When you leave for a quick getaway or a long vacation, you should make sure that your home is protected. By doing so, you’ll reduce your risk of coming home to unwanted surprises. Here at LeafFilter, we recommend the following tips for protecting your home while you are away.
1. Stop Your Mail
A week’s worth of newspapers and packages at your front door could inform criminals that you are not home. For this reason, you should put a hold on your mail and newspapers or ask a trustworthy friend or neighbor to pick up your mail while you’re out of town.
2. Avoid Posting Vacation Pictures on Social Media
Although it’s tempting to use social media to post pictures of your vacation, doing so can be dangerous. Criminals may look at your profiles and visit your home because they know you are not there. If you must share pictures while you’re out of town, make sure your pictures are private.
3. Entrust Your Neighbors
If you have a trusted neighbor, you should let them know you will be away on vacation and ask them if they can keep an eye on your home. Let them know that they can call the police if they notice anyone or anything suspicious outside or inside of your home.
4. Protect Your Pipes From Freezing
If you live in a cold climate and are traveling during the winter, you should shut off your water completely. Doing so will allow you to prevent your pipes from freezing or flooding and damaging your home.
5. Take Advantage of Technology
Criminals are less likely to enter your home if there are security cameras that are visible in front of it. If you travel often, a security system is a worthwhile investment. In addition to investing in a security system, you should set your lights, television, and stereo on random timers to make it seem like you are home.
6. Use a Home Inventory App
There are plenty of home inventory apps that can help you track all of your belongings. You should consider downloading one of these apps and taking pictures of all of your valuables as well as their related serial numbers. In the event your home gets broken into, you’ll have your inventory information to share with the police.
7. Protect Your Gutters
To enjoy the peace of mind of knowing your gutters will not clog when you are away, you should protect them with LeafFilter. If you’re interested in learning more about LeafFilter, request a free estimate today.
