Your Home, Your Investment: Preparing your home for summer vacation!

Your Home, Your Investment: Preparing your home for summer vacation!

It’s summertime and you may be planning to get away to the cottage, the beach or across the country to visit family and friends.  If you are planning to be away longer than 3-4 days, you will want take specific steps to prepare and protect your home for while your away.  There are several checklists available on the topic.  Here is the one we use for preparing and protecting your home room by room.

General:

Home Monitoring: Ask a trusted neighbor or friend to check on your house every 3 days.  Investigate installing a security system to monitor your home more closely.

Social Media: Do not communicate beyond a trusted group that you will be away.  Avoid posting photos on social media while you are away.

Pets: Arrange for care of pets, if necessary.

Home Insurance: Review your home insurance policy to make sure you comply with insurance company requirements.

Yard and Driveway:

Flowers: Arrange to have summer annuals watered daily.

Lawn: Arrange to have lawn mowed if away longer than 2 weeks.

Flood Lights: Install motion-censored floodlights outside your home.

Windows: Close and lock all windows.

Vehicles: Leave vehicles parked as normal, be it in the driveway or in the garage, if possible.

Entry:

Additional key: Have an extra key made for a trusted neighbor or friend.

Mail: Ask a trusted neighbor or friend to collect your mail if you have an outdoor mailbox.

Newspaper: Discontinue the newspaper while you are away.

Air Conditioning: Set temperature 4-5 degrees Celsius higher than normal to save electricity.

Living Room and Bedrooms:

Lamps: Turn on one indoor lamp near a window during the evening hours using a timer or a web application.

Electronics: Unplug all small electronic while you are away to save electricity. 

Kitchen:

Perishables: Remove all perishables from your refrigerator that will go bad before your return.

Garbage: Remove all garbage from your inside home.  Ask a trusted neighbor or friend to put out on Garbage Day.

Recycling: Remove all recycling from inside your home. Ask a trusted neighbor or friend to put out on Recycling Day.

Compost: Remove all compost from inside your home.  Ask a trusted neighbor or friend to put out on Recycling Day.

Dishwasher: Run and empty dishwasher.  Leave dishwasher open while you are away.

Basement/Laundry Room:

Laundry:  Wash and dry laundry. Make sure last minute dirty items are dry.

Water:  Shut off water supply if away longer than 2 weeks.  Adjust hot water heater setting to vacation setting, if possible 

Relax and enjoy your summer vacation!

David Gharat

www.housecondopro.com