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When moving between properties, you need to keep your new home safe as well as your old one. From insurance to rigid security, here are some of the things you need to consider.
Couple unloading boxes from a car – Image Courtesy of Pexels
Speak to Your Insurance Provider
Having home insurance is always a good idea if you can afford it. However, your policy almost certainly won’t cover two properties. Additionally, it won’t cover goods in transit, such as expensive ones being moved by your movers. Fortunately, you can temporarily change your homeowners insurance to fit your needs and extend it across multiple properties. Standard home insurance usually covers your home and items against natural disasters and theft. All you need to do is call your provider and ask them to amend your policy while you move.
Enlist the Help of Friends and Trusted Neighbors
It’s always a good idea to ask friends and family for help. You can have someone watch your house on either end while you move your things. Most people are willing to help if they have the time, and you can return the favor when they need something similar. You could also pay them for their time. Having someone inside will make it much less likely that something bad will happen. But make sure you only ask people you can trust because it’s not unusual to be robbed by someone you know. 65% of burglaries are committed by people known to the victim.
Keep Your New Home Safe with Expert Movers
Moving things, no matter what shape or size they are, can be tricky, tiring, and boring. It’s not something that many people like to do. But some people are trained and have a lot of experience. Specialist moving companies can take care of the logistics of moving expensive items, including packing, loading, and driving. Also, the liability is usually taken care of by a moving company. This means they are in charge of moving things from one place to another safely. So, your goods are protected while they are being shipped to your new property.
Embrace Smart Tech
Smart locks are excellent because they connect to your phone. They are easy to put up and don’t cost much. And they add an extra layer of security if you are moving things from one house to another and you might be gone for a while. So you can know what’s going on at both. Smart locks can be controlled remotely and will send a message to your phone if someone tries to open them. With both smart locks and CCTV, only the most determined thief will be able to get into your home. Both can help catch criminals in the act or identify them later on.
Make Sure Locks are Changed
Even if you’re certain that you’re living in a lovely neighborhood and the previous owners are honest people, you can never be too careful. By changing the locks on your home using a reputable company such as Action Lock Doc emergency, you can be sure that your property is completely safe and secure before you move in. As a new homeowner it is your responsibility to ensure that you keep your property safe, especially if you have provided specific information to your home insurance provider. By getting the locks changed, you may find that your home insurance even reduces due to the added level of security. Whilst you’re getting your door locks changed, it may also be worth getting your window locks switched out too.
Avoid Common Mistakes when Moving
You can make many mistakes when moving because your mind can be elsewhere, given everything you need to deal with. That’s why it’s good to have a plan, so you know what to do. Here are some of the most common mistakes you can make when moving between homes:
- Moving expensive goods yourself.
- Failing to amend your insurance policies to cover both properties.
- Leaving the properties unsecured against thieves.
- Talking about moving on social media.
- Not protecting expensive items from bumps and scrapes.
For insurance reasons alone, you shouldn’t move expensive goods yourself. Your policy might not cover goods in transit, but your mover’s will. Additionally, you need to secure both homes against thieves since you might be gone for a while traveling between them.
Put Up Some Cameras
During a move, you will probably go back and forth between your old home and your new one. And how long you are gone will depend on how far you have to go and how much work you have to do. So, you should put CCTV cameras in both places to keep criminals away or catch them after the fact. Don’t worry about the price, because these days you can get CCTV that connects to your phone for a pretty low price. Also, you can see them all the time. Some of the better ones have sensors that let you know when something moves in a specific spot.
Don’t Advertise Your Empty Properties
Facebook and other social media sites have pretty much taken over our lives. Some people share everything about their lives on these. Sharing your activities with other people can be fun. But there are some things you should keep to yourself. For example, it’s not so smart to take pictures with your bank statement in the background. And moving details are also not a good idea. For instance, a bad person in the area could plan to rob your house if you put up information about when you will be moving things from your old home to your new one.
Keep Your New Home Safe with Common Sense
Smart technology is a massive help when moving, but it can only do so much to protect your property. Good old-fashioned common sense is always needed. This means taking a look around and locking up anything that could be used by thieves to get in. For example, if you can, close and lock all the windows. Even upstairs ones. Also, get rid of anything that could help someone get to a floor above. Don’t leave your ladder in the backyard, for example. Also, use a lock on every door and turn on all of your expensive security devices before you leave.
Keep Valuables Covered
In the United States alone, TVs and other electronics like PlayStations and Xboxes are stolen at a value of more than $500 million per year. Moving can be hard sometimes, and it’s hard to move heavy things. But putting in a little more effort is better than having your stuff stolen. For example, it’s a good idea to hide expensive things like your valuable electronics so that any thieves who are looking at them don’t know what they are. It’s also a good idea to put things in boxes without labels so that any opportunistic criminals don’t know where to look for them.
Don’t Forget About Your Old Home
When you leave your old home, you might not worry as much about safety. But you are still responsible for the property until the conveyancing or transfer of tenancy is done. Also, expensive things could be left at the old house and picked up later. So, you should keep your old address safe as if you still lived there. As you move your things, you might be gone for a while. Still, you can buy some relatively cheap products that will make you safer. For example, smart CCTV systems can connect to your phone to alert you to criminal activity in real time.
Summary
It can be hard to keep your new home safe, given the massive task of moving. However, some of the most important include extending insurance, changing locks, and protecting valuables.
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