It’s vacation season! Everyone is packing up and shipping out to paradise, happily leaving their humble abodes behind. But it’s only temporary—home will be waiting when you get back. If you want your return to be as pleasant as your departure, you’ll want to take the necessary precautions. Follow this timeline of to-dos to help keep everything in order at home, while you are vacationing…
Make Arrangements
Around 2-3 weeks out, make necessary arrangements. You’ll want to reserve any boarding for pets or home sitting. For long absences, you might considering booking a house sitter or invest in a camera system for monitoring your apartment while you are away. Take care of any immediate needs for maintenance or care around your home, like repairs or landscaping. You don’t want to come back to a ton of unwanted expenses and chores.Check Your Bills
A couple weeks before you leave on vacation, check on your bills. The last thing you want to see while you’re on vacation is an overdue notice! Remember to review all your typical bills in advance and prepare. You could pay bills early or schedule payments to avoid missing any deadlines. It’s also good to pay any delinquencies to avoid issues or service disconnections while gone.Give Notice
One week before you leave on vacation, let people know! With discretion, give notice to property managers and confirm all maintenance requests are completed. It’s good for management to know of your travel pans to avoid any alarm and to prompt informed oversight of your unit. Let trusted neighbors know you’ll be out—they can also keep watch. Also, ask a neighbor to bring in your packages!Check the Weather
A few days out, research the weather conditions that are expected around your home. Be sure to adjust your thermostat for the current season or any potential temperature extremes. Bring patio furniture, decor, and plants inside your apartment in case of high winds or storms. If extreme winter weather is a possibility, prepare by leaving some dripping faucets and setting the thermostat to a warm temperature. For winter weather advisories, check out these tips on How to Prepare Your Apartment for Winter Weather.Tidy-Up Your Place
The night before you leave for vacation, review your calendars and reminders for any last minute tasks needing attention. Make some time for tidying things. A good clean sweep of your apartment can go a long way. Cleaning can save you lots of embarrassment should maintenance or staff need to enter your apartment while you’re gone. Plus, there is no better feeling than coming home to a clean home!Come Home to Catalina West
The best part about leaving home is often coming home. With the modern designs and conveniences of Catalina West in Lubbock, Texas, this is always the case. Contact us to learn how you can enjoy all the comforts of a luxury apartment home at Catalina West and more!