Worry — can you leave home without it?
The dog days are here, and the coast is clear for the last, sometimes the longest summer getaway. In addition to the cute cottage, the road maps or the reservations, the best holiday plans should include a strategy for leaving the house or apartment alone for two or three weeks, without having to obsess about the old homestead through every mile of the trip.
Preventing anxiety or actual incidents like burglary while away only means keeping your head while heading out the door. But common sense can be in short supply when the family is clamoring from the car and the clock is ticking on a ticketed departure time.
“Unfortunately, you get into a vacation mentality, and you just do foolish things,” said Richard Berstein, vice president and general counsel for the Metropolitan Property and Casualty Co. in Warwick, R.I. Berstein often handles claims that come when people forget, say, to enlist a watchful neighbor, stop newspaper delivery, turn off the dishwasher or close the windows before they leave.
According to insurance agencies, security companies, building managers and the police, nothing is too obvious.
When travel dates are set, apartment dwellers should tell the building staff or a trusted neighbor–who isn’t going away–what those dates are. (Meanwhile, don’t mention the absence casually, in conversation at local shops for instance.)
“Tell as few people as possible,” said Larry Vitelli, senior vice president of the Insignia Residential Group, a management company that handles 350 buildings in New York.
“And don’t put on your answering machine, `I’ll be away for three weeks,’ ” Vitelli added. Turn the volume down or off on the telephone’s ringer and the machine, too, so that someone in the hall is less likely to hear unanswered calls.
Ask a neighbor to help maintain the appearance that the apartment is occupied. Don’t let takeout for instance become takeaway.
A dead giveaway: “Menus in front of the door,” said Jim Donohue, general sales manager for Holmes Protection in New York. “Have a neighbor maintain your door or hallway.”
Having a neighbor turn lights on or off or change the position of curtains or blinds periodically, Vitelli advised, can give the appearance from the street that someone is home.
For homeowners, a trusted neighbor can orchestrate other signs of life in an empty house.
“Have a neighbor park a car in your driveway,” said Kevin Caslin, a detective lieutenant of the Nassau County Police. In addition to giving the appearance that someone is coming and going from the house, this tactic also makes it difficult for a thief to back a van up to the house for loading.
Have a neighbor use the house’s garbage cans, too, Dohohue advised. Clean, empty cans are a giveaway.
Make arrangements to have the grass cut, the professionals say. On the other hand, if the lawn has automatic sprinklers on timers, leave them on. Or ask a neighbor to water. A brown lawn is also a giveaway.
Stop mail and newspaper deliveries directly, Caslin advised. Don’t ask a neighbor to collect them. Neighbors have lives, too, and may miss a day.
And don’t order something shortly before going away. If a person isn’t home, shippers like United Parcel Service and Federal Express will leave an attempted-delivery slip, which might as well say, “Enter here” to the wrong parties. Tell the local police of extended absences, too, and tell them if a neighbor is using the house or driveway.
Securing the house is often not a question of outwitting someone else, but of keeping one’s wits and not doing something witless.
“In summertime, it’s usually an open window,” said Spence Strickley, a State Farm Insurance Co. division claims superintendent. “We get people who leave their keys under the welcome mat,” he added.
“What we see every year, August through September, is a 10 to 15 percent increase in claims. When Aug. 15 hits, I say, `Get ready–here come the claims.’ “
Donohue of Holmes Protection said, “Most burglaries are opportunity crimes–an open bathroom window, the basement door unlocked.”
Rethink the key under the flowerpot, the experts agree. And close and lock all the windows and doors, including garage doors. If the garage door is on an electronic remote opening device, disconnect it. Thieves can operate it, too.
Inside the house, make certain everything is turned off, from sink taps to small appliances. Consider unplugging larger appliances like washing machines and dryers, to avoid the chance of fire from unseen frayed wiring. They are big culprits in house loss.
Home electronic devices like computers should be unplugged, for power-surge protection in case of strong storms, advised Ann Inguanti, a claims manager for Allstate in Uniondale, N.Y.
