Lights Are On But No-One's Home!

Even though my blog posts are pretty varied and general in nature, there are quite a few that are meant to deal with some of the day to day dealings of life, many relating to the insurance industry in which I am employed. 

It seems that there are many aspects of the latter that people don't fully understand or don't know, as well as things that slip people's minds since they're not dealing with them on a daily basis like we are at BlueCircle Insurance.

In light of that, we've been striving to do some 'educational pieces' and 'friendly reminder' posts about a whole variety of items we think may be helpful, including this current post about things you should do when you're planning to be away on a holiday. 

In regards to insurance, you are required to have someone check up on your home and property on a regular basis, generally every 72 hours, though rules are different for each insurer and some require daily checks. If you're not sure, just ask your broker or insurance agent and make sure you know what they require, since non-compliance could result in a claim being denied if some thing were to happen.

 And, just so you know, the reason for having regular checks on your home is fairly simple. If you read my previous posts about water leaks (April 12th 2016 "Water Escape Damage And Mitigation" ) you'll know that a fully burst washing machine water hose can leak as much as 64,000 litres of water in a 24 hour period!! Obviously, the sooner a 'house sitter' notices an issue like this, the less damage caused and the less cost involved in mitigation.

Cartoon by Fiverr

8 tips to protect your home while away on vacation

1. Get a 'House Sitter'. This can be a family member, friend or neighbour but there are also professional service providers who can be hired to do the job. This person can shovel your sidewalk or cut your grass, bring in the mail, maybe feed your cat or dog if required and, of course, do a walk through the house and garage to ensure there's no issues (like that blown washing machine hose!) 
2. Notify a trusted neighbour. Regardless of who's doing the house-sitting it's a good idea to let a neighbour you trust know you're away, since they'll have eyes on your place daily and at various times of the day too. And, of course, let the neighbour know if you've asked or hired someone to look after your place, since they'll likely notice this person on the premises.
3. Don't advertise your absence! Of course you'll let your trusted friends and neighbours that you're away for a vacation but keep it to that small circle. This is especially critical when considering how most people are actively involved in daily social media and doing shout outs about their vacation on Facebook or SnapChat. This may be passing this information on to people you don't know, and who you may not want to know your house is unoccupied during your vacation.
4. Notify the police. Perhaps it won't change a thing but at least if the police know, they may be better prepared for a reaction to a call about suspicious activity or they may just do a drive by once in awhile, perhaps at night, when things are slow.
5. Don't close your curtains. Yes, open curtains allow people to see in but closed curtains in daytime hours are an obvious indicator that something is unusual in the home and signal that the owners may be away. Also, closed curtains keep neighbours for noticing unusual activity inside the house and provide a burglar some cover under which to work.
6. Don't leave the lights on. Just like closed curtains, lights left on means they'll be on all night and this is another signal to everyone that the home is unoccupied. Consider getting a few timers to place on specific lights that will come on and then go off at times that are similar to your normal routine. And, of course, notify the neighbours or house sitter that you've done this too, so they're aware and won't report what may look like suspicious activity to the police.
7.  Consider your electrical. Unplug things like chargers and other such devices that have a reputation for possibly overheating and potentially causing a fire. Some people like to unplug all their appliances and electronics too, to protect against power surges.
8. Consider the Winter weather. Again, a good reason to have that house-sitter coming in for a walk through on a regular basis , since our cold climate means the potential for freezing pipes and burst water lines, should there ever be a power failure or a problem with a homeowners furnace.