Protecting Your Home While You are Away

Here are a few ideas for protecting your home while you are away.

Watch what you Say
Be careful what you say and where you say it. When you are in a public place or around a lot of people you should be careful not to say anything about taking a vacation or a trip. You never know who could be listening or looking at your address - ie. cashiers at stores and friends of friends. It is very risky. Save your excitement and stories for all of your acquaintances after the trip is over.

House Sitter
It’s always a good idea to get a house sitter when you're on a trip.

The Mail and the Paper
Have a friend or neighbor collect your mail and newspapers for you. It’s often possible to call the post office and newspaper circulation desks to arrange for delivery to be suspended while you're away. But they won't always get the dates exactly right, especially if you call at short notice. A real, live mail collector can also keep advertising fliers and other deliveries from piling up.

Timers
Put timers on your lights and televisions while you are away. Set them so that the various lights go on off at different times so the entire house is not lighted up and then darkened at the same time each day.

Answering Machine
Never leave an outgoing answering machine message saying you're away--it’s dangerous to make that information public knowledge.

Your Yard
If you can, have the person who is watching your house water the flowers or set the sprinkler to water the grass occasionally. You can also purchase a timer to attach to your garden hose and sprinkler. And, if you do not have a yard maintenance service, hire one of the neighbor kids or someone else to cut the grass while you are gone.

. Copyright 2005 by Cardinal Points Travel.
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