Life-Ready Society · Teacher and parent pack · Environmental dimension

Safety When You Live Alone

Locks, visitors, privacy, power cuts and your personal emergency plan.

8 lessons, about 1.4 hours of reading. Free lessons, videos and full sources: https://lifereadysociety.com/home-safety/

How to use this pack. Ask your teen or class to read one lesson online (about ten minutes), talk through the key points together, choose one practice task to try this week, then use the quiz to check what stuck. The answer key is on the last page. Free to print for home and classroom use.

The lessons at a glance

1. Locking up properly: doors, windows and keys

At home, someone else usually checked the doors at night. When you live alone that job is yours, and a few simple habits make your flat or room a much harder target.

Key points

Lock your door even when you are at home.
Windows and balconies count: lock them when you go out.
Report faulty locks in writing straight away.
Keep keys away from the door and valuables out of sight.

2. Visitors, tradespeople and landlord visits

When you live alone you will have repair people, meter readers, landlords and couriers at your door. Most are genuine, but bogus callers rely on you feeling too polite to check.

Key points

Stop, check, confirm: never open up until you have verified the caller.
Use a number you find yourself, never one the caller gives you.
Never agree to work or pay on the doorstep.
In England, landlords must give at least 24 hours' written notice and get your consent.

3. Keeping your address private offline

Your address leaks out in more ways than social media: bins, parcels, public registers and delivery notes. Living alone, it is worth knowing who can find out where you live.

Key points

Shred anything with your name, address or account numbers.
Remove address labels before recycling boxes.
In the UK, you can opt out of the open register and still vote.
Share your full address only with people and organisations that need it.

4. Your arrival routine: getting home and getting in

The Personal Safety module covers getting home at night. This lesson zooms in on the last few minutes: the walk to your door, getting in, and letting someone know you are safe when nobody is waiting for you.

Key points

Have your key ready before you reach the door.
If your door or window looks damaged, do not go in: get somewhere safe and call 999.
Never lead someone who is following you to your home.
Build a check-in habit so someone notices if you do not arrive.

5. If you think someone has been in your home

Coming home to signs of a break-in is frightening, and living alone can make it feel worse. Knowing the steps in advance helps you stay safe, protect evidence and get your life back in order.

Key points

If someone might still be inside, do not go in: call 999.
Leave the scene as it is until the police say otherwise.
Get a crime reference number, check for missing keys and change locks if needed.
Feeling shaken is normal, and support is available.

6. Power cuts and water outages

A power cut is rarely dangerous if you are prepared, but alone in the dark with a dying phone it can feel stressful. A small kit and a few numbers saved in advance make it easy.

Key points

UK power cuts: 105. Dubai: DEWA 991.
Use a torch, not candles or your phone's light.
Keep fridge and freezer doors shut.
If the fridge reaches 8°C, eat chilled food within 4 hours or throw it away.

7. Small fire habits: candles, chargers and batteries

The Running a Home module covers smoke alarms, escape plans and gas. This lesson is about the small daily habits in a bedroom or studio flat that stop a fire starting at all.

Key points

Never leave a flame or burning bakhoor unattended.
Do not charge devices on your bed or overnight.
Never charge an e-bike or e-scooter while you sleep or in your escape route.
A hot or swollen battery is a warning sign: stop using it.

8. Your personal emergency plan and ICE contacts

If something happened to you in your flat, who would notice, who would be called, and could a stranger help you? A personal emergency plan answers those questions before you need it.

Key points

Living alone, nobody notices automatically: set up a check-in.
Medical ID and lock-screen emergency info help strangers help you.
Know your full address and local emergency numbers by heart.
Leave a spare key with someone you trust.

Talk about it, then try it

The real-life practice tasks from each lesson. Pick one or two a week and agree when you will check in.

Locking up properly: doors, windows and keys
- On your next day at home, walk round your flat or room and check every lock, including windows and the balcony. Write down anything faulty.
- If anything is faulty, email your landlord or accommodation office today describing the problem and asking when it will be fixed.
- Pick a permanent place for your keys, away from the door, and use it all week.
Visitors, tradespeople and landlord visits
- Ask your energy or water supplier whether they offer a password scheme for callers, and set one up if they do.
- Find your tenancy agreement and note what it says about landlord visits and notice.
- Save your landlord's and building management's official numbers in your phone so you can check any caller quickly.
Keeping your address private offline
- Collect any old letters and parcel labels in your room and shred or destroy them.
- If you are registered to vote in the UK, check whether you are on the open register and opt out if you want to.
- Review the name and delivery notes on your food and parcel apps.
Your arrival routine: getting home and getting in
- Agree a 'home safe' message routine with one friend or family member this week.
- Try Check In (iPhone) or Emergency sharing (Android) once on a short trip so you know how it works.
- On your next arrival home, practise: key ready, look at the door, lock it behind you.
If you think someone has been in your home
- Write down, in your phone's notes, the serial numbers of your laptop, phone and other valuable items.
- Save your local police non-emergency number (101 in the UK, 901 for Dubai Police) in your contacts.
- Check that 'find my device' is switched on for your phone and laptop.
Power cuts and water outages
- Save your local power and water emergency numbers in your phone today.
- Put together a mini outage kit: torch, batteries, power bank, water, and snacks that need no cooking.
- Find your fuse box or consumer unit so you can check it in the dark.
Small fire habits: candles, chargers and batteries
- Do the bedtime fire check every night this week.
- Look at every charger and extension lead in your room: replace any that are cheap unbranded copies, damaged or overloaded.
- If you have flatmates, agree where any e-bikes or e-scooters will be stored and charged.
Your personal emergency plan and ICE contacts
- Set up Medical ID (iPhone) or emergency information (Android) with at least one ICE contact today.
- Write your one-page emergency plan and send a copy to a family member.
- Agree a regular check-in with one person and decide what they will do if you go quiet.

Quiz

Name: ______________________ Date: ____________ Circle one answer for each question.

1. According to Aston Students' Union, why should you keep your front door locked even while you are at home?

It keeps the air conditioning running more efficiently
Thieves mostly try doors at night, so lock up after dark
Landlords require it in every tenancy agreement
Burglars are known to try handles to find unlocked doors

2. Which lock does the Metropolitan Police booklet recommend for UK front doors?

A combination padlock fitted on the outside of the door
A door chain fitted on its own, with no deadlock behind it
Any brand-new lock, whatever its standard
A five-lever mortice deadlock conforming to BS 3621

3. A man says he is from the electricity company and gives you a number to call to check his ID. What should you do?

Call the company on a number from your bill or its website
Call the number he gives you, as it reaches his office
Let him in, since he is wearing a company uniform
Check his ID card, then open the door without calling

4. What does a utility password scheme do?

It lets the company's staff enter while you are out
It changes the code on your door lock every month
A genuine caller can quote a password you agreed
It blocks all visits from the company to your home

5. What does Action Fraud advise you to do with letters showing your name, address and account numbers?

Shred them before throwing them away
Give them to your flatmate to recycle
Keep them on your desk forever
Put them straight in the recycling

6. In the UK, who can buy a copy of the open register?

Your university
The police and courts
Anyone who wants one
Nobody outside the council

7. You arrive home and your front door is slightly open with a damaged lock. What should you do?

Go in and shout loudly to scare anyone away
Go in quietly to check whether anything is missing
Stay out, get somewhere safe and call 999
Close the door and call the landlord in the morning

8. Someone seems to be following you as you walk home. What is the best move?

Go to a busy, lit place and call for help if needed
Stop and confront them before you reach home
Hide in your building's stairwell until they have passed by
Walk faster and head straight inside your own front door

9. You come home and see your window smashed. You can hear movement inside. What should you do?

Post about it online to warn your neighbours
Go in quietly to see who it is
Call 101 and wait right by the front door until police arrive
Stay outside, get somewhere safe and call 999

10. In the UK, why should you get a crime reference number after a burglary?

It means you do not need to report anything else
It can be used in place of your passport
It is only needed for the landlord's records
You will need it for an insurance claim

11. Which number do you call to report a power cut in England, Scotland or Wales?

12. Which number reaches DEWA's emergency line in Dubai?

13. You want to burn bakhoor before guests arrive but need to pop out for 20 minutes. What should you do?

Leave it burning by the curtains so the scent spreads
Leave it burning, as it is only 20 minutes
Leave it burning on the bed so the room smells nice
Put it out before you leave and relight it when you return

14. Where does Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service say you should NOT charge your laptop or phone?

On a clear desk away from paper
On a hard table in a cool room
On beds, duvets or soft furnishings
At a wall socket while you are awake and nearby

15. On an iPhone, which Medical ID setting lets responders see your information without your passcode?

Show When Locked
Share My Location
Airplane Mode
Do Not Disturb

16. On many Android phones, how do you start Emergency SOS?

Hold both volume buttons down for a full minute
Press the power button 5 or more times
Shake the phone hard twice
Say 'help' out loud three times near the phone

Answer key

D: Aston Students' Union: burglars are known to try door handles to check whether they are unlocked, and thieves operate day and night.
D: Metropolitan Police, How secure is your home?: fit a good five-lever mortice deadlock conforming to British Standard BS 3621.
A: West Yorkshire Police: phone the company yourself using a number you find independently, as the caller's number may be answered by an accomplice.
C: West Yorkshire Police: some utility companies have password schemes so you can check a caller's identity before opening the door; a genuine caller can quote the password agreed with you.
A: Action Fraud: documents containing your name, address, billing information or customer account numbers should be shredded.
C: GOV.UK: anyone who wants a copy of the open register can buy it, which is why you may want to opt out.
C: East Cambridgeshire District Council: if you think intruders may still be inside, call 999. Do not enter.
A: Going home would show them where you live. Head for people and light, and call for help if you need it.
D: East Cambridgeshire District Council: if you think intruders may still be inside, call 999.
D: Independent Age: you will need the crime reference number if you want to make an insurance claim.
B: UK Government, Prepare: call 105 in England, Scotland and Wales to report a power cut.
D: UAE Government portal: DEWA emergency line 991. 997 is Civil Defence and 998 is ambulance.
D: London Fire Brigade: never leave candles, incense or oil burners unattended, and put them out when you leave the room.
C: Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service: avoid charging overnight and do not charge on beds, duvets or soft furnishings.
A: Apple Support: turn on Show When Locked so your Medical ID is available from the Lock screen.
B: Android Help: press the power button 5 or more times to start Emergency SOS (Android 12 or later).

General information only, written from the sources listed in each online lesson. Laws, numbers and services change, so check official sources. Life-Ready Society, https://lifereadysociety.com/home-safety/