Home safety
There are several ways you can make sure your home is safe for
you and your family. Kent Police have Crime Prevention Officers who
can check your house and give you advice on how you can improve
your security.
The Kent Fire Service provide a similar service to show you how
you can minimise the risk of fire and smoke damage to you and your
property.
Other services to help with home protection are the HandyVan
scheme and the Senior Safety scheme run by Help the Aged.
HandyVan Service
Kent County Council funds the HandyVan Service and this is
managed by Age UK to improve the quality of life and provide
peace of mind to people in later life by making their homes
more safe and secure.
The HandyVan service provides and fits a range of safety and
security products in eligible clients' homes, including door
and window locks, door chains and smoke detectors.
The HandyVan service is free and available to Kent residents who
are aged over 60 (though there is some flexibility around
this, depending on individual circumstances)
and whose savings or assets (excluding your home) do not
exceed £20,000.
To find out more about the scheme or make a
referral, contact:
HandyVan Scheduling Team
FREEPOST
RSEL-EURY-GTJG
Linhay House
Linhay Business Park
Ashburton
Newton Abbot
TQ13 7UP
Tel: 0845 026 1055
Email: handyvan@ageuk.co.uk
HandyVan fitters always carry photo identification cards and arrive
by appointment.
Remember to:
- Secure your door chain if you have one.
- Always ask for identification.
- Make sure you are happy that the caller is genuine before
letting a stranger into your home.