Melissa
HELLLOOOOO summer! The kids are out of school, pools are open, the beaches are bustling, and the summer vacation season has arrived! Yep, this is DEFINITELY my most favorite time of year! It doesn’t matter if you rent, live on the installation, or own your home. When it comes to leaving your home for anything longer than a few days some simple steps should be taken to make sure everything is still intact upon your return. I am sure you have heard most of this before, but a little reminder is always helpful, especially when you are busy with other more important things…. like deciding which sandals to pack (I vote all of them).
Stop your mail/newspaper delivery. The post office has now made holding your mail easy! The process can now easily be done online. In our experience, holding your newspaper is a simple phone call away. The phone number can typically be found in your daily newspaper edition, so no need to search for the number. No excuses! Hold your mail and newspapers while you are gone. Nothing screams “Come on in, no one is home” like a mailbox full of mail and a stack of newspapers outside your door.
Do a “burglar sweep.” Walk around the inside of your house and make sure that ALL the windows are locked. I understand this is a “no brainer,” but I sometimes have a bad habit of opening a window to let the summer breeze in, and shutting it without locking it. Double checking is always a good idea. Walk around the outside of your home and secure items that could be used to break into your house. Have a ladder by your shed? Heavy items that could be used to break windows? What about any bikes, toys, tools, or lawn equipment left outside that could easily go missing if someone notices that you are gone?
Share a key. Make sure a trusted local area friend or neighbor has a key to your house so if an emergency arises, they have easy access. If you are going to be gone longer than a week, it might be a good idea to have someone come in and do a walkthrough of your house every so often to make sure things are intact. Nothing would be worse than coming home to a busted pipe that flooded your house, or an air conditioner that went out, turning your home into a mold wonderland. If you are planning a very long trip, a Power of Attorney could be helpful in case your trusted friend needs to call in repairs on your behalf.
Alert your neighbors. If you are on good “neighborly” terms with your immediate neighbors, let them know you will be away and make sure they have your cell phone number. They can be your eyes and ears while you are away. Make sure they know about anyone you have coming by your home (like a pet sitter/house sitter) so they don’t “over help” by calling the police!
Let installation housing know. If you live on the installation, depending on how long you plan to be gone you will need to let the housing office know. Here in Okinawa, if you leave your dwelling longer than fourteen days you need to notify housing and fill out an “Absence of Unit” form designating someone over eighteen to maintain your quarters while you are gone. Many rental properties also require notification if you will be gone for an extended period of time. Check your lease agreement to make sure you are in compliance.
Don’t allow your yard to turn into a jungle. This is along the same lines as having mail and newspapers piled up. An overgrown lawn can only mean one of two things: Broken lawnmower or whoever lives there is not home (or sometimes, in my case, it means my husband is deployed and I am delaying the inevitable of HAVING to mow). Arrange for lawn care with a friend, neighbor, or lawn service.
Make your home look lived in. If you can swing it, have someone stop by and turn on lights, turn off lights, and open/close curtains so your house doesn’t have the vacant look. Or install timers for your lights. These timers can easily be purchased at your local hardware store and are easy to set up.
Natural disasters don’t follow your schedule. Summertime also means an uptick in inclement weather. Hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flooding are more prone to happen during the hot, humid summer months. If this occurs in your area while you are gone, have a friend ready to check the house and assess any damage for you. That way you are prepared to start making insurance phone calls and you are mentally prepared if you are coming home to a house with no roof. When we lived on the coast, I did “drive bys” of friends’ homes after hurricanes or damaging winds struck and reported any visible damage.
Do NOT announce you are gone on social media sites. Social media ROCKS, no doubt about that! However, keep your vacation off your status updates and tweets until you are home. Privacy settings change all the time so you may think you are only announcing to your friends that you are leaving, but you never really know who will see that post. Finding someone’s house in the era of information technology is typically just a few mouse clicks away on a search engine.
I hope these tips offer some helpful reminders to keep your home safe while you are off having fun and relaxing!