Before You Go Away Contact Your MA Homeowners Insurance Agent

Long and short getaways are popular throughout the summer. It’s critical to consider how to safeguard your house and possessions while you are away, regardless of whether you take day trips to the beach or plan a long vacation in Florida. Although break-ins and other sorts of theft are covered by Massachusetts home insurance, it is in your best interest to take every precaution to stop burglars from spotting your house and making it a target.

Your lender will demand New Bedford home insurance for so long as you make mortgage payments, but take the time to visit with your MA homeowners insurance provider to make sure that your interests are also protected. There is no one-size-fits-all homeowner’s insurance coverage for New Bedford. Get the security you require to safeguard everything that matters at a cost you can afford by working with your agent.

Tips from Your MA Homeowners Insurance Agent

Do you know your neighbors well? Do you have enough faith in them to ask them to check on your house while you’re gone, collect any mail or shipments, or make sure the lights are on? What about close relatives and friends? Asking someone to come by your house to feed animals, bring in the mail, water plants, or make sure everything is locked up and as you left it might not be too inconvenient. Give this person your emergency phone number so they can reach you even if you are lying on a beach on an island.

Many households can manage everything from the lights to the thermostat from their cellphones thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT). Even when you are miles away, you can make your house appear occupied with only a few taps of an app. If your house is devoid of IoT gadgets, think about utilizing a traditional timer instead — they work excellent!

BONUS PRO TIP:

Consider requesting that the postal service, UPS, FedEx, and any other delivery services hold your mail and parcels if you won’t have anybody to pick up your mail while you’re away for more than a few days. If you receive a newspaper, be sure to put it “on hold” while you’re away or at the very least, ask a neighbor to pick it up and throw it in the trash for you. The accumulation of mail in the mailbox and documents on the threshold indicates that no one is home, which makes your house a target.

Review Your Homeowners Insurance Policy

Before you leave town, make an appointment to discuss your MA homeowners insurance coverage with your neighborhood agent. Update any information on any remodeling, renovations, significant purchases, and other changes that may have an impact on your coverage. Make sure that everything is current and up-to-date. Massachusetts homes insurance can only pay for what is reported to your provider. If your family circumstances has altered in the last year or so, in particular, inquire as to any additional coverage that may be available for you to add.

If at all possible, avoid leaving pets at home alone. Ask your neighborhood veterinarian in the Greater New Bedford region about boarding options or dependable pet sitters to take care of your animals while you are away. In addition, any MA homeowners insurance brokers will advise you that minute adjustments may also serve as a warning to potential criminals who may be scanning your area for absentee homeowners. Keep your blinds and drapes open while you are away if you typically do so. Closing down everything while you are gone is a surefire indication that nobody is home.

Security Home Insurance in Massachusetts

Making ensuring your house is adequately secured is a requirement of Massachusetts home insurance. Check the locks on all of your home’s doors, windows, garage doors, side doors, and other entrances to be sure nothing is left unlocked or unattended. To increase security, use deadbolt locks whenever practical and additional interior locks on additional entries.

Although you might be concerned that you’ll lose your home key on the beach, avoid leaving it there or anyplace else for that matter. Don’t put it beneath the doormat, in a decorative object or rock that doubles as a key hider, etc. If you must leave a spare key someplace, give it to a dependable member of your family, a close friend, or a neighbor.

Other Things You Can Do

Paying a neighborhood youngster to dispose of your garbage on the curb while you are away is an option. It will maintain appearances and prevent your vacant house from sticking out like a sore thumb on the street lined with garbage cans, even if there are only a few items.

Keep your trip-related social media posts private. Hashtags, location links, and other indicators could as well be an engraved invitation to neighborhood thieves who might be keeping an eye out for posts regarding vacations by residents of New Bedford. Post all of those pictures after you get back; you could need a break from the internet anyway.

Contact Your MA Homeowners Insurance Agent

Call Borden Insurance at 508-999-3636 if you require homes insurance in any South Coast community, including New Bedford or Massachusetts. We can provide you with information on your current policy, address any concerns you may have regarding New Bedford house insurance, and give you with a FREE estimate on new Massachusetts home insurance.