Whether you’re going to be traveling for work for an extended period of time, or closing up a summer home for the season, vacant properties are prone to issues.  This only intensifies when you take into consideration that those issues, regardless of how small, can morph into BIG problems by the time you get back home!

Here are a few things to look out for and what you can do to avoid them!

Water Damage & Mold

Water intrusion can result in significant damages over time, from mold growth to structural issues and rot!  That’s why it’s so important to address a moisture issue as quickly as possible.  Unfortunately, this is incredibly difficult with a property that you may not return to until next summer!

The unfortunate truth is that many homeowners return to their properties with plans of enjoying nature and time with family only to find they have to contend with a mess instead.  This is why we always recommend that you properly winterize your property before leaving, and have a qualified professional check on the home regularly while you’re away.  By minimizing the potential for damage and ensuring that someone will be able to catch any issues that do occur as quickly as possible, you dramatically reduce the potential for nasty surprises when you get home!

Storm Damage

We’ve had some serious storms roll through our area, especially over the last few years.  Any one of these storms could have blown shingles off your roof, damaged siding, or caused a tree to fall.  In addition to potentially causing significant damage to your home, storm damage can allow rain and moisture to enter the structure where it can cause a lot of secondary damage. 

As with Water Damage, it’s incredibly important to catch storm damage quickly so that things don’t get worse.  Anyone that’s checking on your home while you’re gone should specifically look for signs of storm damage including roof and siding damage and they should be prepared to take the steps necessary to prevent further damage should an issue be discovered.

Mechanical Systems

Heating, cooling, and water systems are complex and can fail.  This can lead to loss of heat, frozen pipes, or even fire and smoke damage!  While there may not be much warning to a failure, they’re important to address as quickly as possible to prevent further damage.  Just consider the difference between a simple furnace repair and frozen pipes throughout your home… 

It’s always a good idea to have a technician inspect and service your furnace and mechanical systems regularly to catch issues quickly and make sure everything is in good shape.  If they spot a part that’s beginning to fail now, it’s a lot less stressful to replace it before there’s an issue than after.  Since often mechanical failures can be unpredictable, it’s always a good idea for someone to check on your property and make sure things like the thermostat, hot water heater, and furnace are running as they should.

Forced Entry

A vacant property can be a magnet for criminal activity, which is why it’s so important for someone to check on your property regularly and look for signs of anything out of the ordinary.  From something as innocuous as an open or unlocked window to signs that someone may be living in the property uninvited, this is unfortunately a much more common problem than many people realize.

The biggest deterrent is always going to be taking steps to make sure that your property doesn’t stand out to criminals.  Make sure that your home doesn’t look vacant (have someone maintain the lawn, bring in circulars and mail that could accumulate, set an inside light on a timer).  Beyond this, you want to make sure that you properly lock up your home and secure all windows before you leave and that you have someone check on it periodically while you’re away.   

Home Check Services

Disaster Blaster is proud to offer Home Check Services for homeowners that are going to be away for extended periods of time.  As part of Home Check, we inspect both the exterior and interior for:

• Signs of vacancy
• Forced Entry
• Water, Mold, and Storm Damage
• Mechanical Systems Failure
• And More!

If you’re going to be away, let us keep an eye on your home so that small problems don’t become BIG issues!

About Disaster Blaster

Disaster Blaster is an indoor environmental firm serving the Northeastern PA Area.  We have been providing our local area with unparalleled water damage mitigation, basement waterproofing, mold remediation, asbestos abatement, radon mitigation, and fire / smoke restoration services for decades, and are proud to have been named The World’s Greatest Indoor Environmental Firm.  For more about Disaster Blaster, as well as more helpful tips, please visit our website at: www.disasterblaster.com or call our office at (570) 963-1123.