Review your homeowners insurance in Wauwatosa, WI, before heading out on vacation!
Those of us in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin have faced some harsh winters. From rain to ice to snow to hail, the winter can bring us adverse weather. For those who hate being the snow bunny or the water-logged rat, jetting off somewhere hot and sunny for the winter season is a much-loved tradition.
Whether you’re hibernating in the sunshine for the winter, or planning a summer vacation, you’ll want to ensure that your home is left safe and sound.
A vacant home can be awfully tempting for thieves, as well as posing fire and electrical risks from being left alone. The worst time a household calamity can strike is while you’re away on vacation.
Put these basic, safety vacant home tips into practice to leave your home and belongings in good stead over your vacation!
- Keep It Quiet: What better way to tell thieves that your home will be vacant for two weeks than posting your plans all over social media? In this digital era, information is so easily accessible, anyone can see that you’re heading out of town for two weeks and likely leaving your home unattended!
- Phone a Friend: A simple, yet crucial, task is to ask a friend, relative, or trusted neighbor to check up on your house while you’re away. Ask them to bring the mail inside, take out the trash, water your plants, and make sure all is well with your home!
- Warn the Police: Notifying the police before heading out on vacation for longer than a week means that an officer on patrol could swing by your house to check up on it.
- Lights on . . . Anyone Home? Leave a few of your inside lights on a timer so that they turn on and off automatically. From the street, if lights are on, typically it means that someone is home to turn them on.
- Stop the Post: Place a “stop” order on mail and newspapers if your friend isn’t picking them up for you. Nothing says “no one’s home” like piled-up newspapers and an overflowing mailbox.
- Pull the Plug: Unplug your television, computer, toaster, and all other electrical appliances to help protect them from power surges–plus, it saves electricity!
- Shut it Off: Turn off your water while you’re away to prevent leaks and pipe burst!
Before you head out on the road, you’ll want to check (and double-check) that the oven isn’t on, that the key isn’t under the doormat, and that all of your luggage is in the car!
Homeowners insurance can help protect your belongings and home when you’re not there. Contact the insurance professionals at Unisource Insurance Associates for all of your Wauwatosa, Wisconsin homeowners insurance needs!