Home Protection Tips for When You Travel
| If you are taking some time off during the summer and going out of town here are some tips to protect your home while away. Some basic safety measures can help prevent problems while you’re away from home. Consider doing these before leaving: – Be selective about informing others that you’ll be out of town. You don’t want it to be common knowledge that your home is sitting empty. Tell a trusted neighbor or family member when and where you’ll be going and when you’ll be returning. – Use timers to turn on and off lights, TVs, and radios according to your normal schedule. This could dissuade any potential robbers if they think someone is home. – Put a hold on your mail and newspaper delivery or have a neighbor collect them for you while away. – Ask a friend or neighbor to occasionally park their car in your driveway to give the appearance that someone is home or visiting. – Don’t announce on your answering machine that no one is home and turn off your telephone ringer as an unanswered phone can tip off a burglar. – Unplug appliances and turn off the gas to avoid a potential fire. Turn off your water to prevent a flood if a pipe, fitting, washing machine hose, or water heater leak while away. I recommend that if you are gone overnight or longer to shut off your water unless you have someone checking on the house daily. If you have an alarm monitoring company for your home security system, notify them of your plans and make sure they have updated emergency contact information. Following these few steps could prevent an unwanted surprise when you return home. |