Safety Precautions for Rentals

Joline

Safety Precautions for Holiday Seasons

Thanksgiving and Christmas are some of the most family-oriented holidays in America, which means that during those holidays, transportation and travel increase dramatically. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the number of long-distance trips increases by 54 percent during Thanksgiving and then another 23 percent during Christmas. Because of the increase of traveling and the number of homes that are left unattended during these holidays, the number of break-ins also tends to go up around those times. This means that it is important that you take safety precautions for your rental property if you or your tenants are planning on traveling during these holiday seasons. As property managers in Redding who have over twenty years of experience managing properties in Shasta County, we would like to offer you some safety precautions that we feel are best for the holiday seasons.   
Keep your travel plans offline

One way to make sure that your rental home or apartment stays safe during the holidays is to not spread the news that you are going out of town. It’s easy for people to get excited about telling the world where they are going for the holidays without realizing that they are also putting the message out there that their home will be vacant for the holidays. And if you do not have strict privacy settings on your social media accounts, you could potentially be giving out that message to people you don’t even know.

Secure any valuables

Make sure to remove any valuables from plain sight in the instance that someone does break into your rental home or apartment. The best place to put these valuables is in a safe that has a combination lock or code and is hidden somewhere in your home. These valuables could be expensive jewelry, important documents, money, or antiques either purchased or passed down from family members.
3D illustration: small house secured with heavy chains & padlock labeled 'security

Give the appearance that you are home


Another great precaution to take when you’re traveling during the holidays is to keep all the blinds closed in your rental home or apartment so that people can’t see what valuables you have in your home. It would also be great to get some simple solar lights that come on at night inside your home so that people think that you are home.


Have a friend or family member check on the house


Find someone you trust, whether it is a family member, a friend, or a neighbor, and let him or her know that you are going out of town for the holidays. Give the person a spare key and ask him or her to check on the home every day and take any mail or packages that are sitting outside inside the house. Mail piling up on the outside of your home sends a clear message to everyone that you are not home.

Mysterious figure in hat and trench coat holds blank document, evoking noir detective.

Make sure you have a security system

In the case that someone does try to break into your home, a security system will alert the authorities to come and check on your home. Having a security system installed can give you peace of mind while you are out of town. Knowing that someone else will be there to check on your home in the case that the security is breached while you are out of town is comforting.



Lock all of your doors and windows


Keeping all of your doors and windows locked while you are gone is pretty common sense, but make sure to check them all just in case you accidentally forgot to lock any of them, especially the windows. It can be easy to forget to lock windows after having them open. There is no harm in double-checking everything just to make sure. Be sure also to check to make sure that the locks on your windows and doors work. Make sure also to hide any spare keys that you may have sitting around your house in the case that someone does break into your home. You don’t want any burglars to gain access to your home in the future by getting a hold of one of your spare keys. Lastly, make sure that any extension cords that are running to any lights outside are coming from the outside of the house and not the inside through an open window. These open windows easy entry points for burglars.


If you would like more information on how you can take precautions in keeping your rental home or apartment safe during the holiday seasons, feel free to call us at Authority Property Management. We have experience doing property management in Redding and Shasta County and would love to serve you in any way we can by answering any questions you may have. If you are a landlord and are looking for someone to handle the stressful tasks that come with managing your rental properties, we would love to take those tasks out of your hands by managing your properties for you. Don’t hesitate to call us at (530) 410-6085.

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Disclaimer: The content on this blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal or advice. Consult with a qualified professional for specific advice.

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