If you have clients who are making getaway plans this holiday season, it’s important that they adopt these safety measures to protect their house while they are away on vacation.
Share this list of actions they should take before they leave:
Phone a friend. Ask some friends to stop by your property periodically while you’re away. They should walk around the outside of your home to check your windows, doors and locks. Then, they should walk through the inside to make sure everything appears normal. If you can get someone to simply stay at your house while you’re away, this would be ideal.
Look at home. If you can’t get someone to stay at your house while you’re away, you’ll want to make sure you look like you’re at home, so as not to signal to potential trespassers that you are away. For example, you may want to set a few lamps in the house on timers, so they turn on for a few hours when it gets dark. You should have someone collect your mail and bring your garbage bins in and out, too—a stuffed mailbox and garbage bins left on the side of the road are a huge indicator that your house is unoccupied. And, if it snows, you should hire someone to come clean it up, or you should ask a friend to leave fresh tracks from a car and feet in the driveway.
Unplug, empty and drain. Trespassers and burglars aren’t the only threats to your home while you’re away—don’t forget about damages to your home caused by water and fire. Remember to unplug your electronic devices while you’re away—barring your refrigerator and freezer, and the lamps that we suggest you keep on timers. Unplugging electronics that aren’t being used will lessen the risk of an electrical fire in your home while you’re away. Also, empty your refrigerator and cupboards of anything that will spoil before you come home. Lastly, shut off the main water line in your home, and empty the pipes by flushing the toilets and running the water. Winters in the Northeast are frigid—if a frozen pipe bursts, it can cause thousands of dollars of damage to your home.
Call your independent insurance agent. We hope that you won’t need to file a homeowners claim when you come home from your travels. However, we are here for you if you need us after you return. Before you leave, give us a call so we can review your homeowners policy and can make sure that you have the optimal coverage to protect your home year-round.
Matt McDonough is PIA Northeast's writer, editor and content curator. Matt joined PIA Northeast in September 2023. Before that, he had been an editor for the online entertainment magazine Collider from 2021-23 as a copy editor for its lists section. Matt entered the world of journalism at his alma mater, SUNY New Paltz, writing and reporting for the college's student run newspaper, The New Paltz Oracle. He graduated from SUNY New Paltz with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Creative Writing in 2020.
