If you are planning a fall vacation, make sure you take a few minutes to ensure your home and car are protected while you are on the road, advises the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
“If you take 15 minutes to check off each point on the IBC Top 10 list, you’ll go a long way to preventing thefts and accidents that could damage your biggest assets – your home and car,” says Ralph Palumbo, Vice-President, Ontario, IBC.
Here are IBC’s top 10 tips for preparing your home and car for vacation:
- Ask a trusted neighbour or friend to check on your home every few days.
- Have someone collect your mail and/or newspapers, park a car in your driveway and check your home for any damage. Make sure they know how to reach you.
- Make your home look lived in.
- Noticeable differences in your home’s usual appearance can hint that you are away. Consider using timers that turn lights on and off automatically, and leave curtains and blinds as normal (removing valuables from sight).
- Disconnect electronics.
- Unplug TV sets, stereos, computers and other electronic devices, or plug them into a surge protector.
- Inspect your home before you leave.
- Put away bicycles and gardening equipment, and lock your shed. It’s also helpful to keep trees and shrubs trimmed so your house is in plain view.
- Update your home inventory and take photos or videos of its contents.
- Double-check that all doors and windows in your home are locked.
- If you have a security system, set it before you go.
- If possible, load luggage into your car in your garage.
- Close car windows, lock the doors and keep keys in a safe spot.
- Don’t leave car keys visible in your house. Instead, keep the keys with you.
- Remove valuables from your car.
- Keep your car registration and proof of insurance with you.
- Thieves may try to falsify information if they find your registration and proof of insurance.
- Don’t announce your vacation plans in casual conversations or emails, or on social media sites.
- Social media can reach further than you expect. Don’t alert potential thieves to your absence. Only post travel pictures when you return.
PROTECT YOUR HOME WITH THE CLUB’S MONITORED HOME SECURITY SYSTEM – ASK FOR DETAILS (416) 925-1111
