Traveling to be with loved ones is often the highlight of a vacation, particularly during the winter holidays. However, the aftermath of leaving an unprepared, momentarily vacant home, can quickly turn into a nightmare. Consider this real-life story for instance: Charlie the $150,000 Dollar Cat.
The key is prevention, protection, and action. Prevent something like this from happening by reading and following our guide below. Protect your home by making sure you are covered with the proper insurance policy. Finally, take action as soon as you discover a problem, this will help prevent damage from getting worse.
While away on a holiday trip, a home sat with an unexpected and unfortunate secret. Unknown to the homeowners, their mischievous kitty-companion had managed to turn on the bathtub faucet. Making matters worse, the tub’s drain plug was engaged, and water quickly began overflowing the tub, spilling and flooding the home.
Upon their return, the family was met with this surreal and distressing reality — about 80% of their home, negatively affected with water damage. Parts of the ceiling had fallen to the ground, drywall ruined, carpet soaked, etc. With panic setting in, our clients called us at Green Clean to help assess their next steps. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, we assessed the damage with precision, and got to work immediately. Strategically cleaning, extracting, and restoring affected areas.
All together, this preventable catastrophe cost the family about $150,000 worth of total home damage and repairs.
Before leaving for an extended vacation, protect your vacant home by turning off the water supply. Familiarize yourself with the water shut-off valve’s location in case of a home water emergency to minimize damage and prevent further loss.
To comply with most home insurance policies, designate a trusted individual to oversee your home periodically during holiday travel. This not only ensures the safety of your pets (if leaving any at home) but also protects you by having the house-sitter promptly reporting/informing you of any unexpected damage while away.
Having visibility into your property helps you take immediate action when emergencies happen, no matter how far away from home you might be. Something like a ring camera may be very helpful in times when you are away.
Emergencies can occur at any time, day or night. Responding swiftly to damage is crucial, and it’s normal to feel panic– extreme home damage is an overwhelming event. Use that feeling as motivation to act immediately and deliberately. In the case of a home emergency, consider reaching out to trusted professionals such as a plumber, roofing company, your insurance agent, and of course, Green Clean for assistance in mitigation and water removal.
By following this guide of precaution before a vacation out of Minneapolis, you’ll not only feel better about leaving but you will also be actively protecting your Minneapolis-Minnesota home. (While potentially saving hundreds of thousands of dollars if caught soon enough.) At Green Clean, we are here to help you make this winter a season of comfort and security.
In life’s most trying moments, having a well-crafted family safety plan can be a lifeline. Our commitment at Green Clean is to provide not just home damage restoration services, but peace of mind. Together, let’s ensure the safety and security of your family and property, no matter what season may be upon us.
We sincerely hope that your Minneapolis property will never experience any home damage while away, but if you do, Green Clean is ready to assist you in getting your life back to normal. Contact us today today to learn more.
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