With the festive season in full swing, and new year steadily approaching, it’s fair to say we are all looking forward to a well-deserved break with plenty of fun and frivolity during the holiday season.
To help keep you, your home and your business safe, we’ve compiled Whitbread’s ‘10 Tips of Christmas’ – so you can enjoy a fiasco-free holiday!
Your home
1. Home security while on holiday
- Lighting – timer switches or smartphone apps are great tool to program your lights to switch on at certain times. This gives the appearance that someone is home and can assist in deterring curious criminals.
- Video monitoring – Consider purchasing a CCTV system that connects to your smartphone via an app. This will enable you to live-stream footage from cameras in your home through to your mobile device or tablet.
- Alarms – Invest in an IP monitored alarm system from an accredited provider. This type of alarm will not only alert your security provider, but can also send notifications to your mobile device if something is amiss.
- Curtains – Consider leaving your curtains the way they are. This can give the impression you’re home, but just remember to keep expensive items, such as jewellery, out of sight.
- Locks – Test all your door and window locks before leaving to make sure they’re effective and in working order. Don’t forget to arm all of them when you leave.
- Checking in – Have you got friends or family nearby that aren’t heading away on vacation? Ask them to occasionally check in on your property to make sure all is well.
2. Essential Services for the home
Ensure you’ve turned off water taps to your dishwasher and washing machine just in case a washer or hose breaks while you’re away. Similarly, unplug any non-essential electrical items to ensure they don’t become damaged in the event of a power surge.
3. Christmas lights and fire risks
Consider converting old incandescent Christmas lights to LED bulbs. LEDs can help you save electricity, but more importantly, they expel little to no heat when in use. This can significantly reduce the fire risk.
TIPS:
- Ensure your Christmas lights and cords are in safe working order before you plug them in. Overloaded power boards, exposed wiring and damaged cables can still present a fire danger. Check for and avoid using items with frayed cables, burn marks, and exposed wires.
- Put your lights on a timer switch.
- Ensure your lights are used in the correct setting i.e. indoor/outdoor usage.
- Consider purchasing battery operated lights to decrease the fire risk.
- Check your lights to ensure they have a label confirming they’ve been tested and passed Australian Safety standards
4. Check the safety of your gas BBQ
Across the summer months in Melbourne, there is a serious gas BBQ fire on average once per day. This is often accompanied by property loss and injury. Know the drill before you grill! Before using your BBQ, check for any gas leaks and ensure that the fittings and hoses are in perfect working order before you fire up the grill.
5. Insurance policy maintenance – update, update, update!
It’s very important to keep your broker and/or insurance company updated with any changes to your insurable items. After Christmas it would be wise to take stock and update your contents insurance policy to account for any new and valuable items you may have received as a gift e.g. jewellery, electronics, artwork etc.
TIP: Insure valuable Christmas presents before they’re opened!
Should you purchase any valuable items as Christmas presents, make sure they’re added to your Contents Insurance policy the moment you get them home. This will help ensure they are protected against unexpected events like fire or theft.
6. Summer maintenance and renovations
Summer months can be the perfect time to renovate your property, or organise some long overdue maintenance. If hiring tradespeople, ensure they have a current Public Liability insurance policy with adequate limits in place – it is best practice to ask for their Certificate of Currency.
Likewise, if you live at a Strata property and are volunteering for works, check that the OC’s Strata Insurance policy includes Personal Accident Cover for Voluntary workers.
Your business
7. Business security tips
Ensure your business’ alarms and monitoring systems are up to date before you close for the Christmas period. If using an external security provider, ensure they’re aware of the dates your business will not be in operation.
Weather related events & claims
8. Heatwave
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has declared that the world’s most consequential climate driver, the El Niño weather pattern, is active over the Pacific for the first time in eight years. The onset of the El Niño weather pattern and a “positive” Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) means this summer in Australia is likely to be hot and dry, particularly in the eastern states. Combined with the background warming of climate change, climate scientist have warned Australia could be in for a summer of severe heat.
Forecasts show a high chance of unusually warm temperatures for most of Australia until at least February 2024. Click here to read more.
9. Bushfire risk
There’s an increased risk of bushfire for much of eastern and southern Australia due to reduced rainfall, high fuel loads and above-average temperatures.
It is important to note that the BOM has issued an El Niño watch for the summer of 2023, which means that the risk of heatwaves, bushfires, and other weather-related events is higher than usual. Everyone needs to remain vigilant when it comes to the risk and danger bushfires pose – particularly in rural areas.
Stay safe and stay informed! Click here to read more about how to prepare for this bushfire season, how to respond & recovery steps to take after the event.
10. Need to get in touch over the Christmas period?
Whitbread will close for the festive season from 5pm on Friday, 22 December 2023, and reopen on Tuesday, 2 January 2024.
Whitbread will be observing closure on the public holidays (Monday, 25 December 2023, Tuesday, 26 December 2023, and Monday, 1 January 2024).
Note: A smaller team will be on hand to assist your enquiries from Wednesday, 27 December 2023, to Friday, 29 December 2023.
Should you have a claims emergency and require assistance, please call us on 1300 424 627 for further instruction, or click here to read our after-hours emergency claims guide.
For after hours emergency claims assistance, click here to view a list of emergency contact details for a range of major Australian insurers.
The Whitbread team would like to thank you for your support in 2023 and wish you a safe holiday and a prosperous 2024!
This insight article is not intended to be personal advice and you should not rely on it as a substitute for any form of personal advice. Please contact Whitbread Associates Pty Ltd ABN 69 005 490 228 Licence Number: 229092 trading as Whitbread Insurance Brokers for further information or refer to our website.
