You may vacate your house for several reasons. You may either find a good job in another state or you might have found your dream house. In a nutshell, you need to move to a new house, but how would you protect your property, till the new owner moves in?
There are chances that your vacant property may fall under the trap of a burglary, vandalism, system failure, elements, or other expensive problems. However, protecting your vacant house till it gets sold is a simple as well as an affordable process. Here are a few tips which we can use to protect a vacant house from both thieves and vandals. But, first, let's understand what a vacant house is and what risky business is.
What is a vacant house?
Here are a few reasons for which a house can be categorized as vacant:
- A short-term rental house doesn’t have tenants during the off-season or a slow period.
- You have moved to a new house and your old property hasn’t yet been sold.
- If you are moving out of property permanently, it would be considered vacant property. However, if you plan to relocate there in the future, it would be called unoccupied property. Still, if you look at it from the viewpoint of insurance, it would be considered as a vacant house.
Risk of Property Damage
If your property remains vacant for a long time, the risk of it getting damaged would be high. It may either get damaged from water or be a victim of theft, leading to a huge loss. Apart from this, a vacant house can attract critters like mice and squirrels who might make your vacant house their permanent home. For example, squirrels can chew the wires and cause a major fire in your unoccupied house.
Tips to protect your home after a move
- Secure the windows and doors- It would be a good idea to lock and secure both the doors as well as the windows of your house before you move out of it. Though it is a basic step, you can even forget it among the other tensions which you could experience.
- Secure the interior- Make sure to fix the thermostat at a stable temperature and change the battery. We recommend you set the temperature high to prevent frozen pipes during the winter. Also, you need to lock the pet’s door and prevent animals, pests as well as other intruders from entering your vacant home.
- Avoid leaving your valuables in a vacant house- Before staging your house for the prospective buyers, ensure to remove all your valuables, including costly television sets or other electronics, Persian rugs, artwork, and jewelry.
- Maintain your yardwork- We recommend you mow the lawn or shovel the driveway as this would give the impression that the property is occupied. It would be a good idea to trim the branches as they might fall and damage your roof when there is a storm. Make sure to clear the clogged gutters, otherwise, it might lead to water damage.
- Turn on the indoor or outdoor lighting- Don't turn off the utility services like lights while you are moving out of a house. This will give the impression that the house is vacant, increasing the risk of theft and burglary. Perhaps, you can set timers for the indoor lighting and allow it to turn on and off at set intervals. Also, you can set the motion sensor lights outdoor, and prevent the thieves from hiding in the shadows. However, you can turn off your Wi-Fi and gas connection while you are away.
- Parking a car in the garage- Parking a car in the driveway will indicate that the house isn’t vacant. Burglars will mostly break into a house when it is unoccupied.
- Request support- You can request your neighbors or friends to keep a watch on your vacant property and report to you if they find anything suspicious. You need to inform the fire and police department before you move that your house would be vacant. You should give them your contact number so that they can inform you in case of an unfortunate event. Here are a few steps you can take to keep your vacant house secured:
- Hire a security guard for your vacant house only if it fits your budget.
- Regular on-site check-ins are necessary, you may ask your friends or neighbors staying in the same area to visit your house at least twice a week.
- If you know a reliable realtor, you can ask them to visit your vacant house and ensure everything is fine.
- Even if a landscaper visits a vacant house weekly, he will understand if anything is missing or if something is wrong with the place.
- Keep the home security system on- Though you won’t be staying in your old house anymore, we suggest you leave your security system on and ensure peace of mind. It seems a good idea to connect your security system with the local police station as well as set up a security sign in the front yard of your house.
- Set a handyman on your speed dial- Always keep a reliable repair person on your speed dial. You can easily call them in case a household appliance is broken or there is a leakage in the faucet. Of course, you don’t want to show a damaged house to your prospective buyers.
- Put the lockbox out of sight- In case your house is still for sale after you move out of it, you may find a lockbox in the house. This lockbox will allow both the agents as well as buyers to come and see your property. Mostly, you will find a lockbox fixed at the front door of the house or other prominent areas at the entrance gate of a vacant house. We recommend you fix the lockbox towards the side of your house and hide it from the view of the people walking across the street. This will reduce the chance of theft and burglary.
- Secure your investment- You should be careful if you have plans to keep your house vacant for more than 30 days. A homeowners insurance policy may not cover any losses that occur while your house is vacant. Preferably, you can talk to your local Rockford Mutual Agent about the various options if your house is vacant for over 30 days. Read more on the insurance policy in the latter part of this guide.
Vacant house insurance
A vacant house can cause several threats both for the homeowner and the insurance company. Since there wouldn't be any occupants in the house, an insurance company would perceive it as a huge liability as compared to that of a normal homeowners insurance policy. In short, your present insurance company will give you an option to add a recommendation and cover your unoccupied property. They may ask you to buy a vacant home insurance policy. Not all vacant insurance policies are the same, perhaps you will need to review your policy to understand what it is going to cover.
Normally, vacant insurance policy covers the following:
- Lightning
- Fire
- Hailstorm
- Wind
- Windstorm
- Explosion
Moreover, you can pay an extra premium and cover liabilities, vandalism as well as vengeful mischief. Basically, this insurance policy will only cover the physical structure of your unoccupied house. However, few such vacant house policies can even increase the limit of your liabilities.
Mitigating the risks
Overall, it would be a good idea to check all the important systems before you move out of the house. A vandal or theft isn’t the only thing to worry about. You need to keep a check for frozen pipes, flooding, fire, and a few other things. Obviously, you can't stop an unforeseen event, but you can at least ensure not to leave your house susceptible to such occurrences.
A vacant house doesn’t always mean that it would be attacked by thieves or a burglar. However, there isn’t any harm if you take appropriate precautions to secure your vacant house from such an unfortunate event. So, don’t forget to inform your local police station that your house will be vacant, and they keep a close eye on your property.