If you'll be away from home for a while, you should take a few simple precautions. These simple steps will make sure your home is properly protected from weather, wind or lightning while you're away:

Unplug things

Roughly half of all domestic fires have an electrical cause. Make it a rule to unplug all electrical appliances before you leave home, so you don’t have to worry whether you remembered to turn off the coffee machine.

Lightning protection

If you unplug all electrical appliances, you won’t need to worry that they might be damaged by lightning. If you haven’t already got one, you should install a surge protector.

A surge protector will protect electrical appliances from damage if your home is struck by lightning.

Turn off electric wall heaters

Turn the heat right down on electric wall heaters, or turn them off altogether. Make sure nothing is covering any heaters, and that curtains or other items cannot touch them.

Tidy things away

Inspect the outside of the house, and check that gutters, trellises, garden furniture, trampolines and other large items are secured and cannot be blown away by the wind. Make sure you unblock gutters and drainpipes, so that if there is a lot of rain, the water will drain away from the house. Also make sure any drains inside the house are not blocked.