Don’t leave your home unattended!
Arrange for your neighbour to check on your house and yard every few days and make sure nothing suspicious is happening. You can offer to return the favour if your neighbour ever goes out of town. If you are uncomfortable asking your neighbours, ask a friend or family member to check on your property every few days for strange activity. They would most likely do it out of kindness but take them out to dinner or bring them back a token of your gratitude from your trip, they will appreciate the thought.
If you will be away for a lengthy vacation it would be a good idea to ask your neighbour to plow your driveway while you are away as well. A burglar will become suspicious if your driveway looks unused and snow is piling up.
Your mail is piling up.
Arrange for your mail to be stopped at the post office. Suspicion will arise when your mail box is overflowing with unread mail or your doorstep is piling up with packages. Also, don’t forget to stop your newspaper delivery; a pile of newspapers at the edge of your driveway is a sign of someone on vacation or a lazy person, both of which are targets for burglary. If you are unable to have your mail held or stop your newspaper deliveries, or you had forgotten to do so, ask whoever is looking after your house to periodically retrieve your mail and newspapers.
How do you usually have your window coverings?
If you’re someone who opens their blinds during the day, don’t close your blinds before you leave for vacation. It seems odd, and you may think people could look into your home, but you don’t want to change up your routine too much to make it known that you are on vacation. If you leave your blinds open, it is a good idea to hide or put away any valuables that could intrigue any “Peeping Toms” to want to get a closer look. To a similar effect, don’t turn on your usual lights for the duration of your vacation, but don’t have them all off for the duration of your trip either. When you are going on vacation for more than a few nights, it is a good idea to have some lights and even electronics on a timer; they can usually be bought for around $30. No one will be the wiser if your lights and TV turn on as they usually would.
Where is your spare key?
It is not a good idea to keep your spare key in its usual spot while you are away on vacation. Criminals tend to know that you have your spare key under a rock, under the door mat, in your mail box, above a door frame, etc. Outsmart the criminal before you leave by keeping your spare key inside your home or with a trusted friend or neighbour. In addition, it is always a good idea to double check any rarely used entrances to your home, your windows, and your garage door to be sure they are all locked before you venture off to paradise. Your plastic rock didn’t look convincing anyway.
*Most importantly.
Be sure that you and your clients have sufficient insurance coverage for their home and belongings including recreational items, because those are pricey to replace by yourself. Call one of our personal lines underwriters for advice before you or your client sets sail to paradise! We would be happy to assist you.