclusions or conditions relating to things discussed in this article. Check through to make sure you have everything in place.

To learn more about protecting your listed property this winter, we’ve created this guide to protecting your listed property from the elements. We’ve also detailed how to prevent dampness and mould.

To learn more about how partnering with Abode can help safeguard your listed property for the generations to come, click here.

For a quote or free advice, please contact us on 01622 476433 or click here to fill in a form or request a call back at a time to suit you.