We’re just entering the summer holiday season and if you don’t have children of school age, the chances are you’re taking the opportunity to get away now before the schools finish up or have decided to wait until September. If you’re waiting for school to finish, you’ll be eagerly planning and working your way through that holiday checklist; clothes, sun cream, holiday money, sickness tablets!
Many people plan their holiday with military precision, from booking, to packing and then leaving and doing the same for the return journey. What most people don’t consider is their home and it’s contents while they’re away. Some get a neighbour or friend to look in every few days. Others use automatic light switches, but, unfortunately most of these systems are easy to spot, especially if (and many people do this) you leave your curtains closed while you’re away.Then there’s the home insurance policy to consider – something most people don’t even think about.
So what should you do to make sure that your personal belongings stay safe while you are away?
First and foremost, always check your home insurance policy, and read the small print! It’s not just the duration of time you’re away that may impact (many policies are happy with up to 30 days away, but not all). There are other things that could invalidate a claim should the worst happen. Did you set the burglar alarm? Are all the windows locked with the keys out of sight? You would hope that if you came back from holiday to discover the worst, any insurance company would be understanding, but those are the types of clauses in insurance policies that you could easily fall foul of.
Next it’s time to think about your personal belongings. When it comes to the big things like televisions etc. unless you want to empty the house, there’s not much you can do except make sure that it’s locked up securely when you leave. But if you’re worried about the smaller things there are things you can do.
If you have important papers or precious jewellery you may decide you don’t want to leave them in a drawer at home. You could leave them with a friend or neighbour but whilst on the whole they’re are not at as much risk as you because their property isn’t empty, there is still always that possibility that something could happen.
You could install a small safe in your property, making it harder to get at the items. If you decide to go down this route, make sure it’s attached to something solid. There’s no point in having a really secure locked box that someone can pick up and walk away with.
The third option is to rent a small secure self storage unit. Most centres have small lockers that for a very small price can give you peace of mind for the time you are away. Papers, jewellery and other small items can be stored for as little as £5 per week.
If going away longer term you may want to add larger items, especially if you’re renting out your property while you’re away, or just having someone house sit long term. Secure self storage units come in a variety of sizes, so if you do want to store your TV for a few months it’s not a problem..
At Space Centre Self Storage in addition to alarmed sites with 24 hour CCTV we also provide free insurance up to the value of £3000. Our terms are flexible and we do not hold you to long term contracts, so short term solutions when worried about leaving your home are easy to accommodate.
We have sites in North Bristol, Gloucester and Stroud so whether you’re going away on holiday or just need a secure self storage solution, get in touch.
Image credit: Link Hoang