dee barnett

Your home can be a wonderful haven for friends and family during the holidays. It can also be a madhouse full of holiday hazards that can stop fun in its tracks. There are tons of accidents that can happen at home during this time of year. However, there are just as many ways to prevent these mishaps to keep you and your family out of harm’s way. Here are some holiday hazards to be wary of around your home and how to prevent your friends and family from being hurt.

Holiday hazards to look out for.

1. Falls.

Slips and falls are a common household injury. Around the holidays, there are a lot more ways to fall prey to this peril. To prevent some of these holiday spills:

Practice ladder safety.

If you’re hanging decorations inside or outside of your home, have someone spot the person at the top of the ladder. Have them hold the ladder steady while you avoid power lines and secure your footing. As you come down, make sure you’re not skipping rungs and that you have solid footing on each rung before moving to the next one.

Clean as you go.

If you’re whipping up your holiday specialty, be sure to address any floor spills as soon as possible. Keep a mop, paper towels, or cloths nearby to help absorb any messes you may make. Try not to rush around the kitchen, especially when moving hot dishes. Plus, use proper kitchen safety materials and practices so you can cook more safely and efficiently.

Stash the cords.

It can be easy for anyone, especially kids, to trip over loose cords while they’re not paying attention. If possible, stash loose cords along the bottoms of your walls or behind furniture. If there are cords out in the open, invest in some gaff or electrical tape from your local hardware store to tape them down to your floors.

2. Electricity.

Exposed wiring can pose a major hazard for curious kids, nosy pets, and even absent-minded adults. To stay away from shocking revelations this holiday:

Repair or replace broken lights.

Inspect your lights before using them. Wrap up any exposed wires with electrical tape or just replace the lights altogether. It’s not worth the potential shock or fire to keep the old lights around. Cover any broken bulbs or exposed filaments to prevent shocks and sharp glass from harming others.

3. Fire.

Everyone loves to snuggle up by a fire, light a few holiday-scented candles, or heat up the oven for a holiday treat. However, it only takes a moment for a flickering flame to spread and get completely out of control. So, if fires or high temperatures are a part of your holiday plans, be sure to avoid holiday hazards by:

Keeping an eye on your stove and oven.

Don’t divide your attention outside of the kitchen while cooking. When nothing is in the oven or on a stove eye, make sure everything is turned off so that nothing flammable crosses a hot path.

Keeping small children and pets away.

The pitter-patter of all kinds of feet through your home don’t belong in the kitchen while you’re cooking, especially when handling hot or heavy dishes. You may even want to cook on the back-burners of the stove and keep food away from the edges of counters to keep it off the floor.

Extinguishing candles at the end of the night, and not using real candles on your tree.

Instead, use battery-powered candle lights. They’re safer and they won’t get messy wax everywhere!

Having your fireplace examined before you use it.

Flammable debris may have entered your chimney while your fireplace was out of use. So, make sure to maintain and sweep out your fireplace year-round, as well as open the flue when it is in use.

Checking your smoke detectors.

You’ll want to be properly alerted if something does go awry. So, make sure your smoke detectors have fresh batteries and are in working order.

Keeping objects AWAY from space heaters and radiators.

Keep a keen eye on either one of these if you’re using them to heat your home this winter. Don’t toss blankets, curtains, wrapping paper, or anything else flammable on or near a heat source. Additionally, don’t place your tree or other natural holiday decorations too close to heaters.

4. Poisoning.

There are tasty treats to be had, possibly ones that are exclusive to this time of year. However, these treats should be the only things consumed heartily and safely. Help keep these holiday traditions safe from holiday hazards by:

Choosing age-appropriate toys.

Read the labels and age ranges for the types of toys you gift. Be careful of giving younger children playthings with small parts or batteries that could become choking hazards. Be aware that even if you give an older child an age-appropriate toy, younger siblings may steal some playtime. So, try to choose gifts that are appropriate for all ages in the household.

Checking expiration dates on canned foods and condiments.

Some canned goods may be marked as “non-perishable,” but they still have an expiration date. Before serving food, pay attention to when the food expires and how they should be stored. If you’re unsure about serving it, it’s best to steer clear and replace that item with a fresh one.

Prep carefully.

The same utensils should NOT be used for both cooked and raw meat. If you must use the same utensils, wash them thoroughly under hot soap and water. Limit cross-contamination by washing your hands between prepping, cooking, and serving, and don’t leave out any meat or dairy for long periods of time.

Enforce a cut-off.

If your holiday celebration is more geared towards adults, enforce cut-offs for alcoholic beverages. Encourage and accommodate designated drivers and provide resources for taxi or ride-sharing services to prevent drunk driving. Also, offer plenty of water and food to your guests in addition to these drinks.

5. Theft.

The holidays can be prime time for thieves to snatch your belongings or your information. Keep your stuff secure by:

Limiting your posts on social media.

It can be tempting to post real-time happy memories as they’re being made. However, your picture in a new location can give thieves the heads-up that you’re not home. To prevent break-ins, save the posting on social media for after the parties or your travel plans.

Getting a house-sitter.

The best way to make sure that thieves believe that a home is occupied so they don’t break in is to have someone actually occupy the house. If you’re going to be gone for an extended period of time, have someone house-sit and grab your mail until you come back. If you’re going to be gone for a short period of time, have a neighbor keep an eye out for anyone suspicious lurking around.

Using secure networks.

When online shopping, make sure that the web address has an https and a padlock at the beginning of the site name. This ensures that you’re shopping over a secure connection where your information is the most difficult for hackers to decode. Additionally, avoid putting personal information into a website when you’re using a public Wi-Fi connection. It can be extremely easy for a hacker to access all sorts of information on your computer from a network that’s not password protected.

These are just some of the common ways to protect you, your family, and your belongings from holiday hazards. At the end of the day, just make sure you’re not letting your guard down during this time of year to keep the holiday cheer going.

It’s also important to have good home insurance in case something does happen. Homeowners’ insurance can help you take care of the medical bills of someone hurt at your home, replace or repair your property in a covered loss, and lots more. The best news is that our agents can help you get great rates on the coverage you need. To start getting free quotes on customized coverage, give us a call, fill out our online form, or LiveChat with a professional today!

Whether your house is a fixer-upper or you just want a special addition to your dream home, you may have to hire a contractor. There are plenty of professional and legitimate businesses out there. Nonetheless, there are also tons of scams and unlicensed people advertising their work. So, how do you know that you’re choosing the right contractor to work on your house? Here are 12 do’s and don’ts to hiring a contractor.

DO hire a contractor who:

1. Has the proper licensing.

There are tons of specific and general websites that will show results for licensed contractors in your area, and don’t just take the contractor’s word for it. Search for their business name or an individual contractor on their industry’s regulatory website, ending in .org instead of .com. That way, you know that the licensing agency isn’t a fly-by-night operation like an unlicensed contractor may be.

Additionally, make sure they know and notify the proper people and authorities before they start their work. The last thing you want is your city to discover that your renovations or home isn’t up to code and that you have to tear it down and start again.

2. Has the proper experience.

Certain projects may require a level of experience that can only be gathered in the field. For example, someone may be licensed for bathroom remodeling. However, they may not have experience with the problems that can happen when remodeling a bathroom in an older house. When deciding on a contractor, ask about their experience with your specific type of project. Check for a portfolio or a few pictures on similar projects.

3. Has enough insurance coverage.

Even if a contractor or a company has years of experience, things can still happen. So, make sure that the contractor(s) you hire have the right business insurance for the work they’re doing. Otherwise, you could be on the hook for any damages done to your home during the process, or any injuries to the contractor while onsite.

The industry standard coverage limit for contractors is $1 million in general liability for residential work. In addition, Georgia law requires contracting companies with three or more employees to have workers’ comp. Make sure they have the proper documentation to verify these limits. You may even want ask their insurance company to send over their certificate of insurance.

4. Has great online reviews overall.

It may be true that some people only like to leave reviews for bad experiences. However, a slew of negative reviews across several websites is nothing to ignore. Check multiple trusted websites like Google, Angie’s List, Kudzu, etc. for customer experiences, especially about the business’s customer service.

Remember to also check the more recent reviews for a company. Some websites default to a certain layout of reviews that may have represented the company in the past but not the way the business runs now.

5. Tells you about their materials and process.

There can be some common misconceptions about which materials, chemicals, processes, etc. should be used for a particular contracting job. So, ask what your contractor uses and how it’s used before they start their work. If you’re so inclined, you may even want to do a little research to make sure their methods or chemicals won’t damage the particular materials your home is made of.

6. Has a written and discussed contract.

Your contractor should always, always, always write down and discuss their planned scope of work. Schedule a time to sit down and go over the contract with your contractor. Ask questions about anything you don’t understand.  Know what will be excluded from their plans. Ask about the warranty on their work, what’s covered in the warranty, and for how long.

DON’T hire a contractor who:

1. Contacts you first.

Good contractors don’t have to go door to door to drum up business. Business usually comes to them – whether it’s through advertising or word-of-mouth. If someone comes to your door to quote you for a renovation or offer a “free home inspection,” they may not be a legitimate business. More than likely, the free home inspection will turn up mysterious problems with your home that were neither noticeable nor necessary to work on.

2. Pressures you into doing home repairs immediately.

Additionally, be wary of contractors who follow up too much or too frequently. Contractors and contracting companies are usually pretty busy with their book of business. So, if a company has enough time to constantly hound you about the contract or quote that they’ve given you to think about, it’s time to think about another contractor.

Someone may follow up with you once after a few weeks, just as a reminder that their quote is only valid for a certain number of days. Generally, though, a contractor will give you the quote and their contact information for you to reach out to them if you have questions.

3. Asks you to pay 100 percent in advance.

The most common type of contractor fraud is people who tell customers to pay upfront and then never return to start or finish the actual work. If a reputable contractor asks for any money upfront at all, it will only be a portion of their estimate. Legitimate contractors will want you to review their work before you pay the entire amount.

Furthermore, a contractor can only quote you on what they see at first glance. There are various issues that can pop up while they work and changes that you may want to make later on in the project. These changes will more than likely change the amount of your quote in one way or another. So, asking for full payment at the start is more than a little fishy.

4. Changes the contract or charge order without your written consent.

Again, things come up during a renovation. Your contractor may have to bring things up to code, repair a damaged water or electrical line that was discovered, or just change the type of material they use because of your house’s structure.

Regardless of the type of change, your contractor needs to discuss and amend your contract or charge order in writing with both of your signatures. It’s not enough to have verbal consent. A true contractor will want to have documentation that you approved changes to the plan.

5. Can’t give you a specific start date.

A contractor may be busy, but that also means that they have to be efficient. They can’t just show up to their customers’ houses and start working. They need to work on projects at certain times that work for both them and their clients. So, even if they can’t immediately give you a start date while quoting onsite, they should be able to tell you something once they have access to their schedule.

6. Uses your insurance to pay for unnecessary repairs.

Another common type of contractor fraud is convincing you to use your home insurance policy to make unnecessary repairs. This can cover a wide range of things, from using too many expensive types of equipment to causing damage themselves to get an insurance check. So, it’s important to read your home insurance policy all the way through and talk to your agent before, during, and after the renovations.

Hopefully, these tips can help you account for the warning signs of people who want to compromise your money, safety, or information. Also, don’t be afraid to sleep on deciding the best contractor for you. It’s a big decision!

If you’re looking for cheaper rates on home insurance to handle you, your family, and your home as they grow, just give our agents a call, fill out our online form, or LiveChat with an agent today!