Home Buyers Guide

A comprehensive guide to buying your perfect Shepherd home, the benefits of buying new and sales aftercare.

Environment & Safety

Whilst we look forward to receiving you at any of our developments, please bear in mind that areas of the sites are potentially hazardous. We ask you to observe the warning signs, keeping children under supervision at all times.

• When entering the site please take note of speed limits and when on foot use only authorized pedestrian routes. Be wary of high kerbs and manhole covers.

• We provide a designated parking area for your convenience. Please park considerately and then make your way to the Sales Centre.

• A member of our sales team must always accompany you on the development outside of the showhome area.

• You will be provided with hard hats and high visibility jackets and these must be worn at all times when viewing a development that is under construction.

• Operators of construction vehicles such as forklifts and dumper trucks may not see you as well as you see them, it is essential to keep your distance.

• Access cannot be allowed to areas where scaffolding is erected or being erected.

• Dogs (with the exception of guide dogs) are not permitted on developments under construction.

• Where appropriate, wheelchair access is provided to our sales centres and showhomes, our sales team is also available to assist.

After you move in

Please be aware that your new Shepherd Home development may still be under construction, so for your own protection and that of your family, please be careful and adhere to the company’s health and safety policy.

Your Shepherd home is the product of many years care and house building expertise, so look after it and you will get lasting enjoyment out of it.

• Be aware of construction vehicles moving around the development

• Do not enter the construction areas and make children in particular aware that these are not playgrounds

• Please obey signs erected for the safe movement of traffic and pedestrians

• All visitors must report to the site office first and obtain permission to enter the construction site

• Do not allow pets to roam free as they could get trapped in construction areas

Fire safety

Alterations or modifications to any part of your home could affect the ability to retain a fire, therefore before any such work is carried out we strongly advise that you seek professional advice.

Smoke detectors

Your new home is fitted with one or more interconnected mains powered smoke detectors with battery back-up to ensure safe operation in the event of a power failure. The operation of these alarms should be checked on a regular basis. In addition to sounding in the event of a fire, your smoke detector may give various audible indications of a malfunction.

Never disconnect a smoke alarm. IT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE.

Fire Doors

• Do not obstruct fire doors

• Keep them closed especially at night

Please ensure that your family knows where to locate keys to window locks in the event of a fire, similarly, if a fire escape window has been fitted where this can be found.

General Fire prevention

By observing the following precautions, you can greatly reduce the risk of causing or being injured in a fire.

• Make sure that the smoke alarms in your home are working and are regularly tested

• Do not store anything in your hall or corridor, especially anything that will burn

• Avoid storing items in the cupboard that houses the electrical distribution board as doing so could cause an obstruction and potentially a fire

• Do not block access roads to the building

• Do not prop open doors within your home or remove self-closing devices

• Plan how you would escape should a fire break out in your home

• Equip your home with suitable fire fighting equipment e.g. a fire blanket for your kitchen or a fire extinguisher

• Do not leave cigarettes unattended and ensure matches and cigarette ends are fully extinguished before you discard them.

Kitchen fire prevention

Chip pans are the most common causes of house fires

Don’t:

• Fill the pan more than a third full with fat or oil

• Leave the pan unattended when in use

• Attempt to move the pan or throw water over it should it catch fire. Cover it with a fire blanket or dampened towel and leave it for at least 30 minutes

Emergency procedures if a fire breaks out in your home

• If you are in the rooms where the fire is, leave straight away, together with anybody else, then close the door

• Do not stay behind to try put out the fire

• Tell everybody else in your home about the fire and get them all to leave.

• Close the front door and leave the building

• Do not use the lift (where applicable)

• Do not use a balcony unless it is part of an escape route from the building

• CALL THE FIRE BRIGADE!

Calling the fire brigade:

The fire brigade should always be called to a fire, however small, immediately on discovery of a fire.

To call the fire brigade:

• From your telephone dial 999

• When the operator answers, give the telephone number you are calling from and ask for FIRE

• When the fire brigade reply, tell them clearly the address where the fire is. Do not end the call until the fire brigade have repeated the address to you and you are sure that they have got it right. The fire brigade cannot help if they do not have the full address

How you can do your bit for the environment

Energy:

• Try not to leave lights on in rooms not being used

• Let food cool down before placing in fridge/freezer. Your fridge/freezer will then not have to work harder to maintain its set temperature

• When using a kettle only fill it with the amount of water you need. Regularly descale it as this can affect its efficiency

• Washing machines

• Set to wash at lower temperatures

• Wait until you have a full load or us the ‘half load’ setting

• If you have a cheaper, off peak electricity, set the machine to run during this period, When buying household appliances check their energy rating - ‘A’ being the most efficient and ‘G’ the least

• Type office/home

• Only switch on equipment when it is needed

• Make sure you shut down your computer at the end of the working day and switch off photocopiers, printers etc

• Switch to an electricity supplier with a green tariff

Water

• Take a shower rather than a bath

• Rinse your mouth with a glass of water after brushing your teeth instead of leaving the tap running

• Keep a bottle or jug of water in the fridge rather than running the tap until the water is cold

Recycling

• Try and take the time to recycle products

• Wash where necessary

• Remove labels

• Take them to your local recycling point or place in the appropriate bins where provided by your local council

• Try and buy items with less packaging

• Try and put kitchen waste on your compost heap