Erie Mutual Insurance agrees that vacations are good for you but as excited as we get, we cannot forget to protect our homes even when we are away. Home burglary often happens while owners are out of town.
Sharing vacation news, dates, and live updates on social media can potentially increase the chance of being burglarized while away.
HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO AVOID THAT HAPPENING:
1. Have someone watch your home while away; either staying there or checking in each day
2. Program automatic lights
3. Updated locks and alarm system
4. Close and lock your garage, doors, and windows
5. Hire a lawn or snow removal service (if away for a week or longer)
6. Stop your mail or have a neighbour collect it for you
7. Have someone take out your trash
SINCE SOCIAL MEDIA IS A GROWING PORTION OF OUR LIVES, WE DECIDED TO SHARE SOME SOCIAL MEDIA-RELATED TIPS AS WELL:
1.Refrain from posting too much about your vacation beforehand
2. Do not give dates or times
3. Sharing live updates and check-ins can be dangerous
4. Keep all photos and share at the end of your trip after returning back home
5. Set social media accounts to private
In addition to protecting your home from burglars, protecting it from the weather is important too.
Living in the North, we often vacation in the winter months, so that means there are certain portions of our homeowner insurance policy that need to be remembered.
Leaving a faucet dripping to keep your pipes from freezing, it would still be a good idea to hire a house-sitter to ensure your heating was being maintained or the water supply had been shut off and all pipes and appliances drained, you would help to ensure coverage in the case of an incident.
Vacations are an exciting time and everyone wants to share, but here at Erie Mutual Insurance we want to remind you there is a risk in sharing too much. Travellers create a pre-vacation checklist with what to pack, how much money to take, etc., so why not make a security checklist too?
Erie Mutual Insurance proudly serves the commercial insurance, farm insurance, home insurance and auto insurance needs of members throughout Southern Ontario including Haldimand, Niagara and Hamilton.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have about this or any other topic related to your insurance.
