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Don't put your family at risk
HOUSE-hunters are putting themselves at risk of serious injury or worse in the rush to secure the property they want, according to home safety experts Kidde Safety.
Kidde has identified the potential death traps most commonly overlooked when purchasing a home.
The safety experts say people still don't check the basic appliances when securing a deal on their dream home.
Dodgy cookers left by the previous owners have consistently been the biggest recorded cause of house fires over the last ten years, while gas boilers have been responsible for 73 per cent of carbon monoxide (CO) incidents.
Worryingly, as many as one in four gas fires, were reported to be 'at risk' or 'immediately dangerous' according to a recent review of 600 houses in the UK.
The top five potential death traps according to Kidde Safety are:
1 Cookers
2 Gas boilers
3 Gas fires
4 Electrical wiring
5 Gas supply/gas pipes
Simon Jones, fire and CO safety expert at Kidde Safety, said: "In the current race to get on the property ladder, homebuyers can be too focused on looking out for potential structural problems such as subsidence or damp.
"Consequently, overlooking areas like gas appliances and electrical wiring could prove a serious risk to their health as well as their wallet.
"Not only can the fumes from a leaking boiler kill in a matter of minutes, the average cost of replacing a faulty boiler is over £2,000."
In fact, replacing each of the top five hazards would cost around £9,000.
Mr Jones added: "Due to these costs, a number of sellers are tempted not to bother replacing or servicing faulty appliances or are quite happy to try their hand at fitting their own boiler or rewiring their property prior to putting it on the market.
"If the seller can't prove the work was done by a professional then any potential buyer should consider having the property checked by an expert to ensure it is safe before making an offer.
Sent: 15/06/2007
Email us direct at: repairs@londonheatingservices.co.uk
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