Whether you own or rent your home, leaving it to go traveling the world can be nerve-wracking. After all, you are leaving behind your most precious possessions, all of which probably cost at least tens of thousands of dollars. What if something happens? Can you really prepare for all possibilities?
How To Protect Your Home When Traveling
The reality is that there will be risks no matter what you do. This is why insurance is crucial. Renters’ insurance covers your stuff even when you travel – that includes what you take with you and what you leave at home. So, if your possessions are stolen or destroyed while you’re away, you can claim from your insurer. Of course, no one wants to be in that possession. Ideally, your possessions will be there when you return. While there is no guaranteed way to protect your things, here are the steps you can take.
Get a house sitter
There is debate over whether a house sitter makes your home more secure. Naysayers will point out that a house sitter may forget to put the alarm on when they go out, leave the stove on, or invite guests without asking you. In their view, it is safer to lock up your home and activate your alarm, taking the possibility of human error out of the equation. But in our view, a house sitter is well worth it. Yes, they may forget to turn the alarm on every time they leave the home, but the biggest deterrent to thieves is not an alarm system. Rather than knowing someone is in the house.
Burglars do not spend long in a house after breaking in. They are there for mere minutes. If they are well-prepared, they could get in and out before the security company arrives. If they have been monitoring the neighborhood, they will know that no one has been home for a while.
As such, simply having someone occupy your home while you are away makes it far more secure, at least in terms of preventing crime. If you’re worried about your house sitter leaving the stove on, give them thorough instructions and impress the importance of preventing a fire.
Choose someone you know
There are many house-sitting websites out there that will pair you with a house sitter whom they have vetted. However, you may nonetheless be comfortable with leaving a stranger in your home. Furthermore, you may not find it as easy to communicate with them while you are away. If you can, ask someone you know and trust to house sit for you.
While you may be tempted to give the job to a young relative looking to make a few extra bucks, you should be certain that the person is conscientious. Unfortunately, this may exclude many young people who have not had experience looking after a home before.
Install cameras
If cameras are not already part of your security system, consider installing them before you go away. Security cameras give you the opportunity to check in on your home at all times to make sure nothing is going wrong. You can have alerts set for when they detect a person approaching your home, and you can watch from anywhere in the world to see if they are someone who is supposed to be there.
You can also give access to the cameras to your security company. They can check in for you when you are not available. This is especially helpful if you are going somewhere in a different time zone or where internet access is not always readily available. While an alarm only alerts you when someone actually breaks in, you have the use of the cameras at all times. The initial outlay can be somewhat expensive (although not prohibitively so) but once they are up and running, you can rely on them for a long time.
Leaving your home when you travel can be unsettling. Something can go wrong no matter how well you plan, but with a bit of preparation, you can ensure your stuff is as secure as possible.
