Rooms4u Top 10 Student Tips – Safe and Secure House Shares

So now that we’ve all flown our nests and are erm, responsible adults(?!) I guess we have to step up to the mark and keep ourselves safe and secure! However fear not, Rooms4u is here with some simple tips to keep you and your house mates good and well.

Student house shares can be an attractive prospect for burglars… laptops x4, mobiles x4 ipods x4, you get the picture! But with a few simple moves you can minimize the risk of your place being targeted;

1. Spare keys – Never leave an extra set of keys under a stone / plant pot / doormat / ornamental gnome – gone are the days when this was a safe thing to do. If you need to have a spare set somewhere then think about leaving them with a trusted local friend or neighbour

2. Double lock you doors – if there’s no-one coming or going for a while make sure your doors are locked, particularly if you have a new style UPVC door because sometimes you’ll find opportunists doing the rounds checking for ones that have accidentally been left open.

3. Be a good neighbour – the best way to keep an eye on your house while you’re out is to have extra sets of eyes next door and across the street. If you can manage to form a good relationship with your neighbours then give them a contact number and that way if there is anything suspect going on they can let you know.

4. Watch out for windows – by all means have your windows wide open while you’re in but as soon as go out, or to sleep, or upstairs for a bit then make sure to close them, particularly the downstairs ones.

5. Keep keys out of sight – do you remember a while back hearing about burglars fishing keys out of homes through the letterbox? Believe it or not this kind of thing does happen from time to time so don’t keep your keys on show right by the door.

Another issue important for house shares is fire safety. With lots of people coming and going and using the kitchen etc a few little things can help avoid a minor disaster;

6. Test your smoke alarms – simple. Just press that little red button or burn your toast every once in a while to make sure your battery hasn’t quietly passed away on the ceiling.

7. Smoking in the house – obviously it’s best not to smoke in the house at all, but if you can’t avoid it then remember that in bed or curled up on the sofa is a definite no-no. Always make sure to stub your cigarette out completely and if you’re knackered or intoxicated then don’t go near any soft furnishings or you run the risk of drifting off to sleep cigarette in hand.

8. Keep an eye on your cooking – It’s easy to put your dinner on and then get distracted, but try not to get drawn into an in-depth text convo with your mate or by whatever’s on TV, stay in the kitchen and keep an eye on your pots and pans.

9. Use candles with caution – for all you romantics out there, we know you like to ‘set the mood’ but it can somewhat ruin an evening of passion if you inadvertently set the house on fire, so take care and if you’ve had a few maybe just stick a bit of Lionel on and be done with it.

10. Don’t put things on electric heaters – It’s always nice to slip into a toasty pair of PJs on a chilly winters night but if the radiators are unavailable don’t decide to give the electric heater a whirl because you may well end up with your very own indoor camp fire.