5 Tips for Preparing Your Old Residence for Vacancy

Last updated 3 months ago

While you may have plans to take off from your usual life and set out for new places, closing up your home isn’t a simple part of the process. Look below to find tips on preparing your home for vacancy.

1. Finish Moving

If you don’t want squatters claiming your belongings for themselves, be sure to move everything out of the home. If your friends aren’t able to help you out, hire a professional moving company to clear out your home quickly and efficiently. A top-quality moving company will even pack your items for you, so you can store them securely.

2. Thoroughly Clean the Home

The next step in readying your home for vacancy is to thoroughly clean it. As a home sits empty without air circulation, odors from the carpet, vents, drains, and even the walls will fester, leaving your vacant home smelling dirty, musty, and stale. If you don’t want to come back to those smells or leave them for future occupants, be sure to clean the carpets, wash the walls, pour bleach down the drains and cover them, mop the floors, and clean out the vents.

3. Shut Off Utilities

If you’re leaving the house permanently, have the utilities shut off. Even while you’re gone, you’ll still have to pay for the service until new residents put the bills in their names. However, if you’re only leaving for a few months, you may want to keep certain services on. Keeping your heater set to 60 or higher will ensure that pipes don’t freeze, and setting gas water heaters to “vacation” mode will keep the pilot light on, so you won’t have to have the gas company come out and relight it.

4. Board Up Windows

If your home is on the bottom floor, you may want to consider boarding up the windows. If squatters notice a vacant home, they won’t waste time claiming new territory, especially during the winter.

5. Turn Off Delivery Services

Finally, a pile of mail or newspapers is a sure sign of vacancy, so disguise your absence by turning off any delivery services.

If you need help clearing the belongings out of your home, call Joey’s Movers in Chicago. We’ll pack for you, load your boxes, safely transport and deliver your items, and gently unload your belongings. For more information on how we can make your move easier, call us at (847) 674-7779.