When bad weather sets in and makes our lives a misery many of us choose to lose ourselves in vacation brochures and dream of times relaxing on a tropical beach. It’s great to look forward to that annual vacation, but it’s important to make sure that you are adequately prepared when the moment arises. You need to be certain that your home insurance is up to date and that you take care to protect your home and its valuables while you are relaxing somewhere in the tropics.
What do you need to do in order to keep everything safe and to ensure that you are not giving any clear signals to would-be burglars that the coast is all clear?
One of the most important things to do in our socially connected era is to avoid discussing any of your vacation details and plans on your favorite social networks. Even though you may be tempted to tell everybody that you know about your upcoming trip to the Caribbean understand that many people may be able to see your posts. Thieves are often known to scour social media postings for evidence of what is likely to be an empty home in the neighborhood. You may not even realize that you have given them any valuable information, but they may be well able to read between the lines and work out exactly when you’re not going to be there. This is a green light.
Many people do not realize that you can ask the USPS to hold your mail for up to one month. It doesn’t take long for those letterboxes to become overfull. This is another green light that indicates that the house is empty.
Hopefully you are on good terms with your next-door neighbor. Enter into an arrangement with them, whereby they notify you when they are away and vice versa. Then, make sure that they check on your home each day. This will be another safeguard should any unusual activity be seen in or around the home.
Before you head out for the airport make sure that your home insurance is up to date and as comprehensive as possible. Do you have an arrangement with your next-door neighbor? When was the last time you checked your home insurance?