Tips for Preparing Your Home for A Long-term Trip

Are you planning on leaving your home and going on a long-term trip? If the answer is yes, then you probably know how stressful it is to constantly worry about what is going on inside your home, whether it is a house or an apartment.

You have every right to feel anxious.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where burglary is common. And being forgetful actually  for these long-term trips is more than common. There were many situations where people forgot to turn off their iron or did not turn off the water and similar.

Yes, there are many things that can go wrong while you are on vacation. Luckily, we are here to help you out. Here is a list of all the things you need to do in order to prepare your home for a long-term trip.

Lock All the Doors and Windows

Of course, it goes without saying that locking up all the doors and windows of your home is a must. But you will be surprised at how many people forget to do it.

It is understandable, we all know how stressful organizing and packing for a long trip can be. So, in order not to forget this step, write it down somewhere, put a reminder in your phone or similar. Lock all the doors, back and front, garage doors, basement doors. If you have pets, lock the pet door too. If your windows can be locked as well, do that too before leaving your home for long term travel.

When you lock your doors, do not hide the keys! Take them with you or leave them with your trusted neighbour! Alt.tag: A key.

Ask Your Neighbours for Help

Whether you live in a home or in an apartment, you must let your closest neighbours know that you are going on a long-term trip. Give them the most important numbers and the keys of your front door and garage.

It is also a good idea to ask those trusted neighbours to go into your house every once in a while to make sure that everything is all right and to water the plants. Ask them to bring in any mail or packages left in front of your door too.

Having reliable neighbours, and true friends is a must in this kind of situation.

Invest in Light Timers

When going on a trip, either on a weekend or something even longer, you must enhance the appearance of occupancy. This is something you should do even if you are just going on a dinner or even if you moved, but still waiting for movingkings.com to relocate your belongings.

That is, you must make your home looks like somebody is there. That is the best way to push away any burglars. So, invest in light timers. You can buy those cheap, old-fashioned ones, or some of those newly programmed ones. Both of them do basically the same thing – turn on the lights automatically every night.

 If you do not want to invest in light timers, at least ask your neighbors to keep the front light on every night. Alt.tag: A house.

Place Your Valuables in a Deposit Box or Storage Unit

If you have some really expensive jewelry, art, or any old family heirlooms, it would be a good idea to keep them somewhere safe. If you have someplace secluded and secure in your own home, place the valuable items in there. If you do not have anything like that, consider some alternatives.

If you do not want to leave your valuables with your neighbors, you have two options – keep your jewelry at a safe bank deposit box or find a safe place for your valuable belongings in Lake Worth like a storage unit.

Use the Dog Bowl Trick

This is a very old trick, but many people claim it works. One thing is for sure, it can not do you any harm. Basically, what you have to do is put a large bowl in your yard. You can also add some old, big chains too. This will create the impression that you have a large and scary dog. And, this will hopefully make burglars think twice before they enter your home. To be even more realistic, put a ‘Beware of the dog’ sign on your gate too! Do these things even if you are traveling together with your dog.

 Do everything in your power to create an illusion that you have a big dog wandering the yard. Alt.tag: Beware of dog sign.

Install a Web Camera System

We live in the 21st century with high-speed internet, good quality cameras and the ability to see live streaming videos 24/7. Take advantage of that!

It is a great way to stay safe and to make sure that your home is protected. Not only will those cameras push way any burglars, but they will also record everything that is going on while you are away. Just make sure that these cameras are visible and that you have them on your front and back doors.

If the installation of these cameras seems too expensive, consider getting fake ones. They can scare off burglars too.

Stop Mail Delivery

Every day we receive a couple of bills, magazines, newsletters and who knows what. And when you are on a long term trip like traveling to Sri Lanka, or anywhere else in the world, these couple of letters can turn into hundreds of them. It would be best to stop mail delivery for the time you are away. However, if that is not possible, again, ask your neighbors for help. Tell them to collect your mail, bills or any packages and place them inside your home.

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