Vacation time may be fast approaching, but have you started planning how you will leave your yard and home in order to ensure that you will not be vulnerable to an insurance claim? A prospective thief looks for signs that you are away. In addition to thieves, other potential damages that can befall an unattended house are things such as broken windows, flooded basements, sewer backups, frozen water lines, etc.. Here are a few suggestions about actions you should and should not take before going away on vacation:

What to do:

• Cancel mail and newspapers.
  
• Leave lawn chairs or other items where they would be if you were at home.
• Have lights on timers so they come on at different times in different places.
• Ask your neighbours to help make the place look lived in by:
  - leaving a bag of garbage out on garbage day
  - parking a vehicle in your driveway
  - cutting your grass or shovelling snow
  - checking the interior of your home regularly
  
• Turn off the water taps.
• Unplug all the major appliances.

What NOT to do:

• DO NOT pack up your car in the driveway for everyone to see.
  
• DO NOT leave a note on the door saying you will be gone.
  
• DO NOT leave a key near the door or in the mailbox.
  
• DO NOT leave a message on the answering machine that you are away.

Now that you have followed our suggestions . . .
HAVE A GREAT VACATION ! ! !

For more information, E-mail us at info@mooneyinsurance.com