When you own a vacation home, cabin, or other property, it’s essential to take steps to protect it from potential damage when you can’t personally monitor its safety. Many factors can lead to property damage when you’re away. Animals such as squirrels, raccoons, deer, and even bears may try to gain entry into your home to find food. Intense heat or ice also presents risks for property damage. This article will explore several strategies for preventing property damage when you’re away from your cabin or other vacation home.
Install Security Lighting and Sensors
When you own a vacation home, you may also have a garage, storage shed, or other outbuildings on the property. These structures are often targets of theft because thieves can use these items for nefarious purposes. For example, thieves can use stolen cars, boats, and other vehicles to commit crimes that have nothing to do with your property. On the other hand, burglars may target your outbuildings in hopes of accessing items inside that are of value to you. If you own a vacation home with outbuildings, you can protect the items inside by installing security lighting and sensors. Security lights with motion sensors can illuminate the areas around your outbuildings and let you know if someone is trying to break in or lurking around your property at night. Sensors can detect vibrations or sound, such as people trying to break in.
Look Into Storage for Vehicles, Boats, Recreation Equipment
If you own a vehicle, boat, or other large items you don’t want to leave on the property while you’re away, consider storing them in a nearby storage facility. These facilities will usually store large items for an affordable cost; for example, boat storage offers out-of-water storage space for added protection. They may even provide insurance for your items. Ask about short-term and long-term storage rates to find out which option is right for you.
Install Monitoring Equipment
When you’re not on vacation, you can set up monitoring equipment to let you know if something goes wrong at your vacation home. Monitoring equipment can detect and report water leaks, floods, carbon monoxide leaks, excessive temperatures, and many other issues. You can choose monitoring equipment with various features, such as sensors that let you know when something goes wrong and a dialer that calls a designated contact in an emergency. The dialer lets you or another person know about the problem at your home so that the situation can be resolved promptly without endangering anyone.
Register For Police Checks
When you own a vacation property, many police departments allow you to register for vacation property checks. This physical monitoring presence can deter unwanted intruders and ensure an added layer of security for your property.
Many municipalities will place a 30-day limit on properties that are primarily designed for those going away on vacation for short periods. This can leave you without extra protection if you are away from your vacation property for significant periods.
However, suppose you own a vacation property in a popular vacation location. In that case, police departments will be well aware of the comings and goings of second homeowners and be used to patrolling the streets looking for something out of the ordinary.
(Disclaimer: This content is a partnered post. This material is provided as news and general information. It should not be construed as an endorsement of any investment service. The opinions expressed are the personal views and experience of the author, and no recommendation is made.)
