The holiday season is upon us! It always seems to come around quickly, and before you know it, it's time to carve the turkey and put up your Christmas tree. However, before you bust out your fuzzy socks for a cozy winter getaway, you need to ensure your home will be safe before you go on vacation. So, how exactly can you ensure apartment's safety while you're away from home? We're glad you asked. In this blog, we'll tell you how to vacation proof your home!
1. Don't post social media announcements
When you're planning to leave home to go on vacation, it's best if you don't alert the entire virtual world about your plans. While it may seem perfectly harmless to post about your upcoming getaway, resist the temptation to share too much information. For instance, you can share your itinerary with your family members or even post on "Close Friends" on Instagram. Essentially, only the people you trust with your home should know you're going away. Otherwise, you run the risk of potential troublemakers finding out your home is empty and deciding to break in. This is the first thing to note about apartment safety when it comes to protecting your home while on vacation.
2. Prepare your apartment
When you return from a trip, you want to be able to jump back into your regular routine as soon as possible. To make sure you are able to do that, it's best to organize and clean your space before you go away. This will protect and prepare your home for a long absence.
How to vacation proof your home
Take out the trash, wash dishes, vacuum floors, do laundry (make sure the lint filter is clean), and clean out the pantry. Plus, there are several other measures you can take to ensure apartment safety:
First, double check that all windows and doors are locked. Smart bulbs and locks are a good investment, so you can turn on lights to make it look like someone is home.
Confirm with your pet sitter, plant caretaker, or the post office that they still plan to help you while you’re away. You can do a temporary change of address or place a hold on your mail while you’re gone.
Lastly, if you have any extra keys, make sure that you take them up. Valuables and/or important documents should be placed in fire safe lock boxes.
3. Get renters insurance
If you don't have renters insurance already, you should look into buying a policy before you leave your home to go on vacation.
What is renters insurance?
Renters insurance provides protection for your belongings. It covers the cost of replacing or repairing damaged or stolen property, as well as any additional living expenses you may incur if you are displaced from your home due to theft, fire, flood, or any other unexpected calamity.
How will renters insurance ensure apartment safety?
On the off-chance that your property or personal belongings are damaged, you will be able to recover the losses depending on the kind of policy you buy. For example, the costs of your expensive laptop or your limited edition books can be restored by a renters insurance policy. Therefore, renters insurance is a solid way to vacation proof your home in case anything unexpected like a break in, leak, or explosion happens.
Related: A Simple Guide to Choosing Renters Insurance
4. Apartment monitoring from a distance
If you travel frequently, or you're going on a long vacation, you might want to consider investing in some app-controlled cameras. There are various options to choose from when it comes to apartment security - from basic technology to advanced systems and cameras that can help you monitor your home from a distance. If you don't have the financial bandwidth to purchase a full-scale, camera-monitored home security system, you can invest in cameras that connect with your smart home devices.
This way, wherever you might be in the world, you can access footage of your home in real-time to give yourself peace of mind.
5. Manage bill payments
When you're thinking of apartment safety, you probably don't think about bill payments. To effectively vacation proof your home, sort all of your outstanding fees and payments before you go away.
Loop in your landlord
No one wants to come home from a vacation and have a surprise bill waiting for them. To avoid that, try to pay your bills before you leave, or sign up for auto-payments, so that you can just relax while you’re away. Make sure you check your lease and with your landlord to see what arrangements might need to be made in advance of your getaway!
Related: 12 Questions To Ask Your Landlord Before Signing A Lease
Apartment safety: wrapping up
The bottom line is to vacation proof your home. You not only have to take care of the physical safety of the apartment, but also the monetary obligations that come with renting a home. Apartment safety measures such as investing in a renters insurance policy, app-controlled cameras, leaving your home tidy, and organization will go a long way toward helping you relax on vacation!