Keep your holiday stress free.

We’re planning a summer getaway to Greece and I’m worried we’ll forget something important, which could ruin the holiday. What steps can we take to make sure we’re fully protected and prepared if anything goes wrong?

Booking a holiday can be overwhelming, especially if it’s been a while since you last went away. It’s unlikely anything will go wrong, but we’ve prepared a simple checklist to make sure you can relax into your holiday knowing you’re protected from the unexpected.

Check your passport is in date - especially for EU travel

Renewing your passport can take several weeks and isn’t something to leave until the last minute. Check the validity of your passport for your trip on GOV.UK by finding out the entry requirements of the country you’re travelling to.

If you’re heading to Europe, bear in mind EU countries don’t accept passports more than ten years old. This includes passports issued pre-Brexit, which may have longer expiry dates. 

Just remember, the golden rule for EU travel is: if your passport was issued over ten years ago, you’ll need to get it renewed. 

Know your rights if something goes wrong

If your flight’s delayed long enough - usually two  to four hours, depending on the journey - your airline must provide access to food and drink vouchers, phone calls and emails, and accommodation if you’re delayed overnight. If it’s cancelled, you’re legally entitled to a full refund or replacement flight to help you get to your destination. You’re also entitled to compensation if your airline delays, loses or damages your checked-in luggage. 

Get travel insurance

Although it’s an extra expense, travel insurance can cover many of the things already mentioned, like flight delays and lost luggage, but also things like a holiday cancellation and medical emergencies. 

Citizens Advice recommends getting insurance as soon as you book a holiday to make sure you're covered right away - but always check first to see if an existing insurance policy, or your bank account, covers what you need for your holiday. There’s no need to double up if you’re already covered!

The chances are your holiday will be problem-free, but early planning and preparation can make all the difference. If you need advice on a consumer problem, head to the Citizens Advice website.

Dealing with damp.

Damp and mould has built up in our home over the winter. It started around the windows but now it’s spread. I’ve been chasing our letting agency, who say they’ll speak to our landlord but there’s been no action and I’m really worried about how this might affect our health. Our tenancy agreement isn’t up for six months, what can I do?

You’ve done the right thing by reporting the issue to your letting agency. It’s not always easy to work out the cause of damp and mould, and your landlord might suggest that something you're contributing to it. However, your landlord will be responsible for the issue if it’s being caused by structural problems or disrepair such as a leaking roof or bad insulation.

Damp is when an area of your property doesn’t dry out, often because it’s cold. Damp can lead to mould, which is a fungus that grows in areas where warm damp air condenses on cold surfaces, like window frames. 

On our website you can find information which will help you work out what type of damp you have, who is responsible and what you can do about it. You should also check your tenancy agreement for mentions of repairs and damp.

Your landlord is responsible for fixing a damp problem if it’s making your home unsafe to live in. 

For example, this could be if it’s affecting your health or the health of someone living in the property with you. Your landlord will also be responsible if the damp is related to repairs they should have carried out, for example if the roof is damaged. They would also have to cover the cost of repairs to any items damaged by the damp, including carpets and furniture.

One of the things that can contribute to damp and mould is condensation. One of the best ways to prevent condensation is to keep homes well-heated and ventilated, but high heating costs and cold weather can make this difficult for lots of us. If you’re finding it hard to insulate  and heat your home, check our website to see if you’re eligible for support.

There are steps you can take to make sure you’re not contributing to a damp problem, and making it worse. Our website has advice on what to avoid, like drying clothes on heaters, blocking air vents, or using portable gas heaters. However, showering, cooking, and laundry are the kinds of things everyone expects to be able to do in their homes. If the property can’t be heated and ventilated adequately to cope with normal day-to-day living activities, then it’s the property that’s the problem, not your behaviour.

If your landlord is responsible for the damp in your home but doesn’t do anything about it, there are steps you can take, like reporting them to the local authority. And as a private renter, if you’ve got evidence from a health professional that damp is making you ill, you may be able to get free legal advice through Legal Aid.

As a last resort, you might decide you just want to leave the property but getting out of a tenancy agreement early can be difficult. There’s information on our website about how to go about this but remember this can be hard and there might be things you haven’t tried yet.

If you’re feeling stuck, always speak to your local Citizens Advice.

Keeping Halloween safe, not scary.

My kids are so excited about dressing up for Halloween this year, but I’ve been hearing about awful accidents involving costumes catching fire. I didn’t realise these products could be so flammable and now I’m really worried in case something happens. I don’t want to stop my kids having fun, so is there anything I can do to make sure any costumes I buy are fire-safe?

Stories of Halloween costumes catching fire may sound a bit extreme, but some of these products do come with higher fire risks than you’d expect. So, it’s important to know what you should look out for to avoid any accidents as we head into the spooky season.

The reason these costumes can be such a fire hazard is that many are classified as toys, meaning they aren’t subject to the same fire safety standards as regular clothing. This is pretty concerning given kids tend to be running around in their costumes near lit candles in pumpkins, whether at Halloween parties or out trick-or-treating on doorsteps.

You don’t need to scare them out of dressing up, though. Rest assured that there are some safe options out there. Citizens Advice recommends taking these steps to ensure your children’s safety when buying costumes:

● Source your costumes from reputable retailers. If you’re not familiar with the shop you’re considering buying from, have a look at online reviews first - or play it safe and stick to well-known brands.

● Make sure the product has safety instructions. You should be looking out for a UKCA or CE marking and the manufacturer’s name - the UKCA marking is the UK's post Brexit equivalent of the CE certification, both of which indicate compliance with safety regulations.

● Check if there have been any product recalls - if a product has been recalled, this could've been because it’s not safe. You’ll need to look at the Office for Product Safety and Standards list, which you can find by searching ‘product safety recalls’ online.

If you’re thinking of making your own costumes, bear in mind that homemade fancy dress may also come with risks. Avoid using materials not intended for clothing like loosely woven fabrics that could easily ignite, and check that the materials you’re using are flame-resistant. To really play it fire-safe at Halloween, you can always avoid candles altogether. You can easily achieve that warm orange glow of a carved pumpkin or create a spooky atmosphere at a party using LED lights instead.

If you’d like more advice, or want to report something to Trading Standards, contact the Citizens Advice consumer service by phone or online: https://buff.ly/2Bp6PFo

Staying within budget during the festive period

We have a month left until Christmas, but the festive period doesn’t just bring tinsel and questionable jumpers, it can bring the cold sting of financial pressures and debt worries. 

Setting a budget for Christmas may seem like a dampener on the holiday, but overspending and using short term solutions like overdrafts, credit cards and Buy Now, Pay later, can lead to starting the New Year with pressures to start payments. New Year, Same Debt. 

So how can you start to cut down on costs? Look at who you’re buying presents for. I’m not saying cut immediate family out, but assess the people who you’re buying for. Do you need to join the work secret santa and spend £20 on a person you’ve never spoken to before? 

I hear you calling me a Grinch, but how many times have you bought a gift for someone because they’ve bought you a gift, whether you can afford it or not? So having a conversation with friends about not doing presents this year, or setting a cap on gifts can save the dual stress of finding the perfect gift and dealing with the aftermath of the bill. 

The biggest thing that people struggle with is sticking to budgets when shopping for presents. Say you’re shopping and your budget is £10, but you see something for £12.99. It might only be £3 extra, but when you’re shopping for the kids, your partner and other family members, consistently going over budget can easily turn that £3 into £300 very quickly. Online shopping can help you look around for bargains.

During Christmas, food sales boom, resulting in many households having excess food. Families frequently skip their usual choices in favour of luxury items and sweet treats. But could you really tell the difference between options like turkey and champagne? According to MSE’s Martin Lewis, 62% of people couldn’t. This Christmas, choose the products that are right for you and don’t assume the luxury option tastes any better. 

If you remember Christmas as a child, chances are, you remember the experiences and traditions that come with celebrating Christmas, rather than what you ate or the toys you got.  MSE has a range of free or low cost traditions to build those memories without breaking the bank, like making homemade decorations or leaving clues that Father Christmas has been.

Christmas can be a hard time. If you are struggling to manage debts or need advice, you can find information on our website or contact an adviser.

Staying smart while online shopping

You’re not the only one eager to bag a bargain. The busiest shopping time of the year is also a busy time for cyber criminals who use the spike in spending to disguise their scams as legitimate shopping sites.

Fraudsters are also taking advantage of AI advances to help them produce accurate and professional-looking content to trick victims into giving away their financial details.

It sounds like you’re aware there are risks when buying online and that scammers will try to tempt consumers with special offers, fake reviews and sought-after items at rock bottom prices. The good news is there are ways you can protect yourself and shop safely.

Here Citizens Advice Senior Consumer Expert, Kate Hobson, shares her top five tips to make sure you don’t end up with more, or less, than you bargained for during this busy shopping season.

1. Make sure you don’t feel rushed. Scammers will often create a sense of urgency by claiming it’s a limited offer or price which encourages you to act without taking as much time to consider the purchase.

2. Know who you are buying from – if buying from a company you have not used before, check reviews and previous customers’ feedback. If in doubt, don’t buy.

3. Be wary of suspicious web links. These may direct you to fake (but realistic looking) websites. It is better to type in the website address yourself. 

4. Don’t share any one-time codes that you’re sent when shopping online. These codes are used to confirm that you’re the one making the purchase, so don’t share them with anyone. 5. Avoid paying anyone you don’t know by bank transfer. Paying by credit card for single items costing £100 and over gives you legal protection if the goods do not arrive, are faulty, or do not match the description. Paying by credit or debit card for orders costing less than £100 also gives you protection using your card provider’s voluntary ‘Chargeback’ scheme. 

If you’re worried that something you’ve seen online might be a scam, you can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer line by calling 0808 223 1133 or visit https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer for more information