Winter vacation time is almost here, and that means that families like yourself are planning their winter getaway. Whether it’s a cross-border jaunt to North Dakota for shopping or a cruise in the Pacific, the last thing on your mind will be the safety of your home, which is good, but you want to ensure that the home you leave will be in the same condition when you come back from your break. After all, the last thing you want to do as soon as you come home is file an insurance claim. As such, there are a few things you should do before you pack your final bag and lock up for the last time: 1> Turn off your water, and drain your pipes and appliances – just because no one is “using” water in your home doesn’t mean that there isn’t the potential for water damage. Varying winter conditions can cause pipes to burst, which means you could be arriving home to an insurance claim. Unless you’re having someone house sit, be sure to turn off all water in your home. 2> Have someone reliable check your house – Unless, as alluded to above, someone will be in your home while you are away, you should have someone check your home every couple days and collecting newspapers and mail on a daily basis. Remember – the best way to ensure that no thieves will be tempted to enter your home is to ensure it looks like someone is still living in it, not that it has been emptied for vacation. 3> Have someone reliable check your detached structures – It’s easy for whomever is watching your home to forget to check your garage when they enter your home to see if everything is okay; but think back to last year and the number of garage fires we had in Winnipeg. Make sure that whomever is watching your home checks your detached structures as well. 4> Low temperature monitoring – Water isn’t the only thing that can cause damage to your home. If your furnace goes out while you’re away, you could come home to damage to valuables. Alert your alarm company that you will be out of town so they can monitor for steep drops in your home’s temperature (and thus avoid burst water pipes we spoke about earlier). As a general rule, insurance companies require that specific precautions be taken if you are away from your home more than 4 days. please contact our Team before you leave to review the requirements of your specific policy. Don’t forget as well that travel insurance is extremely important to have with you while you’re away. If you don’t know if you are covered, we can provide you with information on insurance coverage for you and your loved ones. If you have any concerns about any of these or other coverages you have, contact Team Insurance Brokers today.