Heading out on a vacation is an exciting experience. You’re looking forward to relaxing on a beach or exploring a new city, so it’s easy to forget about everything other than your next adventure. However, if you’re leaving your home empty, there are certain things you should take care of before you leave. From some light plumbing maintenance to locking your home up tight, make sure you properly prepare your home before you get on the plane.
Organize People To Keep An Eye Out
When you leave for an extended period of time, it’s important to make sure your home is cared for as if you had never left. You can ask a neighbor to grab your mail periodically and water any plants you want to keep alive. If you’re going to be gone for several weeks, you can ask the post office to hold your mail while you’re away or even forward your mail to the other address for a time.
Another important thing to keep in mind when leaving for a longer period of time is that you’re leaving your home unprotected. If you have a security system, make sure your alarm company knows when you’ll be out of town. If you don’t have a security system to rely on, ask one of your trusted neighbors to keep an eye out for anything strange. Having that neighbor continue to collect your mail and any packages delivered is a great way to make your home look busy and deter potential intruders in the process.
Set Your Home’s Temperature to Something Reasonable
There’s no need to keep your home at the temperature you live at if there’s no one actually living there. This doesn’t mean you should turn your HVAC system completely off (especially during the winter), but you can either raise or lower your thermostat a few degrees to be more similar to the temperature outdoors while you’re gone. This will help you save a little money while you’re enjoying your time away. If you have a smart thermostat in your home, you can set the thermostat to change back to your desired temperature while you’re on the way back, so you’ll never know the difference.
Shut Off (or at Least Limit) Your Water Supply
If you’re going away for more than a few days, consider shutting off your main water supply to prevent any leaks from happening while you’re away. The longer you let a water leak go, the worse the damage will be to your home and plumbing system, so it’s important to limit the potential of these leaks happening while you’re away. If you don’t want to shut off the main water supply, you can turn off the valves to all relevant sinks and appliances
Pay Your Bills
If you’re going to be gone for a while, make sure you pay all your bills before you go. The last thing you want is to have to log into your bank account and deal with a bill while you’re meant to be relaxing on the beach. If your bills are on autopay, then you’re good to go. If you don’t want to set the bills to pay automatically, make time to pay them before you leave. Consider paying any bills that are due a few days after your planned return date in case something delays your return, so you don’t have to worry about missing a payment.
Take Out Your Trash
Your trash is something that can be easy to overlook when you’re getting ready to head out on vacation, but it’s the one that you might regret. Trash left in your home for days will greet your return with a nasty smell or the visit of various pests. Even if it’s not full, clear your house of trash to make sure you return to a home free of pests (and smells).