How to Protect Your Property When you Travel - Home Maintenance

If like many homeowners you worry about leaving your home when you travel, learn to protect your property before you leave. In this article we offer you some excellent tips on how to prepare including a time table, a count down of key steps before you leave to ensure your home is safe and sound on your return.

Protect Your Property When You Travel: A Homeowner’s Maintenance Timeline

Going on vacation? Learn how to protect your property before and after you leave.

Photo credit – Precious Madubuike

Wait. Not so fast. Before you start throwing bikinis and goggles into your suitcase, let’s talk about something far more important…

Your home. Because…

Vacations can be a disaster waiting to happen. And that doesn’t mean leaving the coffee pot on.

Break ins

Homeowners who leave for vacation without a security system are 300% more likely to be burglarized.

Even worse? The majority of break-ins occur between 10am-3pm while your neighbors believe you’re at work.

Home burglaries are bad. But they aren’t the only thing you have to worry about while you’re away. There are several critical services you should schedule beforehand — namely septic services. Failure to prepare could leave you with backed-up toilets when you get back.

Prevention is always better than the cure.

At HouseSitMatch.com we always recommend finding housesitters as soon as you have planned your trip so that you know you’ll have someone living in while you are away to protect your property.

Flooded basements

Flooded basements. You name it. That’s why it’s important to schedule comprehensive septic tank repairs at least a month before any long-term vacations. If your system has been giving you trouble (i.e. slow drains, gurgling toilets), have a professional come check it out before you leave. You don’t want to come home to an overflowing septic tank and need emergency services. A sewage disaster can damage your home and cost you thousands of dollars.

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The Not-So-Fun Statistics Every Vacating Homeowner Should Know

Time for a few cold, hard facts.

Did you know that a home in the United States is burglarized every 26-51 seconds?

Yep. And here’s another alarming statistic:

34% of burglars enter homes through the front door.

Most people know these stats. Here’s what they don’t know:

Your homeowners insurance can deny your claim if your house has been vacant for more than 60 days (some home insurance policies will not cover you if your home is vacant for as little as 30 days). Protect your property!

protect your property when you're away — If you are away from home for any length of time, protect your property
Photo credit – Tanya Barrow

Yup. That six week Europe tour you’ve been planning? Could invalidate your insurance policy if the worst happens. And by the way, the average homeowners loss due to burglary is $2,661.

Hopefully that gives you a better idea of why it’s important to protect your property while you’re away. Here’s what you can do, when.

Week-by-Week Vacation Home Maintenance Timeline

Work with our planning schedule to help you protect your property in your absence.

Week 4: The groundwork

The first week is all about laying the foundation for a stress-free vacation.

Phase 1: Septic services. Kidding you not — start here. If you’ll be gone for a month or more, you need your septic tank pumped. Why? Your system is a living ecosystem. A complex balance of bacteria that breaks down waste matter trapped in your tank. When your house isn’t “fed” regularly, these bacteria can starve and die. Septic tanks should be pumped every 3-5 years, give or take depending on your usage.

Phase 2: The rest…

Schedule your HVAC inspection.
Test your security systems and alarms.
Check your homeowners insurance policy to make sure you’re not in violation of any vacancy laws.
If you have grass, take care of lawn service or snow removal before you leave.

Week 3: Plumbing and systems

This is where things start to get real.

Head inside and do a deep dive on your home’s plumbing. Check under sinks for any leaks. Turn all of your faucets on and off to make sure nothing is dripping. Don’t forget to check those toilets for running toilets!

Even the smallest drip can equate to gallons of water wasted per day. And on the subject of wasting…

Running toilets can kill your septic system. If you haven’t had your toilets looking their best, this is a great time to schedule service. Constant water flowing into your tank can overload and destroy your drainfield.

a plumber fixing a toilet — Apart from security, housesitters protect your property because they can call in the professionals to fix a small problem before it becomes a big and expensive problem in your absence.
Photo credit – Timur Shakerzianov

Other musts:

Install water leak detectors
Change the batteries in your smoke detectors.
Clean your gutters. Seriously. You never know when Mother Nature is going to throw a hissy fit.

Week 2: Home Security

Time to toughen up…

Burglars are scared of alarm systems. In fact, 83% will look for an alarm before they target a home. So make sure yours is in good, working order. Consider the following tips:

Install timers on indoor lighting
Install motion sensors outdoors
Trim back bushes close to windows and doors.

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Week 1: Tieing up loose ends

Now it’s getting serious. This is the stuff that absolutely needs to happen before you head out the door.

Shut off water main. This will stop your water heater from running while you’re gone. And yes, it’s recommended to shut off your water system entirely.

Septic system prep:

Run clean water through all drains (you don’t want drains backing up into your house when you return)
Avoid using excess water the day before you leave
Don’t dump chemicals that can kill good bacteria inside your tank

Set your thermostat to “vacation mode.” If you’re leaving in the summer, set your thermostat to about 78-80 degrees. Higher than that and you risk mold and mildew buildup from humidity. Don’t go any lower than 55 degrees in the winter. You don’t want returning home to a frozen pipe disaster.

48 Hours Before Departure

Okay, almost there. Make sure you have worked on the inside to protect your property, your home:

Call your security company and let them know your travel dates.
Hold mail and newspaper delivery.
Unplug small appliances.
Clean out your fridge.
Take out the trash.

Double check your sump pump if you have one. Go inside and make sure it’s still working.

In-depth: Septic Systems

Alright. Let’s zoom in on septic tanks for a minute.

Why? Because if yours goes in the time you’re gone, you’re going to regret not doing something about it sooner.

Your septic system is alive. Thousands of gallons of good bacteria constantly feeding off the water you use to shower, clean dishes, laundry and more. When you leave for vacation, all that good bacteria has nothing to feed on.

Septic services recommend…

Pumping your system before any vacations lasting a month or more.
“Run” your water once a week while you’re gone. Have a neighbor flush toilets and run your faucets.
Hold off on enzyme treatments before you leave.
If you’re gone for 2+ months, have a professional come check it out before you go.

Emergency septic repairs cost homeowners thousands. Don’t be that person.

Insurance Issues Nobody Warned You About

Here’s the scary part.

Your homeowners insurance policy has a vacancy clause. If your home has been vacant for more than 60 consecutive days, your insurance company can deny your claim.

What doesn’t apply after 60 days?

Vandalism
Malicious mischief
Water damage
Theft

So what do you do?

Call your insurance company. Seriously. Better safe than sorry.

Creating a Custom Vacation Checklist

As mentioned earlier, not every home is the same. But here are a few suggestions to get you started to ensure you have taken every step to protect your property.

Inside the home:

Shut off main water
Water heater (off/vacation)
HVAC settings adjusted
Unplug appliances
Activate security system

Outside the home:

Disconnect hoses
Secure pool / hot tub
Test motion lights

System Specific:

Septic tank pumped / inspected
HVAC air filter changed
Test sump pump

How to Protect Your Property in Conclusion

Don’t let your vacation turn into a disaster, prepare well ahead of your trip to protect your property in the very best way possible.

Vacations are exciting. People spend all year saving for this moment. To not enjoy the trip because of paranoia about the house is a huge buzzkill.

Preparation is the key. The worst thing you can do is wait until the last minute to try and figure this stuff out. Waiting = not enough time.

The clock starts ticking when you book your travel. Contact septic services, lawn care and HVAC companies to see what can be done about your house before you go. Get security, water and HVAC settings configured early on so you don’t have to worry about them later.

That leaves you 48 hours to do last-minute things like taking out the trash and cleaning your fridge.

You’ve worked hard for this vacation. Don’t stress about what’s happening at home!

Take care of these things beforehand and relax.

It’s your vacation. Enjoy it.