With global travel restrictions finally showing some signs of being repealed, alongside the surging popularity of the staycation, for the first time in almost two years tenants are able to take a break, leaving their rental property vacant in the mean-time. However, whilst property owners and renters alike will have some level of apprehension when leaving the home unattended, this does not mean that there aren’t any precautions both parties can put in place to ensure the security and wellbeing of the property and its contents when tenants are away.
ContentsPerhaps one of the most common and arguably effective ways in which the occupants of a rental property can safeguard their home when away is to simply make the property look as if they never left. It goes without saying that this will; act as a natural deterrent to anyone trying to maliciously gain access to the property and is typically achieved through leaving lights, televisions and radios on timed switches. Further to this, tenants can ask their friends or family to check in on the property a few times a week, giving the occupants peace of mind whilst also giving the impression of regular activity in the home.
Perhaps the first port of call for many seeking additional security at home is to have a burglar alarm installed. This is a major deterrent to would be intruders and can simply be activated and left over the duration of the break, ensuring the rental property has a major safeguarding measure in place, providing both eh landlord and tenants with peace of mind. With this being said it is good practice to share the code to deactivate the alarm with family members and the landlord to ensure that they are able to gain access to the property should they need to.
Landlords that have a buy to let mortgage in place will find that the provider of their insurance policy will demand that for the loan to remain valid, the owner of the property will need to take out a buildings insurance policy. However, it is worth noting that such coverage will not protect any of the furnishings or belongings the landlord has introduced to the rental, leaving them to take out a separate contents insurance policy. With this being said if the owner of a rental property takes out a contents insurance policy their belongings will be exclusively covered, meaning that if the tenants wish to enjoy the same level of financial protection regarding their belongings, they will need to independently take out their own content insurance policies, but does mean that if the rental is broken into whilst they are away the tenants will be able to claim for any stolen items that were covered by the insurance.
Whilst this may sound somewhat obvious but it is important for tenants to note that they should still inform their landlord in order to prevent any assumptions of tenant abandonment and moves for repossession being made. Tenants should also practice caution when posting about their impending holiday online as this will likely draw attention to your unoccupied property for the duration of the break.
Perhaps one of the most common and easily preventable signs of the occupants of a property being away is the mountain of post gathering by the front door. This not only gives malicious parties a clue that the rental is unoccupied, but also an indication of how long. Thankfully this can simply be avoided through asking friends, family members or even neighbours to push postage all the way through the letterbox, or to keep them safe until your return. Alternatively, renters are able to turn to Royal Mail to either redirect their post for the duration of their break or have them hold off delivery of your post until you’re back at home.
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