Do you have a vacant property, maybe you in between tenants for your rental property? Leaving on vacation soon? Or are you a tenant who is leaving on holiday vacation soon, maybe home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It is paramount that your rental property is safe while you are away. Making sure your rental property is safe while you are away, and that this consideration is a part of Coeur d’Alene property management. Vacation is often filled with lots of planning and getting caught in the hustle and bustle means some things get overlooked. It’s easy to think that simply locking the doors is all you need to do to protect your rental house while you’re traveling. However there is a little more to it then that and you leave yourself vulnerable to all sorts of issues. The FBI estimates that there are at least 2.5+ million home break-ins per year and this translates to a home burglary every 13 seconds. But have no fear there are preventative measure you can take to make sure your assets are protect while you enjoy your vacation, Real Property Management Coeur D’Alene has a few tips that can help to keep your rental property safe.
• Unplug the Garage Door Opener – Did you know that burglars use universal garage door remotes to open the door and then enter the house. Don’t let this happen to you. Unplug the garage door before you leave and easily detour buglers.
• Unplug Smart Devices – There are a lot of perks to having our homes equipped with latest smart technology but it also leave you susceptible to your network being hacked. Turn off and unplug all your smart appliances and anything that isn’t plugged into a surge protector. You’ll also save money and be protected against any power issues while you’re gone since some TVs and charging units actually continue to draw power even when they are turned off.
• Get a Security System – Speaking of smart systems, there is a pleathers of small and affordable options for front back camera that even connect to your phone. That means you can stay in the know with peace-of-mind while you are gone.
• Don’t Leave a Spare Key Outside – There’s no need to leave a spare key in obvious places such as under the welcome mat, in the light fixture, or taped to the window.
• Hold the Mail – Your rental may only be receiving a bit of junk mail, but having that pile up is a sign to thieves that no one is around. Fortunately, the USPS has made it much easier by allowing you to hold your mail online And set the dates of your travel.
• Social Media Smarts – We normally don’t associate social media with Coeur D’Alene property management, but thieves can monitor social media to see when a landlord is gone. There’s no need to broadcast your whereabouts to the world, but in case you do want to make your friends envious of that gorgeous tan you’re nursing in the Caribbean sun, you can edit who gets to see your posts. Enable your privacy settings so that only your close friends and family know where you are.
• Time Those Lights – you can easily give the perception of being home without being home. Like the scenes from Home Alone where he builds contraptions or changes the lights in different rooms to make the buglers think more people are home. You do not have to go to this extent but one thing you can do is time your lights and will give the impression that someone is in the house, especially if a couple of lights are going on and off at different times.
• Ask a Friend for Help – While you’re on vacation, ask one of your rental home’sneighbors to pull your trash cans out or just visit the house so it looks like it’s being lived in. The more it looks like someone is home, the less likely thieves will think about doing any damage.
Following the above tips can help protect your property will give you piece-of-mind and confidence to truly enjoy your vacation this holiday season.
Would you like to learn more about Coeur D’Alene Property Management? Please contact us for more information.
