Do you have plans to take an extended vacation? Perhaps you have been granted a sabbatical from your place of employment and you want to go backpacking across Europe. Or maybe your job is sending you to another branch of the company for a while for training or a temporary assignment. Whatever your reasons for leaving home for a long-term absence, there are quite a few things you’ll need to take care of before you leave. In order to help you stay organized and avoid overlooking important details in arranging for an extended absence we have compiled a few tips on preparing for long-term travel.
Arrange for a Caretaker or Sublet Your Flat
Your current home will need to be cared for in your absence. If you own a house or an apartment, you will want to contact a property management company to check in on your home on a regular basis during your absence. Things like checking for plumbing leaks or roof leaks that could cause great damage are very important and must not be overlooked while you are away. The heat needs to be set at a proper temperature to avoid freezing the pipes in cold weather, and the roof needs to be checked for damage after a storm. These caretaking type chores can be handled for you by a professional caretaker or a property manager, or you can arrange for someone else to live in while you are away so that upkeep and maintenance can be taken care of on a regular basis by the tenant.
One way of ensuring that your property is under the watchful eye of someone responsible is to rent it out to an occupant who will be on hand to notice if the sink is leaking water into the cabinets or if shingles were torn off during bad weather. If you are a renter, you can check your lease for the regulations involving subletting your place.
Get in touch with vacant home specialists who can help to find the best-suited guardian to live in your property in order to keep it safe and running while you are off on your travels. You will be able to keep in contact with this guardian while you are away so that you constantly have peace of mind; you can focus entirely on your travels and leave all stress behind.
Store Belongings Safely
It is doubtful that you will want to bring all of your personal property with you on your extended vacation or temporary job assignment. More than likely you won’t have space in the new digs for all your winter sweaters and your knick –knacks, and if you have a tenant living in your home you probably won’t want to leave all your belongings just lying about. There are quite a few very reputable storage companies now where you can keep your things locked away until you return. In fact, we can recommend self storage with www.loknstore.co.uk. Lok-n-store has locations throughout south east England that allow for easy access to convenient storage spaces that are available in a variety of sizes and costs to accommodate the bulk of your belongings, whether a little or a lot.
Putting the majority of your belongings into a safe storage unit will set your mind at ease while you are away, so you don’t have to be concerned about a tenant rifling through your winter clothing, or prying into your private papers and documents. Valuables can be protected and kept safely waiting for your return.
Notify the Post, Utilities, Etc…
You’ll want to make sure to have your mail forwarded to your temporary address. If you are on a business assignment you’ll be able to give the post office an address to send your mail until you get back home when you can remove the Forward Order. If you are backpacking you can ask them to send your mail to General Mail at a Post Office along your route, or ask a friend to pick up your mail and send it to you when you let them know where you’ll be at various points during the trip. If you decide to hire a caretaker rather than subletting, you may want to consider having the water or phone lines temporarily disconnected in order to save money on an unnecessary expense.
Don’t forget to let your friends and family know that you’ll be away so no one becomes worried about your absence. Also let your neighbors know you’ll be away so that they can help keep an eye on the place and notice if anyone unauthorized enters the premises. Putting your lights on a timer and cancelling the newspaper delivery so they aren’t pilling up on the steps will make it appear as if someone is still occupying the flat and keep potential burglars at bay.
Whether you are enjoying an extended vacation or you have a temporary job assignment that calls for long-term travel, it is important that you make preparations to keep your home and belongings safe in your absence.
