Prepare Your Home Before You Head Out of Town

When you leave your home to go on vacation or spend time at another residence, it's necessary to take steps to protect your home from pests, thieves, and potential sources of damage. 

Prepare the Outside of Your Home

• Items you may normally keep in your yard like a ladder, bike, or lawn mower can attract thieves. Move these items into your garage or into storage to keep them out of sight.
• Direct downspouts away from the foundation. Water near your foundation is a recipe for disaster if something were to happen while you’re away.
• Clean your gutters and outside drains. Standing water gives mosquitoes a place to breed and thrive… yikes!
• Monitor and replace damaged roof shingles to prevent any unexpected roof leaks. 
• Mow your lawn. This may seem silly, but for periods of extended travel, arrange for someone else to cut the grass. This gives the presence of a lived in space, even if you aren’t around.

Make Your Home Look Occupied

Use timers to turn street facing lights on and off inside your home. If you're only going to be away a few days, consider asking a neighbor to pick up your mail. Otherwise, you can have the post office suspend mail service during long trips. If you travel more than four months during the year, you may even want to use a P.O. box for regular mail delivery. This keeps your postage, home, and identity secure.

Prevent Water Damage Mishaps

• If your home doesn't use a boiler for heat and doesn't have a sprinkler system, turn off the home's main water shutoff valve. Then, clear water from the plumbing system by turning on all faucets and flushing the toilets.
• For homes with boiler heat, simply turn off the water supply for the dishwasher, washing machine, and the sinks. 
• Leave your HVAC system on. It needs to be set above 55 degrees during winter and below 80 degrees in summer.

Right Before You Go

Wash your dishes and take out your trash to make your home less attractive to pests. Make sure your windows, exterior doors, and pet doors are all locked. Turn on your security system and alert a trusted neighbor, family member, or friend that you are on your way out of town. Don’t advertise your trip on social media if you plan to be away without assisted home supervision.

Jacksonville Water Damage Restoration Services

​At Abba Property Solutions, we take pride in helping our Jacksonville neighbors protect their homes. If you need assistance with emergency water damage restoration and clean up, contact us here or save our number in your phone! You never know when disaster will strike!

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