The Home Safety Checklist: A Simple Guide To Ensure Your Property Is Safe

Last Updated: April 22, 2025 by Michael Kahn. Published: April 22, 2025.

What’s the most important thing to you when updating your home? If you answered anything other than ‘safety’, you seriously need to address your priorities.

Function, aesthetics, comfort, and ROIs are all important factors too. However, none of those matter if you fail to create an environment that keeps you safe and healthy. Use the following checklist to achieve this without compromising the other goals. You will not regret it.

Test Your Indoor Air Quality

You spend more time inside the home than in any other setting. Naturally, then, the quality of the air you breathe will have a huge impact on your long-term health. Still, the fact that you cannot see this with the naked eye makes it a very easy aspect to overlook.

A professional air quality assessment could open your eyes to a host of issues that impact your family’s health. Crucially, the experts can then complete the HVAC and plumbing tasks needed to mitigate those risks. It translates to fewer illnesses and improved long-term respiratory health. 

Nothing is more important than your family’s health. So, this task should sit atop your agenda.

Protect Yourself From Intruders

When considering home safety risks, most people naturally worry about security threats. Aside from the physical and financial damage, the emotional scars from knowing someone entered your home are huge. In truth, you cannot relax in the home unless those threats are gone.

Prevention is the best form of protection. Modern tech solutions like surveillance cameras deter intruders. They also secure evidence if the worst happens. When supported by strong locks on all doors and windows, the property feels far less vulnerable.

Just be sure to protect the garage and any garden buildings too.

Stop Pests

Human intruders are your main concern as a homeowner. However, the harsh reality is that pests can also gain unauthorized access. They can cause huge damage to the property by gnawing through materials. Worse still, they spread illness and harm the air quality.

Once again, prevention is the best form of defense. Blocking off all potential entry points is vital. Meanwhile, encouraging birds to frequent your backyard with a bird feeder can be useful. After all, they naturally prey on a wide range of bugs and critters.

If you do notice signs of an infestation, it is essential that you call pest control ASAP.

Prevent Weather Damage

Staying with the topic of keeping outside threats at bay, you must not ignore adverse weather. Water damage can cause serious health risks as well as safety threats for the property. Fixing roof leaks and using products like flood barriers should be viewed as essential. 

Your property may also come under threat from strong winds. Selecting the right fence is as crucial for the safety of the property and its outside spaces as it is for the looks. It may also be worth cutting down any excessively large trees that could fall to damage your property.

The exact decisions are influenced by your local climate, but research is always vital.

Invest In Your Bed

When thinking about home safety, cultivating a space that supports your health is crucial. With this in mind, paying extra attention to your sleeping environment is highly advised. Sleep influences your mood, energy, stress levels, and physical recovery. Don’t ignore it.

Finding a mattress that suits your sleeping preference is a great starting point. This should be supported by great bedding and a room that is designed with sleep in mind. You should also make habitual changes like avoiding screens before bed to get a solid 7-9 hours each night.

The knowledge you can return to a lovely bed makes stressful days more bearable too.

Add Accessibility Features

A safe home is one that aligns with your specific needs. If you have mobility issues or any other health complaints, you must adapt to the home accordingly. The updates may differ from the norm, but they can keep you safer and happier. It truly creates the belonging you deserve.

Accessibility features often focus on mobility. This could mean getting an accessible bathtub or creating a wet room and walk-in shower. Alternatively, you could look at stairlifts or lowered kitchen cabinet heights. If those steps make daily life, they are great investments.

Hearing assistive technologies are another common route to consider.

Childproof The Property

Managing disabilities or accessibility needs can make the home safer for you. However, it’s equally crucial to consider the entire family. Youngsters have a knack for attracting danger even when not looking for it. So, your home should be adapted to mitigate those risks.

Obvious ideas include getting a fire guard or swimming pool cover. Meanwhile, using foam covers to protect them from sharp furniture edges is equally vital. Non-slip rugs and smart flooring choices should be made too. Likewise, any potential trip hazards should be addressed. 

You can’t keep your eyes on the kids at all times. These updates can prevent a trip to the E.R.

Install Safety Alarms

While you should always look to prevent incidents within the home, it’s not always possible. The next best solution, then, is to implement a quick response to those problems. Ensuring that the property notifies you of those issues is the first step to making this happen.

A variety of safety alarms should be used in the home, and not only for security. Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors can save lives. Meanwhile, a device that alerts loved ones if you have a fall inside the home could be a life-changing addition to keep you safe.

If nothing else, those additions give you the peace of mind that you deserve.

Complete A Water Quality

This post started with the importance of good air quality. However, it’s equally important to consider the quality of your drinking water. Drinking contaminated water can cause serious health issues. It’s also responsible for impacting your digestive health on a daily basis.

Some locations are naturally blessed with better drinking water than others. An assessment of your water should provide the insights you need. If it’s not at the desired level, a water filter tap or water jug can be used to make your water safer for daily consumption.

Instant boiling water taps can boost the safety of water while also adding convenience – you can also check out this guide we wrote on under sink water filters. 

Check Your Electricity

The average homeowner now relies on home tech more than any previous generation. This places huge demands on the circuit board and electricity features. So, if living in an older home, it’s important to have your infrastructure tested to check for safety and compliance.

A professional electrician can always add an extra electrical panel if required. Or they could install new outlets to save you from using too many extension cords. When supported by backup power generators and supplies, home safety will reach a whole new level.

Even if there are no signs of problems, you should do this once a decade.

Manage Outdoors Risks

Your home doesn’t start and end with what’s inside the four walls. Your front and backyard are equally crucial, not least because they set the tone. Garden decks should be supported by sturdy railings and safe steps to manage the change in ground level.

One of the most commonly overlooked issues is the driveway. Uneven surfaces can cause trips and injuries while also damaging car wheels. Resurfacing the driveway is a very wise move. It is also important to invest in ample lighting for your outside spaces to prevent risks.

Regular maintenance like gutter cleaning should be on your checklist too.

Keep The Home Clean

Cultivating a positive home environment isn’t just about the transformation itself. To enjoy sustained safety in the home, you must also invest in a strong maintenance plan. Keeping living spaces clean is the most vital aspect. This begins with good storage and organizational skills.

The right layout will make cleaning duties far easier to manage. Robotic vacuums and other automated tools make the task even easier. Crucially, you must stay vigilant to signs of mold spores or other damage. If they do appear, quick remediation will serve you well.

Waste disposal and regular decluttering sessions will take the benefits to even greater heights.

Get Insured

As mentioned, prevention isn’t always possible, even if it is the best form of protection. Thankfully, you can reduce the damage caused by incidents and ensure that safety is restored at the earliest stage by acting fast. The right insurance coverage allows you to do it in style.

A good home insurance plan won’t only cover the financial costs of repairing damage. It will also come with the advice needed to take quick action, such as repairing structural issues and replacing furniture. The clear sense of direction makes all the difference to your mindset.

Money isn’t the most important thing in this world, but financial control feels wonderful.

The Final Word

A safe home is a happy home. Get all of the above features under control and you can then think about other matters like aesthetic tastes. The path to creating a better living environment starts now.