Manhattan Homeowners Safety Tips for the Ho-Ho-Holidays
As the city’s premier residential property manager, we are the people you call in the middle of the night (and any other time of day) for unforeseen emergencies. But we spend most of our time doing proactive home maintenance for our clients, anticipating issues and doing repairs to avoid major home disasters. Based on nearly 20 years of property management experience in New York City, here are a few tips to help you sleep tight this holiday season.
If You’re Leaving for a Holiday Vacation
Photo by Jack Cohen on Unsplash
The majority of home break-ins happen when no one is home. If your home will be vacant for more than a couple of days, and you don’t have someone watching your property, there are a few easy ways to keep your home safe and provide peace of mind so you can enjoy your holidays:
Put indoor and outdoor lights on a timer. Many people choose to leave the lights on dim. This isn’t natural and might cause unwanted attention. You can also install a smart lighting system, to control lights from your phone wherever you are.
Avoid displaying gifts or anything of value in plain sight.
Ask someone to pick up your mail, packages or newspaper if you'll be gone for more than a few days.
Find a creative place to hide the spare key. Don’t even think about the obvious places like in a planter or under the doormat. Better yet, give it to a neighbor.
Make sure all windows and doors are securely locked. Check your smart security system so you can remotely check in on at-home activity. If you have a property management company, let them know you’ll be away.
If snow is expected, make sure you have someone to clear the walkways. This will avoid accidents on your property plus make it seem like someone is home. Here are NYC’s rules for snow removal.
Keep it Merry and Bright
Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash
There’s nothing like a festive home for the season. December is a popular month for house fires, due to decorations, Christmas trees, lights and candles. Not to mention an uptick in kitchen fires. To keep your home lit purely in holiday cheer and nothing unwanted, we recommend you:
Check all holiday light cords for fraying cords or exposed wires. Don’t overload one electrical outlet or extension cord; limit to 3 strands per power strip.
If you have an artificial tree, look for the fire-resistant label.
If you have a live Christmas tree, make sure it's fresh and water it daily, maintaining a minimum level of 5 quarts of water in the tree stand.
Keep trees away from heat sources, including radiators, baseboards and fireplaces.
Check your smoke and carbon dioxide detectors. Better yet, invest in a smart smoke detector that sends alerts to your phone.
Never leave candles unattended, and be sure to extinguish them when leaving the room.
Keep oven mitts, dishcloths and other flammable items away from the stovetop.
Turn the handles of pots and pans away from the front of the stove to avoid them accidentally getting knocked over.
Set a timer for cooking to avoid overcooking or burning.
To our current clients, we’ve enjoyed being part of your family this year. To our future clients, we'd be honored to take on the responsibility of keeping your home in the best condition possible.
Thank you to members of our Annual Advantage Program, who have their property serviced on a priority basis. Each Advantage Program is uniquely tailored for your brownstone, townhouse, condo, co-op or small building with regular inspections and assessments to ensure the integrity of your property is maintained and preventative care is given. Most work is done by our knowledgeable and experienced in-house team. We also have an extensive and vetted network of service providers and specialists.
The Top Hat Home Services staff wishes you and yours a safe, happy and healthy holiday!
Gary Mindlin is co-founder and owner of Top Hat Home Services, a full-service property care and management company. Top Hat services homes in Manhattan and are known as experts in every aspect of building management, maintenance and repair, as well as renovation and construction supervision.