Moving into a New Home after Your Honeymoon? Things to Check before You Leave

Getting married is all about starting a life together. Part of that, of course, is the home you’ll share. In the hustle and bustle of planning a wedding, reception, and honeymoon, it can be easy to forget about the management of your new home. Make sure you cover all the bases so that your travel memories aren’t spoiled by a mess at home. Take care of these four considerations well before the vows.

Check Out Utilities

While you’re gone, the house will continue its need for at least a few utilities. If you’re traveling in summer, electricity will be key to keeping the house comfortable while you’re gone. Consider signing up for notifications from your power provider so that you will be alerted to outages and have the opportunity to have someone check on things when power is restored. If the time of your honeymoon falls in cold weather, be sure you’ve got sufficient heating oil on hand to keep the house from suffering frozen pipes during your trip.

Review Security

When we’re in and out of the home on a regular schedule, thieves are more reluctant to invade. Once they detect that you’re gone for a few days, they’ll be more bold and likely to invest extra time in finding their way in. Be sure you deadbolt all doors, close blinds, and activate your alarm system. Also, be sure there’s someone the monitoring company can reach if the system activates, and notify that person that you will be out of town and unable to respond to the call.

Water Problems

Few things could be worse than returning home to damage from a leaky roof, door, or basement. Those minor problems that you can keep up with when you’re home can pile up quickly while you’re gone. Make frequent checks of your new place, especially on rainy days, before you leave town. Be sure that you don’t see any leaks in the attic, around windows, or anywhere else.

Empty the Fridge

If you’re just moving in, your fridge may already be empty. However, there’s a good chance that there are a few items in the refrigerator. Foods that will expire while you’re gone should be thrown out, and it’s probably a good idea to take other perishables elsewhere so that they won’t rot and stink up the house if there’s a power outage in your absence.

Your honeymoon is the beginning of many great years together with your new spouse. By making sure that your home is safe and secure before you leave, you’ll return to it with no unpleasant surprises.