For Safer Homes Nationwide, SERVIZ Releases Home Safety Rankings (HSR) Index to Identify Hidden Dangers
SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. (PRWEB) December 18, 2017 -- How safe is your home? In its commitment to homeowner safety, on-demand local home services leader SERVIZ has released its first national Home Safety Rankings (HSR) Index, a detailed and often startling overview of home safety statistics and findings from over 100 major metropolitan locations across the United States.
SERVIZ is the easy-to-use home concierge that offers a safer, more transparent way to book and buy home services online or via mobile, whether you need a handyman, electrician, plumber or other independent contractor. For the release of its HSR Index, SERVIZ sent out a detailed survey to 65,000 of its customers nationwide to ask them about their home safety concerns and habits—on topics from fire, air, flood and earthquake safety, to crime prevention. SERVIZ then integrated key U.S. Census data into those responses, combining the two data points to determine SERVIZ’s own proprietary safety grades for the nation, as well as for over 100 major metropolitan areas across the country. The resulting national HSR Index is a crucial and timely look at America’s home safety habits—and how homeowners can improve them.
“We’re proud to release SERVIZ’s Home Safety Rankings (HSR) Index, which provides an urgent look at dangers to home safety from hazards and criminals alike that too often go overlooked,” comments Zorik Gordon, Chief Executive Officer at SERVIZ. “First and foremost, the national HSR data we’ve assembled is a timely reminder to be careful who you invite into your home. HSR results include some genuinely shocking statistics on outside home contractors when it comes to local services, with as many as 25 to 35% or more failing simple background checks in major cities across the U.S. This is just one of the many reasons SERVIZ is committed to stringent local, state and national background checks for the Pros in its independent network.”
Beyond its emphasis on the need for caution when it comes to independent home contractors, the HSR also provides additional useful advice and insights that will help to keep homes safer against theft, fire, floods and more in cities and towns across the United States. Adds Gordon, “Providing this information to families is just one more part of our mission to improve and revolutionize the home services industry landscape as a whole.”
The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) on Greater Holiday Safety:
The HSR also includes useful home safety advice, insights and links, from the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), which has contributed tips to emphasize steps homeowners can take for increased safety against criminals in their homes.
"The HSR Index is an important resource that emphasizes the need for home safety," comments DeeDee Dalton, Managing Director at the National Crime Prevention Council. "The holidays are a time of giving and receiving, but they're also a time when crimes happen as criminals take advantage of the season. NCPC is committed to keeping our communities safe, and to helping people avoid being targeted by criminals."
Dalton adds that it's also a good idea for homeowners to make sure doors and windows are locked, and with secure, up-to-date and dependable locks and deadbolts. "We also recommend that you don't display gifts where they can be seen from outside the home," she adds. Security systems and cameras (inside and out) are other excellent precautions, as are flood and motion sensor lights outside the home. "And if packages are delivered," she notes, "bring them inside promptly or have a neighbor pick them up." NCPC also recommends that homeowners take a video inventory of the home and its valuables for future reference, while also compiling and maintaining a list of item descriptions and serial numbers, for use in case of theft.
"It's great to see SERVIZ stepping up to try to keep people safe," Dalton comments. "With the HSR, they're doing their part as responsible corporate citizens who care about the safety of U.S. homeowners and their communities."
Sobering Statistics:
As noted by Gordon, the HSR includes some surprising and often sobering statistics on home safety and crime, especially regarding the crucial issue of screening processes and background checks among local independent service contractors.
In its own rigorous screenings for service professionals, SERVIZ found criminal background flags or approval failures in several of its metro locations nationwide. For instance, SERVIZ rejected 35.6% of Philadelphia/Southern NJ contractors, as well as 37.9% of local area handymen there, as well. 35.2% of Austin plumbers failed SERVIZ’s criminal background checks, as did 25.4% of Houston electrical contractors, along with 30.4% of Washington D.C.-area carpet cleaners—and the list goes on. In short, based on its 6-plus years of industry experience, SERVIZ has FAILED as many as 1 in 3 home contractors as a result of their criminal background checks. “Our question is,” notes Gordon, “who is the average consumer letting into their homes?”
The question is a vital and valid one. “These statistics are scary, and they should be,” adds Gordon. “They highlight the fact that the single most important deterrent against crime, and for promoting home safety, may just be who comes through that front door. SERVIZ wants to share and spread this message to everyone.” SERVIZ, meanwhile, is vigilant about screening Pros for inclusion in its network, with comprehensive background checks including county, state and national searches, followed by active license verification for all applicable service types. Learn more at https://www.serviz.com/lp1.
Ultimately, the most important goal of SERVIZ’s HSR is to promote overall home safety awareness and preparedness, and to offer ways for people to avoid crimes as well as hazards this holiday season—and beyond. The company plans to continue to assemble and release additional local and future Home Safety Rankings as a vital way for SERVIZ to give back to the community and help homeowners stay safer.
About The National Crime Prevention Council:
The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) is the nation's nonprofit leader in crime prevention. Since 1980, its recognizable icon McGruff the Crime Dog® has delivered easy to use crime prevention tips that empower citizens individually and collectively to keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe from crime. With a vast network of local and state law enforcement agencies, local community groups, foundations, and corporate partners, NCPC makes an impact on personal safety and crime every day. For more information on how to “Take A Bite Out of Crime®,” visit http://www.ncpc.org. You can also like the organization on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and find them on YouTube.
About SERVIZ:
SERVIZ is an on-demand local services company that offers a safer, faster, easier, and more transparent way to book and buy home services online. SERVIZ aims to disrupt the $400 Billion home services industry by utilizing its proprietary on-demand technology platform and its network of service professionals to help consumers locate the home service professionals they need when they need them. From handyman work to plumbing, carpet cleaning and appliance repair, SERVIZ provides highly rated, background-checked and licensed professionals at the click of a button, all backed by the SERVIZ Consumer Protection Plan. Headquartered in Sherman Oaks, California, the company has raised over $29M in funding from Groupon Inc., PointGuard Ventures, ENGIE, and additional investors.
To learn more about SERVIZ, please visit http://www.serviz.com. Download the free SERVIZ App on Google Play or iTunes for immediate use as well.
For additional information on SERVIZ and its national Home Safety Rankings Index, or to request interviews or additional press materials, please contact Angela Mitchell at news [at] paranoidpr.com or (904) 982-8043, or Brad Copeland at brad.copeland [at] serviz.com or (323) 428-8856.
Press Contacts:
Angela Mitchell
Paranoid Public Relations
(904) 982-8043
news [at] paranoidpr.com
Brad Copeland
SERVIZ
(323) 428-8856
brad.copeland [at] serviz.com
DeeDee Dalton
The National Crime Prevention Council
(443) 292-4565
ddalton [at] ncpc.org
Angela Mitchell, Paranoid PR (for SERVIZ), https://www.serviz.com/, +1 (904) 982-8043, [email protected]
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