10 Things to Protect Your New Bedford Home While on Vacation
Summer is the season for vacations – both long and short. Whether you take a weekend road trip to the beach or spend a few weeks at a theme park with a mouse, it’s crucial to think about how to protect your home and belongings while you are away. Home insurance in Massachusetts can cover losses associated with break-ins and other types of theft, but it is in your best interest to do everything you can to deter criminals from spotting out your home and making it a target.
New Bedford home insurance is required by your lender for as long as you pay a mortgage, but take time to meet with your MA homeowners insurance provider to ensure that your interests are protected as well. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all policy for New Bedford homeowners insurance. Work with your agent to get the protection you need to protect everything that matters at a price you can afford.
Tip #1 – Ask for Help
Do you know your neighbors? Do you trust them enough to ask them to look in on your home while you are away, pick up any flyers or packages, make sure your lights are on? What about friends and family? If it isn’t too inconvenient, consider asking someone to stop by your home to water plants, feed pets, bring in the mail, or check to ensure that everything is locked up and just as you left it. Provide this person with emergency contact information so you can be reached even if you are basking on a beach somewhere on an island.
Tip #2 – Use a Timer or IoT App
Thanks to the power of the Internet of Things (IoT), many homeowners can control everything from the lights to the thermostat from their smartphones. Just a tap of an app can help you to make your home look lived in even when you are miles away. If you don’t have IoT devices in your home, consider using an old-fashioned timer – they work great!
Tip #3 – Hold the Mail and Papers
If you will be gone for more than a few days and don’t have anyone to retrieve your mail for you, consider contacting the postal service, UPS, FedEx, and any other delivery companies and have them hold your mail and packages. If you get a newspaper, make sure to put it “on hold” while you’ll be gone or at least ask a neighbor to pick it up and toss it for you. Mail in the box and papers on the doorstep piling up is a sure sign that no one is home and makes your home a target.
Tip #4 – Board Your Pets
You don’t want to leave pets home alone without supervision if you can help it. Contact your local veterinarian in the Greater New Bedford area to ask about boarding opportunities or pet sitters that you can trust to take care of your pets while you are gone.
Tip #5 – Don’t Make Obvious Adjustments
Many MA homeowners insurance agents will tell you that subtle changes can also be a sign to burglars who might be watching your neighborhood for residents on vacation. If you normally keep your blinds and draperies open, keep them open while you are gone. Closing everything up while you are away is a sure sign that no one is home.
Tip #6 – Check All the Locks
Part of home insurance in Massachusetts is making sure that your home is locked up properly. Check all doors, windows, garage doors, side doors, and other entries to your home to ensure that all locks are working properly and that nothing is forgotten. Use deadbolt locks whenever possible and extra interior locks on alternative entrances to provide extra security.
Tip #7 – Ditch the Hide-a-Key
Sure, you might be worried that you’ll lose your house key on the beach, but don’t leave it under the doormat, in a hide-a-key rock or decorative item, or anywhere else for that matter. If you must leave an extra key somewhere, leave it with a trusted family member, friend, or neighbor.
Tip #8 – Garbage Night
Consider paying a neighbor kid to put your trash out on the curb while you are away. Even if there are only a few items, it will still keep up appearances and not make your empty house stand out like a sore thumb on the street full of trash cans.
Tip #9 – Social Media
Avoid posting on public social media about your trip. Hashtag-we-are-in-Florida might as well be an engraved invitation to local burglars who might be watching for New Bedford locals that are posting about their vacations. Post all those pics after you return, you could use some time away from the internet anyway.
Tip #10 – Meet With Your New Bedford Home Insurance Agent
Schedule an appointment to discuss your MA homeowners insurance policy with your local agent before you go out of town. Update any information on renovations, remodeling, and major purchases that you have made, as well as anything else that might affect your coverage. MA homeowners insurance can only cover what is reported to your provider, so make sure that everything is up-to-date and current. Ask about any extra coverage that might be available for you to add, especially if your family situation has changed any in the past year or so.
Get a FREE Quote
If you need New Bedford homeowners insurance or MA homeowners insurance anywhere in the SouthCoast communities, contact Borden Insurance by calling 508-999-3636. We can answer any questions you might have about New Bedford home insurance, provide you with details on your existing policy, or offer a FREE quote on new home insurance in Massachusetts.