Vacation homes are often a dream — and appropriately, they are often in dreamy, remote places. Perhaps yours is in the mountains of New Hampshire, or near the dunes of Cape Cod, or by the lakes in Maine.

Because of our usual long distance from these sites, we can’t always physically check on them in person. So, naturally, it’s reasonable to fret about your vacation home’s condition. You don’t want to have a getaway ruined when you arrive at your dream house and discover it’s been ransacked or flooded.

Many Vacation Home Threats

You might even face the fact you’ve rented or loaned your vacation home to an irresponsible person or group of people. (For a cautionary tale, you can read this grim post on Airbnb about renters who racked up thousands in costs through damages.) However, it doesn’t have to be like that.

For starters, you can take common-sense steps to protect these second homes, similar to the measures used for primary houses. Tell the neighbors (if you have any nearby) to watch to your premises; secure the doors and locks; and so on.

Protect Your Vacation

That’s not all. To go the extra steps, here are a few aggravation-saving tips from our prior blogs.

Add  24/7 protection: For starters, install an electronic security system with special sensors. Even better, you can implement a solution with professional monitoring services, too. In case of an intruder or rapid changes in the environment inside (such as conditions a flood or fire might cause), the system sends signals to your monitoring services provider. The provider then can signal you and first responders to act right away. (Incidentally, an alarm/security system will also lower your insurance bill premiums.)

Enable complete surveillance: Besides alarm systems, install security cameras both inside the premises and at key spots on the perimeter of the property. High resolution-based systems are available that allow you to monitor the cameras from a device of your choice — such as a mobile phone. Getting anxious? Take a scan of the property and restore your peace of mind.

Access control deployment: Consider your own particular situation when it comes to your vacation home. Are you renting it out at various times of the year? Do you allow family or friends to use it? Are there different occupants coming and going on a regular basis? This can cause trouble over the management of the keys.

One way to solve that is to create unique user codes for every person expected to enter the premises (i.e., guests, cleaners, and maintenance people). You can set the codes to expire on a fixed date, and this way there is no worry about who has possession of the keys.

Whatever approach you take to protect your vacation home, remember to get the best personnel and solutions. You’ll be able to enjoy your vacations with greater safety, and the time in between vacations with greater peace of mind.

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