{"id":3477,"date":"2013-09-27T11:00:42","date_gmt":"2013-09-27T15:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.diycontrols.com\/?p=3477"},"modified":"2015-02-06T16:27:32","modified_gmt":"2015-02-06T21:27:32","slug":"have-a-backup-plan-to-your-property-caretaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.diycontrols.com\/index.php\/have-a-backup-plan-to-your-property-caretaker\/","title":{"rendered":"Have a Backup Plan to Your Property Caretaker"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hiring a property caretaker to watch over your home is one of the best ways to protect it while you are away for extended periods of time, especially during winter months<\/a><\/strong> when\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0subzero temperatures, high winds, snow and ice can do serious damage. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0Choose an experienced caretaker who lives near by, has contacts with local contractors and retailers, and is readily available if there\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s a problem. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0Having a reliable property caretaker should alleviate many of your concerns about leaving your home vacant, but since your home will still be unguarded in between caretaker visits, it’s a good idea to have a backup plan<\/strong> for monitoring your house when your caretaker isn’t there.\"Have<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Property Caretaker’s Duties<\/em><\/h2>\n

Most homeowners hire a property caretaker to mow the lawn and\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0remove snow, leaves,\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0broken branches and fallen trees so their house continues to look tidy and lived in while they are away. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Once or twice a week, your caretaker should also walk through your home’s interior to check for power outages, rodents, insects, freezing pipes, ice dams and flooding. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Inspecting the windows, doors, plumbing, appliances, furnace and hot water heater should also be included on your caretaker’s list of responsibilities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Make a Backup Plan<\/em><\/h2>\n

To ensure that your home is being watched over in between caretaker visits, you’ll need a backup plan. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0Start by enlisting help from a neighbor who can be an extra set of eyes to watch your home and notify you or your caretaker if they observe a problem.<\/p>\n

Next, install a few well-chosen pieces of remote monitoring equipment that will serve as a backup to your caretaker so critical problems don’t go undetected. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 These devices can handle the most common issues that plague empty houses, such as leaks, intruders and freezing temperatures.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Backup Plan for Leaks<\/span>\"The<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

To monitor for water problems in leak prone areas or near appliances, install flood sensors<\/a><\/strong> that connect to a water shutoff valve controller<\/a><\/strong> or a remote monitoring system like the Sensaphone 400 Cottagesitter<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A special washing machine shutoff valve<\/a><\/strong> or a pair of automatic shutoff hoses<\/a><\/strong> can help prevent catastrophic washing machine leaks. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0There are water shutoff valves designed specifically to protect against leaks under your hot water heater<\/a><\/strong>. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0Inexpensive shutoff hoses are also available for use on ice makers<\/a>, dishwashers<\/a>, toilets<\/a><\/strong> and faucets<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Backup Plan for Intruders<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

An\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0outdoor video surveillance system<\/a><\/strong>\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0with night vision cameras will watch over your property 24\/7.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Some of the newer systems allow viewing from anywhere via a smartphone or computer. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0You can set up your surveillance system to send alerts to both you and your caretaker.<\/p>\n

A security system is also recommended to protect unoccupied homes. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 There and many new wireless security systems<\/a><\/strong> that are highly effective, affordable and easy to install yourself<\/a><\/strong>. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0Be sure the system is set up to send alerts to your caretaker as well as yourself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Backup Plan for Freezing Temps<\/span><\/h3>\n

A power outage or furnace failure can happen at any time (like the day\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0after<\/em>\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0your caretaker\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s weekly walk-through!), causing the temperature in your home to dip dangerously low.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0You can\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0prevent a freezing pipe fiasco<\/a><\/strong>\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0by equipping your home with a\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0freeze alarm<\/a><\/strong>.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 If the temperature in your house drops below your set-point, the freeze alarm will notify you and\/or your caretaker of the problem.<\/p>\n

Some freeze alarms send notifications by phone<\/a><\/strong>\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0to your landline and\/or cell phone. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0Other models send email alerts<\/a><\/strong> but will require an Internet connection. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0There is also a very affordably-priced freeze alarm that sends\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0only text message alerts<\/a><\/strong>. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0Choose a freeze alarm<\/a><\/strong> based on how you want to receive your alarm alerts as well as what communications methods are available at your location. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0For homes without a landline phone or Internet service, get a cellular freeze alarm<\/a>\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>or hookup your freeze alarm to\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0a cellular terminal<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"FreezeFlash<\/a><\/h3>\n

A less expensive alternative to a freeze alarm is a\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0low temperature alert warning light<\/a><\/strong>\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0that you place in a highly-visible window.\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 If the temperature drops below 30 degrees\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0F, a red flashing light will alert friends or neighbors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Before You Go<\/em><\/h2>\n

Before you leave on your trip, take a moment to outline your property caretaker’s responsibilities and review them together. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0Better yet, put exactly what the caretaker\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s duties will be\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0in writing<\/em>\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0and agree on a schedule and compensation terms. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0 Be sure your property caretaker knows how to contact you if there is a problem and that they are familiar with your\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0home and its systems as well as the remote monitoring equipment<\/a><\/strong> you have installed as part of your backup plan.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hiring a property caretaker to watch over your home is one of the best ways to protect it while you are away for extended periods of time, especially during winter months when\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0subzero temperatures, high winds, snow and ice can do serious damage. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0Choose an experienced… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3502,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,10,9],"tags":[450,474,18,15,219,100,28,12,268,475,198,96,142,140],"class_list":["post-3477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flood-intervention","category-freeze-alarms-heat-alarms","category-home-monitoring-security","tag-automatic-water-shut-off-valves","tag-automatic-water-shutoff-hoses","tag-cellular-freeze-alarm","tag-cellular-terminal","tag-flood-alarm","tag-flood-prevention","tag-flood-sensor","tag-freeze-alarm","tag-low-temperature-warning-light","tag-outdoor-video-surveillance","tag-sensaphone-400","tag-washing-machine-leaks","tag-wireless-home-alarm-system","tag-wireless-home-security-system","clearfix"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.diycontrols.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.diycontrols.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.diycontrols.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.diycontrols.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.diycontrols.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3477"}],"version-history":[{"count":44,"href":"https:\/\/blog.diycontrols.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5147,"href":"https:\/\/blog.diycontrols.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3477\/revisions\/5147"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.diycontrols.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.diycontrols.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.diycontrols.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.diycontrols.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}