The excitement that comes before going on vacation is a magical thing. While on vacation, wonderful memories are made. The memory of a vacation can be spoiled, however, upon coming home and finding out something happened to your home while away. These are some easy tips to keep the memory of your vacation safe.

 

Make Sure the House Looks Lived-In

 

Unfortunately, thieves have a good eye and are uncanny at being able to detect an empty home. To avoid becoming a target, make sure that your home looks inhabited.

• Have your mail held for the duration of your vacation. Nothing is more telling to a would-be burglar than an overflowing mailbox.
• Make sure that your front yard is maintained. Overgrown lawns with newly-sprouted weeds are a sign of recent neglect.
• Depending on the style of your home, a visible car, washed, and free of cobwebs in the driveway might be a nice touch.
• Have some lights on in the evening. You might go as far as to install a timer, or if you don’t mind the extra electricity expenditure, leave them on for the duration of your vacation.

Have Eyes on the House

 

Have someone check in on the house daily. This could be a neighbor, friend, or family member. Keep in mind that home monitoring systems have a limited view and tend to not be a good substitute for periodical check-ins. This is not a measure to deter thieves, though the sight of someone in the house may help to minimize the chances of theft. This also preserves the maintenance of the house, in the instance where a pipe may bursts or if a gas leak occurs. This person should be left clear instructions on what needs to be done in the event of an emergency. They should know how to contact you and be given the authorization to speak on your behalf. If nothing else, they can water the plants while you’re gone!

 

House Utilities

 

There are some things around the house that should be adjusted before you leave on vacation.

• Adjust your thermostat. Air conditioning can be set to ten or fifteen degrees above what is normal; heat can be set to 55 F. You shouldn’t shut your AC completely off, as many objects in your house don’t react well to extreme changes in temperatures. A house without the AC running while every other house in the block is, might single that house out as potentially unoccupied.
• In colder weather, measures to keep pipes from freezing should be taken into consideration.
• Set your water heater settings to “Vacation.” This lowers the temperature of the hot water in the tank, saving money, and makes it less likely that you will have a pressure incident with your water heater.
• Unplug your electronics. They are not going to be used while you are on vacation, and unplugged electronics are not affected by power surges.

Food

 

While it might be nice to come back from vacation to a fully-stocked refrigerator, it’s probably smart to clean out the refrigerator before going on vacation. Food spoils under refrigeration, just at a slower rate than at room temperature, especially meat and produce. Clearing out the perishables before vacation will save on either cleaning out an unexpected science experiment or worse, a case of food poisoning. Condiments generally keep well, though, and frozen food remains frozen. Any food generally left on the counter (bread, fruits, vegetables such as onions, etc.) should also be cleared.

 

Pets

 

Unless you are a goldfish fancier, please do not leave pets at home during vacation, even if you have someone checking on them. The longer the vacation, the more likely a pet will suffer separation anxiety. This will result in the pet acting out, spraying, clawing furniture, and other destructive behaviors. It’s much better to leave the pet in the care of a friend or family member for the duration of your vacation. There are also companies that will house and take care of pets. It might be an option to take your pet with you on vacation, but that takes extra planning and comes with additional travel costs. Lastly, another alternative is to arrange for a house/pet sitter to live in your home while you’re away on vacation.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Vacations are meant to relieve stress, create happy memories, and reconnect with loved ones. Coming home to disaster can ruin even the greatest of vacations. We have listed a few easy ways to prevent that. Following these simple tips can keep from major incidents and having to file a claim under your Homeowners Insurance.

To learn more about safeguarding your home or help with purchasing a Homeowners Insurance policy, please contact our team at www.protectiveagency.com Call (877) 739-9367. Our licensed insurance agents will be happy to answer any questions you have.