SAFETY AND SECURITY

You, as tenant, can become liable to pay compensation for damage you cause in the property, whether in your apartment, in communal areas or in your neighbours’ apartments. It is therefore mandatory that you have a home insurance policy throughout your time as a tenant here at Balder. You arrange the insurance with an insurance company of your choice, and it should come into effect from the day you move in.

Home insurance gives you financial protection if you need to pay compensation for damage to your home or a neighbouring home. A home insurance policy can also pay you compensation if something happens in the building where you live (e.g. a fire or flooding), or if your store is broken into.

When you move in, it is important to make sure that your home insurance policy has been updated based on your new living situation. Double-check what kinds of claims are covered, maximum amounts, excesses and limitations in the insurance policy. Your insurance company will help you to ensure that everything is done correctly.

Helpful hint! You might pay a lower premium if your apartment has a security door. Ask your caretaker if you are unsure.

Examples of when your home insurance policy will help you

• If your washing machine leaks and causes water damage in your own apartment and in your neighbour’s apartment, you may be liable to pay compensation for the damage.
• If your child kicks a football and breaks a window, you may be liable to pay compensation for the damage.
• If there is a major incident in the building where you live (e.g. a fire or flood in a neighbour’s apartment), your home insurance policy can help you find alternative accommodation and compensation for damage to your apartment.
• If your store is broken into, you can claim compensation for stolen items if you have a home insurance policy.

• Never leave the cooker, oven, iron, washing machine or dishwasher switched on when you leave the home.
• Only purchase CE-marked electrical appliances.
• Clean electrical appliances of dust on a regular basis.
• Switch off the power to the TV when it’s not in use.
• Never use broken electrical appliances, cables or sockets.
• Never leave mobile phones, tablets, computers or other technical equipment charging when unattended.
• Remove plugs from sockets when you are away for any length of time.
• No permanent electrical installations are permitted in Balder’s properties without approval.

If a fire breaks out – call the emergency number 112.
 

Smoke alarm

A smoke alarm offers important protection in every home. If you’re asleep when a fire breaks out, the smoke alarm gives you 2–3 minutes of extra time to make your way out of the burning home.

There should be a smoke alarm in the middle of the ceiling in each room (except the kitchen and the bathroom). It is sufficient to have one smoke alarm per 60 square metres. If there’s more than one floor in your home, you should have at least one smoke alarm on each floor.

We at Balder are responsible for ensuring that there are smoke alarms in your apartment when you move in, but it is your responsibility as tenant to replace the batteries and make sure that they are working. If you do not have a smoke alarm, please feel free to contact Customer Service.

Test the smoke alarms regularly and replace batteries if required. Make this a routine when you’re doing the cleaning.

Some apartments have a smoke alarm with integrated batteries that you cannot replace yourself. If you have one of these smoke alarms, please submit a maintenance request and your caretaker will help you to replace the battery.
 

Cooker

Keep the cooker and the area around it clean and tidy.

Never store anything on the cooker.

If you have children or pets in your home, you should obtain button guards for the cooker. This prevents the cooker or oven from being switched on by mistake.
 

Lamps and candles

Position lamps in the apartment with care. Make sure that lamps cannot tip over onto furniture or fittings – sofas, rugs and curtains are often flammable. Take special care with halogen lamps, which become hot. Switch to LED bulbs!

Be careful where you place naked flames, so that they cannot tip over. Never leave a naked flame unattended.

Garden candles must not be lit on the balcony.

• Always be at home when the washing machine or dishwasher is running. Leaving a machine switched on in an empty home can be interpreted as negligence, which is in many cases not covered by a home insurance policy if an accident were to happen.
• Switch off the taps for the washing machine and dishwasher after the machines have been used.
• Check with us at Balder before you buy a dishwasher, to make sure that there are no obstacles to installation. You are personally responsible for ensuring that it is installed professionally.

If you suspect that criminal activity is taking place in the building or the area, you should always contact the police. The same applies if you discover that there has been a theft, a break-in or vandalism of some kind.

If your keys/tags have been lost or stolen, contact Customer Service immediately so that we can block the tag and arrange a new key/tag for you. You will be billed for the lost key/tag.

Helpful hint! Never label your keys with your home address, store number, etc.