HOW TO LOOK AFTER YOUR HOME WHILE TRAVELING?
While you’re traveling, it’s important to keep your home in a good state, whether you rent your home or you own it.
You may go traveling regularly, or find yourself going away for a longer period of time which means the home might fall into disrepair if it’s not looked after properly.
From getting cleaners and gardeners in, to do something home maintenance every time you’re back at the property, here are some helpful tips to ensure you look after your home while traveling.
1. Keep devices unplugged
With any devices around the home that require an electrical outlet, it’s better to unplug it from the outlet. Depending on where you live, the outlet might come with a switch or it is constantly live.
Unplugging your devices means there’s no chance of a fuse blowing, which may or may not be a fire risk/hazard depending on the outlet and device attached.
It’s always worth unplugging your refrigerator and freezer too as this can be a good time to defrost them both. This might be a bit more challenging if you have a lot of food in them but if you’re going away for a long period of time, then you may want to get rid of or consume the food before leaving anyway.
Unplugging all devices just provides you with that peace of mind that you didn’t think you’d need until you did it.
2. Make sure the home looks occupied
Making sure the home looks occupied is one thing that can be really useful when you want to create deterrents.
When you leave the home looking unoccupied and empty, that’s where thieves will likely take their chances and try to gain access to the home. It’s therefore a good idea to look at ways in which you can make your home look like someone is living there.
For example, having your blinds or curtains closed is useful, as well as timing your lights to come on or music to play quietly during certain times of the day.
You could also ask members of the family to pop by and check on the property so that even if someone were observing the property, they know it’s being used – even if they don’t know that your family members don’t live there.
3. Get a house sitter
A house sitter is great for those periods when you’re away for a shorter travel adventure, as opposed to being away for weeks or months.
However, if you do have the money to get a house sitter for the duration of your travels, then this can offer a great peace of mind that your home is being looked after at all times.
House sitters are a great option and there are plenty out there that are more than willing to do it. The benefits of house sitters are the comfort that comes from house sitting in a property and essentially being paid to live in a home for a short or long period of time. Some will even make it a full-time job to house sit, taking one job to the next.
4. Hire a routine cleaner and/or gardener
A routine cleaner or gardener can be helpful if you’re away for extended periods of time and want to keep up with the general maintenance of your home.
From cleaners that can keep dust from forming and damaging home decor to gardeners who’ll help keep your lawn cut and plants pruned.
While not all property owners or renters will need these services, it can be helpful to have them both in place where possible. Of course, there’s a cost that comes with this, but it’s definitely worth considering if you want to alleviate the pressure of having to do it all yourself or risk having your property damaged simply by not being there enough to keep up with it.
For your backyard, try to keep your landscaping and garden features as minimal as possible. Using a battery leaf blower is a great addition when you want to quickly blow debris off your pathways.
5. Hide your valuables
Valuables should be something you hide and hide well when you’re going away. Whether it’s for a short weekend or a whole month, hiding your valuables is important so that if someone did break in, they’re less likely to find anything too valuable, or equally, sentimental.
Try to create cubby holes and secret underfloor storage that you can hide things in and try not to make it look too obvious that it’s a hidden part of the home.
The more obscure the hiding place is, the less likely it’s going to be found. For example, hiding a piece of jewelry or money in a pair of socks or tucked into some shoes, is unlikely to be rifled through by robbers.
6. Hold your mail
While you’re away, it’s worth having your mail held so that you don’t have a ton of mail building up on your property and potentially causing access problems for yourself when returning.
Not only that but a build-up of mail might make it attractive for those who are looking to steal from your property. If there are packages within easy access on your property, then you might see these being stolen if they’re left there for a long period of time.
7. Tell trusted neighbors
Finally, where it’s appropriate, you might want to let your neighbors know about the travel excursions you are coming up with. This can be helpful when you want extra eyes on the property.
Only tell the neighbors you trust and that you have a good relationship with them. A neighborhood watch is also useful to be a part of but again, it’s worth only sharing information with neighbors you would trust to keep an eye on your property, rather than try to take advantage of your home being vacant.
Looking after your home while traveling is important so use these tips to ensure your property is safe and maintained at all times while you’re away in the future.
