Back-to-School Reminder: Is Your Home Ready for the New School Year?
The backpacks are packed, school supplies are purchased, schedules are changing, and families everywhere are getting ready for another school year.
But there is one important back-to-school preparation that often gets overlooked: the home itself.
For many families, the start of a new school year means new routines. Children may be getting on the bus for the first time, walking home from school, or spending an hour or two at home before a parent gets home from work. Parents and educators are also transitioning back into busy schedules, early mornings, long workdays, sports, homework, and after-school activities.
That makes August and September an excellent time to perform a home maintenance and safety inspection.
A home does not need to have a major problem to benefit from an inspection. Small issues that were overlooked during the summer can become much more important when children are coming and going on their own.
Start With the Doors and Locks
One of the first things to inspect is also one of the most important: how secure is the home? Walk around the property and test every exterior door. Make sure doors close completely, latches engage properly, deadbolts operate smoothly, and hardware is securely attached. Pay particular attention to the door your child will use when arriving home from school.
If your family uses a traditional key, make sure you know who has copies. Old keys may still be floating around from previous homeowners, contractors, babysitters, former tenants, or other people who previously had access to the property.
Smart locks can provide another option because individual access codes can be assigned and removed as needed. However, technology should never replace basic security habits.
Children should know:
Lock the door immediately after entering.
Never open the door for an unexpected visitor.
Never tell someone at the door that they are home alone.
Know exactly which adults are authorized to enter the home.
Know what to do if they lose a key or forget an access code.
The U.S. Department of Education similarly recommends that children who arrive home alone check the home before entering, lock the door after entering, notify a parent that they arrived safely, and avoid opening the door for unexpected visitors.
Who Has Access to Your Home?
Back-to-school season is also a great time to ask a simple question:
Who can get into my house right now?
This is especially important if your home has changed hands, you've had contractors working at the property, or you've given keys or codes to other people.
Make a list of everyone who currently has access.
That could include:
Family members
Babysitters
Relatives
Housekeepers
Contractors
Neighbors
Former tenants
Former employees or caregivers
Dog walkers
Anyone with a garage-door remote
If someone no longer needs access, remove it. For smart locks, change or delete old codes. For alarm systems, review the users who have access. For garage door openers, check whether old remotes are still programmed.
Your child's safety starts with knowing exactly who can enter the house.
Don't Forget the Garage
The garage is often treated as an entrance rather than part of the home's security system.
That can be a mistake.
Test the garage door opener and make sure the automatic reverse safety mechanism operates properly. Check the photoelectric safety sensors and make sure they are aligned and functioning.
Also inspect the door leading from the garage into the house.
It should close securely and provide a reliable barrier between the garage and living areas.
If children routinely enter through the garage after school, make sure they know how to operate the door safely and that the garage itself is not being used as an unsecured access point.
Check Your Cameras Before You Need Them
Security cameras are another useful tool for families with children arriving home before their parents.
But cameras are only helpful if they're actually working.
Test your exterior cameras and doorbell cameras. Verify that:
The camera is operating.
The image is clear.
Night vision works.
Motion detection is functioning.
Notifications are reaching the appropriate phone.
Recording storage is working if applicable.
The camera is aimed at the correct area.
A camera positioned at the front door can allow a parent to see who is approaching the home without requiring a child to open the door.
It can also provide an alert when a child arrives home.
However, cameras should be viewed as one layer of security—not a substitute for supervision, communication, and good safety habits.
Windows Need Attention Too
Exterior doors are not the only access points. Walk around the house and check accessible windows. Make sure they close completely and that locks operate correctly.
Pay special attention to first-floor windows and windows near decks, porches, roofs, or other areas that could provide easy access.
For homes with younger children, inspect window opening limitations and make sure furniture isn't positioned where a child could easily climb to an unsafe height.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends using appropriate locks and safety devices to reduce access to hazardous areas and emphasizes that safety devices must be properly installed and maintained to work effectively.
Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
If your child is going to spend time home alone, this is not an area to overlook.
Test the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms throughout the house.
The CPSC recommends smoke alarms on every level of a home, inside bedrooms, and outside sleeping areas. It also recommends carbon monoxide alarms near sleeping areas and regular testing.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also recommends CO alarms in central locations on every level of livable space, near sleeping areas, and near the entrance to an attached garage, while following manufacturer instructions and applicable codes. Make sure your child knows what the alarm sounds like and, more importantly, what to do when it sounds.
Do not simply tell them to "get out."
Practice the plan.
Where do they go? Which exit should they use? Where is the family meeting location? Who do they call?
A few minutes of preparation can make a tremendous difference during an emergency.
Look for the Little Things That Become Big Problems
A maintenance inspection is not just about security.
It's also about finding those small problems that have developed since your last inspection.
Walk through the home and look for:
Loose handrails
Loose stair railings
Damaged steps
Uneven flooring
Loose carpeting
Poor exterior lighting
Exposed electrical components
Damaged outlets or switches
Leaking plumbing fixtures
Water stains
Damp areas
Blocked exits
Overloaded electrical outlets
Damaged extension cords
Missing covers or guards
Trip hazards
Poorly secured furniture
A child rushing through the house with a backpack, sports equipment, or a handful of school supplies isn't necessarily paying attention to the same hazards an adult would notice. This is especially important around stairs, entrances, garages, and high-traffic areas.
Secure the Things Children Should not Access
Another important part of a back-to-school inspection is identifying items that should remain inaccessible.
Depending on the age of the child, this may include:
Prescription and over-the-counter medications
Cleaning chemicals
Alcohol
Firearms and ammunition
Power tools
Lighters and matches
Certain household chemicals
Knives and other sharp objects
These items should be appropriately secured and inaccessible to children.
The goal isn't to make the entire house off-limits. The goal is to make sure that the areas and items that present serious hazards are properly controlled.
Establish an "Arrive Home" Routine
A safe home is only part of the equation.
Children need a routine.
For example:
Arrive home → Enter the house → Lock the door → Put belongings away → Check in with a parent → Follow the established after-school routine.
That routine should also include what happens if something does not look right.
What if the front door is open?
What if a window appears broken?
What if someone is standing near the house?
What if the child loses their key?
What if the smoke alarm sounds?
What if the power goes out?
Children do not need complicated instructions. They need simple instructions that have been practiced. The American Red Cross recommends considering a child's maturity and comfort level when deciding whether they are ready to stay home alone, along with establishing rules for situations such as visitors, cooking, and leaving the home.
The Back-to-School Home Maintenance Check
The beginning of the school year is more than a change in the calendar.
It is a change in how your home is being used.
Summer may have meant vacations, outdoor activities, open windows, and different schedules. Fall brings earlier sunsets, colder temperatures, school buses, homework, sports practices, and children moving through the house at different times of the day.
That's why an annual maintenance inspection can be a valuable part of your family's back-to-school preparation. A professional inspector can look at the property from a different perspective and identify conditions that homeowners may have become accustomed to seeing. The objective isn't to find fault with your home.
It's to make sure the home is ready for the people who depend on it.
At Tempest Inspections & Consulting, we believe a home inspection should not only happen when you are buying or selling a property. Homes need attention throughout the years. Our maintenance inspections are designed to help homeowners identify safety concerns, maintenance issues, and developing problems before they become expensive repairs—or serious safety concerns.
The school year is starting. Your family's routine is changing. It's a good time to make sure your home is ready, too.
Tempest Inspections & Consulting
Every property has a story. We read between the walls.
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