Securing premises after a fire

If you have doubts about the suitability of your accommodation after the fire, contact your local housing and social services regarding alternative accommodation, or your local police who will endeavour to make contact on your behalf.

How to secure your property

Close all doors and windows as these are an open invitation to thieves.

Should windows or doors require boarding up, a contractor can be contacted through Yellow Pages to fulfil this service. As insurance policies differ widely, it is impossible to state definitely whether this will be covered by your policy.

If you are a council tenant and require a 'boarding-up service', please contact the council’s repairs help centre to arrange for the service to be carried out.

Please remember where you are responsible for damage to the property, we may carry out the repair work and recharge you for it.

Contact you local Police. Ensure that they know your property is empty and insecure and remove cash and valuables.

The fire service may use large plastic sheets to protect your property. This is a temporary measure only and you should arrange to have them replaced.

Insurance

• At the earliest date...
  Contact your insurance company, inform them of the incident, obtain and complete a claims form
• They may wish to inspect your property before anything is moved
• Return the form to the address shown on the claims form
• If you are uninsured, you may be able to get financial help or furniture, from your local Social Security Office
• If you have money that is partially burned, it can be taken to a bank for replacement
• If you rent or lease the property, you may be required to contact the landlord or his agent.

Power supplies

Electricity

If your internal supply has been affected, your electricity board will have to re-connect the supply after a qualified electrician has repaired it (even if only a temporary circuit) and notified the board of completion. Do not attempt to reconnect or turn on the supply yourself.

Gas

If any of your gas appliances have been affected by fire, the fire service or gas supplier will turn off or disconnect your supply. It is important that either British Gas or an approved installer inspects and rectifies any problems in the system before any attempt is made to re-connect or turn on the supply.

Water

A plumber will be required if your water supply has been affected. Do not attempt to turn on your water until your system has been attended by the plumber.

Temporary lighting or heating units are potentially dangerous, especially if they have been unused or stored for some time. Do not forget to have these units checked by the manufacturer or qualified dealer before use.

If you are unsure of the precautions to take when positioning or filling these appliances, contact the fire prevention officer at your local fire station. Don't forget when using these appliances to read and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

If you are a council tenant and your internal domestic supplies (electricity, gas, water) have been affected, please contact the council’s repair help centre to arrange for the necessary work to be carried out.

Please remember where you are responsible for damage to the property, we may carry out the repair work and recharge you for it.

The clean up

You may wish to seek professional advice when cleaning up your home.

If you are a council tenant and need help to clean up your home, please contact your local housing office for advice.

Pid No: 819