Safety Features to Consider for Your Home

Functional and updated safety features are on the top of many homeowners’ lists when buying or upgrading a home. Keep reading this post by Stewart: Riva Title Company in South Miami, FL, for more information.

Looking at safety features is essential when buying a home. It’s also important to have an excellent home buying team. For title-related questions, call Riva Title Company , Inc. at 786-787-7888, and one of their agents will be happy to help.

Why You Should Consider Adding Safety Features

Home is where you spend most of your time when you’re not at the office or school. That’s why making it as safe as possible is so important. According to the National Fire Protection Association, in the United States, 348,800 structure fires yearly cause injuries, death, and damages that sum up to $7.3 billion in direct property damage. These are alarming numbers, and it’s even worse if we consider that this is only one possible scenario. Having safety features that protect you and your family from fire, carbon monoxide poisoning, accidents in pools, and burglars breaking into your home, among other hazards, is a great way to have peace of mind and be prepared.

A Wide Range of Detectors

Devices like carbon monoxide, heat, and smoke detectors are great for staying safe inside your home. Let’s review some of the basics of each type of detector to learn how to use them efficiently and stay safe.

Smoke: These detectors and alarms sense smoke and will issue an auditory and visual alarm to let you know there’s smoke in your home. The Florida Fire Prevention Code states that each sleeping room on every floor level should have a dual-powered (house current and battery) smoke detector for newer homes. They should also be installed in other areas like living rooms, dens, and family rooms.
Heat: Heat detectors are similar to smoke detectors, with the difference that they’re designed to detect heat instead of smoke. These work activating depending on the “rate-of-rise” of the heat or if the heat goes over a set temperature. These aren’t required in Florida but can be installed in the kitchen to reduce property damage.
Carbon Monoxide: These detectors are designed to measure environmental carbon monoxide levels to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is tasteless and odorless; it’s called the “silent killer” as it’s hard to detect. This type of detector will sound an alarm before they sense deadly carbon monoxide levels. Since 2008 Florida Statute 553.885 states that if a home has a fireplace, an attached garage, or a fossil-fuel heater or appliance, a carbon monoxide detector should be installed within 10 ft of each bedroom.

If your home already has detectors, it’s essential to inspect them from time to time to ensure they’re working correctly and that their batteries haven’t worn out. Additionally, it’s crucial to have a family fire exit plan in place for things like fires so everyone knows what to do in an emergency.

Inspecting a property you’re planning on investing in is essential in the home buying process. Another critical step is ensuring there aren’t any issues with its title. For title-related questions, call Riva Title Company , Inc. at 786-787-7888, and one of their title experts will help you out.

An Anti-Burglary System

Another critical system that can give you peace of mind and help your family and assets be safe is having an anti-burglary system. These systems can help keep you safe if someone breaks into your home. Nowadays, you can find security systems at every price point, with many different features depending on your home layout and your family’s needs. Some systems are even buildable and come with a hub into which you can connect different features like outdoor and indoor cameras, window alarms, and different sensors. Some might also have heat, fire, and smoke detectors.

Pool Safety Systems

Lastly, and not less important, especially in Florida, is having a pool safety system. The Residental Swimming Pool Safety Act states that pools built after 2000 should have safety features to prevent mainly children and elderly adults from having accidents in pools. These safety features can be self-latching and self-closing gates that enclose the pool and prevent direct access to it, a pool cover fitted to your pool, and alarms on doors and windows that lead out to the pool. The Florida Department of Health recommends that you use a combination of these safety features to make a residential pool safer.

We hope you find this information on safety features useful for your home. For any title-related questions, don’t hesitate to call Riva Title Company , Inc. at 786-787-7888, and one of their professional agents will help you out.