Going away for the Holidays?

Here are a few things that you should keep in mind if you’re planning on being away for the Holidays.

1. Arrange for a relative or neighbour to come into your house every 24hrs in the winter

2. Have the person checking your house run the water and flush the toilets

3. If you plan on being away for more than a week in the winter, it is recommended that turn off your main water supply. This doesn’t take the place of someone checking on the house, and don’t forget to let them know that you have shut the water off so that they don’t suspect a pipe-freeze

4. Ask a neighbour to put some garbage out in front of your house on garbage day

5. Have someone bring in flyers, newspaper and mail, or have your mail held for the time you’ll be away

6. Set timers to activate lamps in several rooms, especially those that can be seen from the front and back of the house

7. Arrange for someone to shovel your sidewalk and driveway if it snows

8. Offer your driveway to neighbours to park visiting cars

Remember anything you can do to make your house look occupied will be a deterrent to criminals and offer you peace of mind while you are away.

Mark Carruthers is a Registered Insurance Broker with Pioneer Insurance Brokers in Kitchener, Ontario.
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