At Total Care Removals, we often help people to put their furniture into storage while they are away for a period of time. When your property is standing empty though, there are a number of important considerations to take into account.
The first thing to keep in mind is that empty properties are particularly at risk. There are a number of things that are statistically more likely to happen in such circumstances including:
• Burglary, vandalism and occasionally squatting
• Pest infestations
• Problems arising with things like electrical or plumbing systems because there is nobody in in residence to spot and deal with them.
• None of this is meant to frighten you off the idea of shutting up your property for a while because in reality you may have little choice (e.g. a temporary relocation for work).
It’s important that you take certain steps to protect your property while it is unoccupied. Many of those are matters of common sense and include things such as shutting off water supplies and electricity etc.
However, whatever preventative steps you take there is always the possibility of something unforeseen happening and it’s therefore a very sound idea to get someone to regularly visit your property and deal with any problems they spot.
In some cases you might be able to ask such a favour of a friend or family member but in other situations you may wish to use a professional property services company or similar. A Relocation Service provider may also be able to assist as part of their portfolio.
We can certainly offer advice and help if you need it.
As a final word on the subject, although we will say a little bit more specifically on the subject in another blog, remember that periodic inspections of your property when empty may be a requirement of your property insurance cover.