Tips To Protect Your Home While Going On An Extended Vacation
Did you know that leaving your home for weeks or months during an extended vacation can increase the risks of something happening to your house? When you are not at home every day to check on things, the risks of problems increase, and that is why you will need to take the appropriate steps before you leave on your extended trip to make sure your house is fully protected. Here are four tips to follow for this purpose.
Make sure you have someone to check your house regularly
When you leave your home for weeks or months, your home will be vulnerable in many ways. To help offset the risks of a house being vacant, you should consider asking someone you trust to check in on it every few days or at least weekly. Having someone monitor the house can help stop intruders from entering in and can help spot problems quickly if they occur within the home.
Set up a system for lights to go on and off
If possible, you should also consider setting up a system to have some lights go on and off at your house. You can purchase devices for this, or you could set up a smart home system that would allow you to do this remotely. When there are lights going on and off periodically, it will look like someone is there, and this can help stop people from breaking in.
Shut off the water
You should also consider shutting off your water supply to your home before you leave. If you do not do this and a leak develops, you could come back home to a flooded house. If you shut off your water, this cannot happen, which means your home will be better protected.
Talk to your insurance agent about home insurance coverage
One last thing that is absolutely vital to do is call your homeowner's insurance agent to talk to him or her about your trip. When you leave for an extended time period, your home will be considered unoccupied during that time. An unoccupied home is risky for you and your insurance company, and your agent might recommend adding extra coverage or switching the policy to reflect the new risks your house will have while you are gone.
If you follow these tips, you can greatly reduce your risks of problems occurring at home while you are gone. If you have questions, contact a homeowner's insurance agency like Ideal Insurance Agency.