Travel stress-free knowing your home is well taken care of. If you’re heading on vacation here are 6 key preparations for your long-term absence.

• House Calls: Ask a friend, family member or neighbour to drop by your home regularly to pick up mail, flyers and community bulletins. Have any newspaper and magazine subscriptions paused. Arrange for a snow removal service or local teen to clear your porch, driveway and sidewalk so your home looks occupied while you’re away.
• Set timers on your lights: Use a timer to have your indoor and outdoor lights automatically turn on and off throughout the day. You can consider using a Wi-Fi enabled smart light system to remotely control the lighting from your mobile device.
• Secure the premises: You can consider using a security system to monitor the premise while your away. There are specialized locks you can instal on sliding glass doors and deadbolt locks on windows. Close curtains on windows that are accessible on the ground level.
• Control the temperature: Set the thermostat high enough to keep the water pipes from freezing. You can also install a water-flow sensor on your main water supply pipe, which sends an alert to your cell phone if there’s an issue with your interior or exterior pipes.
• Tech upgrades: Monitor everything from doors and windows to smoke alarms, package deliveries and lights with new smart technology. Some devices allow you to set up customized alerts too, like if a courier arrives.
• Contact your insurance provider: Let your insurer know you’ll be away for a while. Most home insurance policies will require someone- like a friend or neighbour- to check in on your home while it’s unoccupied. It’s important to follow your policy’s requirements so if something happens at your house while you’re on vacation you’ll still be covered.