Owning and renting out a vacation property can be a dream come true for many homeowners, but it also comes with a variety of problems they may not have anticipated. One of these problems is keeping the property safe from vandals when it is not occupied, and keeping guests safe when it is. However, there are a number of ways to accomplish this, and no matter if the rental is nearby or in another state, vacation rental owners can increase their peace of mind when it comes to keeping thieves at bay and their properties secure.
The Community Homeaway website, which provides advice for those who own a rental property, asserts that “Your vacation rental listing likely provides a rundown of all your home’s amenities — a veritable virtual catalog for thieves. And if your calendar is up-to-date, savvy burglars can also figure out which days your home will be unoccupied.”
This means that before you list your property, you must consider how that listing will affect its . In order to reduce the chances of would-be thieves gaining access to an empty property, only list the minimum information that is needed for a potential renter to contact you, such as your phone number, a cell, or a business e-mail address, and make sure that any photo you print does not showcase anything of value. By exchanging more pertinent information in private with a renter, you will increase the security of the rental property.
The physical appearance of a vacation rental home can also make it a target, but there are several ways to combat this. Ifthe owner has employed a housekeeper to maintain the home in between guests, they can assist the owner in ensuring that all doors and windows are locked and that the curtains are drawn when no one is occupying the home, or whether or not objects in the home are missing. Keeping the curtains closed will discourage thieves from looking into windows to see what valuables might be present, especially if the house sits close to the road.
Posting “no trespassing” signs on the front lawn may seem like a good way to keep unwanted individuals away, but it may also alert them to the fact that the house is empty. Instead, owners should enlist neighbors to watch the rental property in between guests or invest in motion-detecting lights or a simple in order to secure the home.
Steven Ordona
Author & Pubic Relations – Steven is a fifteen year executive veteran of the home security industry and is now in charge of the site’s content. Steven is responsible for all the content created and also plays a critical role in our public relations department.