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Protecting Your Home While You're Away
It's always a good idea to get a house sitter when you're on a trip. But if that's not possible, there are steps you can take to protect your home while you're away. (You will still need to enlist someone's help, though.) The following tips will help keep your home safe from theft and damage while you're traveling.
- Never leave an outgoing answering machine message saying you're away--it's dangerous to make that information public knowledge.
- Arrange for someone to do seasonal maintenance while you're gone, such as mowing, raking, or snow removal. Letting the yard work go is a sure sign no one's home.
- Have a friend or neighbor collect your mail and newspapers for you. It's often possible to call the post office and newspaper circulation desks to arrange for delivery to be suspended while you're away. But they won't always get the dates exactly right, especially if you call at short notice. A real, live mail collector can also keep advertising fliers and other deliveries from piling up.
- Put timers on lights. Yes, having the lights on when no one's home is a little wasteful. But you can partially compensate by making sure you've turned off appliances that are often left on, such as computers, VCRs, and microwave ovens. (If you can consume all your perishables before you leave, you may even be able to turn off your refrigerator while you're away.)
- Double-check that door and window locks work properly, especially in older homes where doors and windows may not fit tightly anymore.
- Make sure your smoke detector is functioning.
- Remember that water expands when frozen. If you live in a place where the temperature may dip into the thirties, keep the heat on just enough to ensure that pipes won't freeze and burst.
- Tell someone where you've gone. As luxurious as it may sound to take a vacation from phone calls, make sure at least one person knows where you are so that you can be reached in an emergency.
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Traveler Advice