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Holiday Home Gas Safety

Communicating Gas Safety to your Holiday Home Guests

Cooking surface and gasCarbon monoxide (CO) is a highly poisonous gas produced by the incomplete burning of gas, liquid gas, oil, coal and wood. It has been the cause of 40 injuries and deaths in holiday accommodation across the UK in the past two years and is something that many visiting your holiday home are becoming more and more aware of.

Whilst visitors will fully understand the precautions and procedures they take to ensure gas safety is met in their own home, some may feel vulnerable or apprehensive when visiting holiday accommodation.

This provides an opportunity for holiday homeowners to be proactive in communicating the measures they’re undertaking to ensure their stay is completely safe and alleviate any fears or apprehension.

Communicating Gas Safety with your Holiday Home Guests

  • Ensure that your CO alarms are located in a suitable position within your holiday home. These may often be positioned next to fire alarms and in this case ensure that they are clearly labeled and can be told apart.
  • Instructions for use of the alarm should be readily available, in addition to information on when they were last checked and batteries replaced. A log should be kept of when checks are made to ensure you are aware of when they next need to be undertaken.
  • The gas appliances you provide in your holiday home are likely to be different to those your guests use in their own home.  Provide instructions for the safe use of appliances and make sure that they are easy for visitors to find. This information should also be provided in your welcome pack.
  • Any gas boiler or other gas appliance in your holiday home should undergo a gas safety check every year. After a Gas Safe Registered Engineer has carried out a safety check or serviced your gas appliance they may leave you with a report, which explains the checks they have completed. This can be left with your appliances or kept in a central location within the home to show guests the work that has been undertaken.
  • If your holiday home includes a gas BBQ for use during the summer months ensure that full instructions for safe use are clearly visible and communicated to your guests. This should include information on where the BBQ should be situated (in a well ventilated area), when and where it should be stored and the signs of any potential defects to the BBQ and its gas joints.
  • There are six key symptoms of CO poisoning; headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, collapse and loss of consciousness.  Signage highlighting the symptoms of poisoning along with the importance of vigilance surrounding gas safety for your guests is available from various charities and other gas safety organisations. These needn’t be obtrusive or compromise the visual aesthetics of your holiday home but will emphasise your commitment to gas safety.

For further information on ensuring your holiday home is gas safe please call the Gas Safe Register on 0800 408 5500 or visit www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk

Boshers offer specialist holiday home insurance to owners across the UK. For more information on how a specialist insurer can help and support your holiday home business, please give us a call on 01237 429444.

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holiday home trampoline safety

Trampolines and Holiday Homes

holiday home trampoline safetyTrampolines and holiday homes, a fun combination or an accident waiting to happen? A fact many people won’t be aware of is that the lightest person on a trampoline is five times more likely to be injured. This happens through a phenomenon called “kipping”. This is where jumping at the same time causes the transfer of kinetic energy to the lightest person causing them to gain greater propulsive force and height. There’s an easy answer to prevent this, have a one at a time rule for your trampoline.

Whilst bumps and bruises are commonplace with the use of trampolines more serious fractures, neck and head injuries are not uncommon either. There are more than 10,000 trampoline related injures each year in the UK.

Many trampolines will be springing up across holiday home gardens in the next month or two. It’s vitally important for holiday home owners to effectively manage the risks. Whilst also allowing their visitors to enjoy the fun a trampoline can bring.

Providing your guests with clear guidance

Communicating with your guests on the safety surrounding your property and trampoline should be a vital element. Proactively managing the potential risks to your visitors demonstrates good practice.

Here are just a few points to be considering if you have a trampoline in your holiday home garden:

One at a time

  • On average 2.7 children are on a trampoline when an accident happens.  Allowing only one child at a time greatly reduces the potential for injuries.

The right trampoline for the right age 

  • Larger trampolines aren’t suitable for younger children and toddlers.  Always make sure you’ve consulted with the manufacturers guidance on the recommended age of use and ensure you’re visitors are aware.

Always supervise 

  • Whilst supervision doesn’t guarantee injury free play on a trampoline an adult should always be present and may be able to pick up on potential incidents before they occur.

Sensible dismount

  • One hospital has reported a third of the injuries they see are as a result of bouncing off the trampoline when dismounting.  Remember that although your trampoline should be placed on a soft surface such as wood chip or grass these can still be relatively unforgiving if dropping from a considerable height.

Somersaults

  • It can sometimes be tempting to push the boundaries and try new moves on a trampoline.  There have been incidents of serious neck and head injuries coming from children attempting somersaults on trampolines. It’s important to also let your visitors know that these moves shouldn’t be performed.

Stand back 

  • It it’s a child’s turn next on the trampoline make sure they’re kept a safe distance back from the trampoline whilst others are bouncing.

A trampoline can be a great asset for your holiday home. Being aware of the potential risks and having a proactive communication plan for your guests is important. This will increase the chances of injury free fun during those long summer evenings.

ROSPA Trampoline Guidance

For more information and guidance on trampoline safety please visit:

For further information and a quotation for your holiday home insurance call our specialist team on 01237 429444.

This article on trampolines and holiday homes has been created as generic guidance. It does not constitute legal or insurance advice. Do you have any questions relating to health and safety management and the provision of a trampoline for use by holiday letting guests? Discuss them with your broker or insurer and read the ROSPA guidance. 

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holiday home trampoline

Top Trampoline Tips

Top Trampoline Tips for Holiday Home Owners

For families on holiday a trampoline can be a desirable addition to your holiday home’s garden. Whilst bouncing up and down feet in the air will provide plenty of fun you’ll want to ensure you have the mechanisms in place to manage and minimize the risk of injuries to your visitors. One hospital recently reported that more than 100 children were admitted to their A&E during the summer months as a result of trampoline related injuries, many of which were sustained on trampolines without any netting or adult supervision. Our top trampoline tip is to seek the opinion of your holiday home insurance provider to ensure that they will extend liability cover for your paying guests to include the provision of a trampoline. holiday home trampoline

Top Trampoline Tips – Key Facts

  • There are more than 10,000 trampoline related injuries every year.
  • 75% of injuries happen when more than one person is on the trampoline, with the person lightest in weight 500% more likely to be injured.
  • Children under the age of six are most likely to be injured on a trampoline.

When buying your trampoline what do you need to look for?

No matter where you buy your trampoline, ensure it carries the CE or GS safety mark and that all of the springs are clearly covered by safety pads. The padding should be a different colour to the mat to make it clearly visible and if possible, look to invest in a design that includes netting so as to minimise the threat of visitors falling from the trampoline and sustaining injury.

Where to put your new trampoline

Early thought should be given as to where in your garden your trampoline should go and what size you’re able to fit in to this area. The trampoline when erected should have a safe and clear zone of at least 2.5 meters on all sides. This space should be free from trees, branches, fences, overhead cables or anything that could cause a hazard, including bicycles or other toys. Don’t be tempted to buy a trampoline larger than the size you can safely fit in your garden and ensure the manufacturers instructions are followed when you put it up and also when you take it down.

Finding the right ground

Your trampoline should ideally be placed on ‘soft energy-absorbing ground’ such as wood chip or soft grass.  Make sure you’re trampoline doesn’t span different types of ground and if you do have to place your trampoline on harder ground such as concrete or tarmac ensure there is always crash matting placed on the surrounding area to reduce the potential of injury from falling.

The importance of supervision

Whilst adult supervision is no guarantee of injury free play a spotter will often be able to greatly reduce the risk by picking up on potential issues before they arise. We recommend that our holiday home owners don’t have a trampoline in their garden unless they live adjacent to the property, such as would be the case for a holiday cottage complex, in order to not only manage risks during the summer months but also maintenance issues during the winter.

Maintaining your trampoline all year round

Whilst the number of bouncing children will increase greatly during the summer your trampoline will be with you all year and should be taken down during the winter and when not being used. This will avoid potential rusting and degrading of the quality of your trampoline, along with preventing it being blown away with the wind. There have been reported incidents of trampolines being blown in excess of 50 meters, causing large amounts of damage to properties and cars on the way. Ensure that your trampoline is dismantled and stored in line with the instructions provided by your manufacturer.

ROSPA Trampoline Guidance

For more information and guidance on trampoline safety please visit:

For more information on your holiday home insurance please get in touch with our dedicated team on 01237 429444. 

This article has been created as generic guidance for holiday home, cottage and holiday cottage complex owners and does not constitute legal or insurance advice. If you have any questions relating to health and safety management and the provision of a trampoline for use by holiday letting guests you should discuss them with your broker or insurer. 

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hot tub at holiday home

You, your holiday letting guests and hot tubs

hot tub at holiday home

Despite the economic recession of recent years one item once considered a luxury is beginning to find it’s way into holiday home gardens all across the UK.

Sales of hot tubs and outdoor spas have continued to skyrocket; some suggest as many as one in 10 households now boast one, with more conservative figures placing this at one in 20.

From changing water regularly during peak periods to managing PH levels and risks of infection there’s plenty to be thinking of when investing in a hot tub as a holiday home owner.

Here’s our checklist of a few things you should be actively managing to protect you, your holiday letting guests and hot tubs:

Managing the risks – conduct a risk assessment

In order to implement a formal health and safety management system for your hot tub you’ll first have to conduct a full risk assessment.  The person carrying out the risk assessment should have adequate knowledge, training and expertise to understand the hazard (e.g. the presence of infectious agents in the spa pool) and risk associated with your hot tub, although be aware that the owner is ultimately responsible for the risk assessment.

The risks associated with hot tubs broadly fall into two areas:

Microbiological

Spa pools are much smaller than swimming pools and have a much higher ratio of bathers to water volume, so the amount of organic material in spa pools is far higher than in swimming pool water.  These conditions can allow pathogens to quickly grow, with the most commonly associated with hot tubs being legionella.

Non-Microbiological

This will cover areas such as the risk of slips and trips, accidental drowning and electrical or thermal risks for bathers who are pregnant or suffer from cardiovascular issues or fits.

Your risk assessment should cover all of these areas and along with the control measures you put in place, be regularly reviewed at the very least every two years.

Once you have assessed the risks ensure they are effectively managed

Inadequate management, lack of training and poor communication is often associated with the outbreak of diseases such as Legionnaires disease.

Someone who is competent and knowledgeable about the hot tub should be given day-to-day responsibility for its upkeep and to ensure all operational procedures are carried out effectively.

These people should be provided with regular refresher training on their duties and records should also be kept of any training undertaken.

Regularly evaluate and monitor your control measures

Your control measures and their implementation should be monitored frequently to ensure they are effective and being met.  If issues are identified in procedures they should be addressed and rectified immediately.

Communicate with your guests

Make sure your guests are fully aware of your procedures, the risks and how you handle and control them in order for them to adhere to your health and safety regulations.

Issues such as not immersing your head in the water along with potential risks for people with certain health conditions should form a part of this communication.

Check your holiday home insurance policy

Make sure that your holiday home insurance provider is happy to cover your hot tub and that this cover includes the liability of guests using it.

Hot tubs can also be expensive pieces of equipment – make sure that the sums insured within your policy accurately reflect the potential costs should damage occur to your outdoor spa.

Please note that this article gives only an overview to some of the potential issues and considerations of owning a hot tub.

  • For further information on health and safety surrounding spa pools and hot tubs click here.
  • To read the Health and Safety Executives best practice advice on Legionella and Legionnaires’ disease click here
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Key to protecting your holiday let

Protecting your holiday let infographic

Your key to protecting your holiday let. As claims increase so do premiums. Fortunately there’s lots you can do to protect your holiday let, your guests and help keep insurance costs down. Take the time to read this informative infographic which explains some of the more common claims affecting holiday homes. There are also top tips on how you can protect your holiday let and reduce the risk of having a claim yourself.

If you are having any trouble viewing the interactive version of `Your key to protecting your holiday let’ you can view the original infographic here.

Your key to protecting your holiday let

Burst pipes and escape of water. We paid out more holiday home insurance claims for burst pipe and escape of water than any other type of claim. What can you do to protect your holiday let from burst pipes and escape of water?

  • Ongoing maintenance
  • Regular property inspections when unoccupied
  • Shut off the water when your holiday home is not let and/or leave the heating on
  • Install a leak detection system or auto stopcock
  • Insulate water pipes and storage tanks
  • Regularly service your holiday home boiler and heating system

Click here for more top tips to protect your holiday let from burst pipes and escape of water.

Storm and flood damage caused £400 million pounds of damage to 8000 homes in the UK during 2012 thanks to the wettest weather in a century.  What can you do to protect your holiday let and your guests from storm and flood damage?

  • Maintain drains, gutters and culverts at your holiday home
  • Have a flood plan if your property is vulnerable
  • Turn off gas and electricity and move items upstairs

Click here for more top tips to protect your holiday let and your guests from storm and flood damage

Theft and escape of oil and pollution claims payments have averaged £12,781. The cost of heating oil claims are often inflated by the length of time it can render your holiday home unusable whilst resulting pollution is dealt with. What can you do to protect your holiday let from heating oil theft, escape of oil and subsequent pollution damage?

  • Conceal your heating oil tank
  • Fit a lock, security lighting or alarm device
  • Have your heating oil tank inspected regularly
  • Replace your tank when advised to do so

Click here for more tips to protect your holiday let from heating oil theft, escape of oil and subsequent pollution damage

Fire was the cause of the highest claim paid of any incident on our holiday home insurance scheme. At £281,108 the claim represents more than 700 times our average premium. What can you do to protect your holiday let and your guests from a fire?

  • Review your holiday let fire risk assessments 
  • Ensure electrics are safe
  • Sweep chimneys regularly

Click here for more tips to protect your holiday let and your guests from a fire.

Slips and Trips claims are all to common and emphasises the importance of having holiday home insurance including liability cover which extends to the use of your second home as a holiday let. Slips and trip claims can be inflated by legal costs. The highest claims paid for slips and trips is £31,750. What can you do to protect your holiday let guests from slips, trips and falls?

  • Secure carpets and rugs
  • Install secure handrails for stairs and steps
  • Maintain paths, driveways and patios

Click here for more tips to protect your holiday let guests from slips, trips and falls.

For further information on UK holiday home insurance visit the website page most relevant to you:

Thank you for reading the post, protecting your holiday let infographic.

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Key Safe holiday home

You, Your Holiday Home, Your Holiday Home Insurance and Key Safes

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Security precautions when installing Key Safes at your holiday home. You, your holiday home, your holiday home insurance and key safes Firstly check with your holiday home insurance broker that the use of Key Safes is acceptable. There may be specific warranties that you will need to adhere to in order not to invalidate your holiday home insurance cover.

Key Safes - holiday home secure

The use of a good quality Key Safe to help manage access to your property by guests on arrival is by far the best alternative to leaving a key under the doormat or a nearby flower pot! By taking a few sensible precautions, the use of a Key Safe at your holiday home will enhance your guests holiday experience and make life easier for you and your holiday letting agent.

Guidance for holiday home owners on the use of key safes

  1. Purchase the best quality Key Safe that your budget allows, preferably with a 5 – 7 digit code
  2. Where possible locate your Key Safe out of sight
  3. During installation of your Key Safe ensure that it is bolted firmly into brick or stone, avoiding soft mortar
  4. Arrange with your housekeeper to leave a door key in the Key Safe no more than 24 hours before the guests are due to arrive
  5. Encourage your guests not to leave Keys in the Key Safe during their stay
  6. Have your housekeeper remove the keys from the Key Safe within 24 hours of the guests departure, unless new guests are arriving
  7. Ask your housekeeper to change the 5 -7 digit code between lets, to a new code which you or your agent can inform your next guests of
  8. Do not allow keys to be left permanently in a Key Safe during periods of unoccupancy

For further information on UK holiday home insurance visit the website page most relevant to you:

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