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If you subscribe to a home security monitoring service, ensure placing your
telephone on “vacation service” will not interrupt the monitoring of your
home while you are away.
Unplug your answering machine if it will not be in use.
Contacts & Regular Visits
Advise a neighbour that a reliable person will be checking your home, and
provide your neighbour with the telephone number of that person.
Advise a reliable person of your departure and return dates.
Ask a trustworthy person to inspect the interior of your home. During “normal
home heating months” many insurance companies require that you have
someone check your home at least once a week (if not more often) to mainly
ensure pipes have not frozen or ruptured, etc.
Check with your home/apartment insurance broker for any specific “away”
requirements. Many insurance policies have clauses that will void coverage if
your property is left unoccupied and unattended for extended periods of time.
Not all insurance policies or insurance companies have the same rules.
Consider contacting your local police (phone numbers can be found in the
blue pages of the telephone directory) to let them know your home will be
unoccupied and who will have a key to the premises.
Consider contracting a house-sitting service if a trustworthy person cannot make
regular visits to your home during your absence.
Lighting & Sound
Change the light bulbs on all interior lighting in consideration of house sitters
and/or automatic timing devices.
Install multiple automatic timers to give the impression of residents moving
through the home.
Stagger your lights and radios by setting the timers in different rooms to go
on and off at different times – this gives the impression of residents moving
through the rooms.
Personal Belongings
Ask a reliable person to inspect the interior of your property whenever possible.
Identify your belongings by engraving or indelible marking.
Photograph or videotape each room of your home and the contents of drawers
and closets.