How to Keep Your Apartment Safe While Traveling

As summer winds down, many of us are taking advantage of the last weeks of vacation to take a trip. However, it’s also important to prep your apartment before traveling so you can enjoy your time away with peace of mind.

Here are some of the best options for making sure your apartment stays safe while you’re away.

Consider a Housesitter

A housesitter is a good idea if you’ll be gone for a few weeks at the most and want the reassurance that someone is living in your space while you’re gone. Combined with renters insurance for apartments acting as a backstop, having someone keep watch over your place is a great way to ensure peace of mind while traveling.

Here’s how to find a housesitter.

• Ask friends or family first: This is a great way to find a housesitter, since you already know and trust the individual.

• Browse online: There are many reputable websites where you can place an ad for a housesitter and find someone you like.

• Go through an app: Some housesitting websites also offer apps that make it easy to find a housesitter and stay in touch with them throughout your trip.

Sublet Your Space

It’s a great idea to find a subletter to pay your share of the rent while you’re on a long trip. It can even save you money.

Make sure to let your landlord know if you’re planning to do this; they might have certain requirements or need the subletter to fill out some paperwork.

It’s also key to communicate with your roommates (if you have them) and ask for a security deposit from the subletter. Take pictures of your space for your records before the subletter moves in.

Have a Weekly Visitor

Letting a trusted neighbor or friend know you’ll be gone is a smart step to take when prepping your apartment before traveling. Not only will you have an emergency contact while you’re gone but they can also keep your apartment maintained while you are away.

You can let them know the dates you’ll be gone and any special things you need to be taken care of during your trip. For example, you may have small pets that need to be fed and let out or be expecting a package. Having someone regularly come to collect your mail can detract burglars.

Prep Your Space to Be Unoccupied

You might also consider simply prepping your space to be unoccupied.

Here are some suggestions for things you can do to prepare your apartment for a long trip away. You can do all or some of them depending on how much time you have before you leave.

• Wash the sheets: Coming home to fresh sheets is so inviting, especially if you’re arriving late at night and ready to hit the hay as soon as you walk in the door. If you have time, you might also wash your towels, too.

• Clean common areas: Cleaning the common areas of your apartment doesn’t need to be detailed, especially if you are leaving soon. However, you may decide that cleaning areas such as the gutters, with the help of somewhere like Clean Pro Gutter Cleaning Bend, is important, especially if they are clogged and the area suffers from significant rainfall during this time. Though, this chore will depend on your own personal circumstances. The rest of your jobs can be as simple as sweeping up the kitchen and wiping down any surfaces. Coming home to a clean apartment is such a great feeling and a great way to help continue the feeling of relaxation from your trip.

• Take out the trash: Taking out the trash before you leave is a quick way to make your apartment feel fresh for when you return. It can deter pests and keep your space neat. However, if you do return and find that pests have managed to get into your home, make sure that you hire people like Pest Control Experts (https://www.pestcontrolexperts.com/local/florida/) right away so you can live comfortably in your home again.

• Throw out old food: There’s nothing worse than coming back from vacation to discover a science experiment growing in your fridge. Throwing out old food can prevent this from happening and eliminate any odors that might collect while you’re gone. If you have the time, you might even wipe down your fridge with a damp rag and a mild cleaning solution. You can also stick an open box of baking soda in the back of your fridge; this will absorb odors.

While it’s a big beautiful world, there’s no place like home. No matter which approach to keeping your place safe you choose while away, just make sure it’s a situation that ensures there’s a home to come back too!