Securing a vacant house
- Thread starter DiscoJen
- Start date
I've got a house that sits empty, too, Jen. I left the utilities on, set the thermostat at 50, put a couple of lights on timers, left it mostly furnished, and swing by to check it out once a month. So far, so good!
Don't board it up, that's just asking for trouble. Try to make it looked lived in, or at least as tho someone is checking on it regularly. Once it looks abandoned, it's an open invitation to theives and squatters.
Don't board it up, that's just asking for trouble. Try to make it looked lived in, or at least as tho someone is checking on it regularly. Once it looks abandoned, it's an open invitation to theives and squatters.
Timers need to be at random times, in different rooms. Our neighbor across the street is gone months at a time. They have a timer in 1 upstairs bedroom and 1 light downstairs. The go on/off same time every day. A moron could figure out no one's home in short order.
Jen
The costs of someone breaking in and damaging your vacant house, stealing copper, etc. far outweighs the costs of a little prevention.
Even if you don't want to go through the hassle of renting it out, what about having a friend stay there? My neighbor is Romanian. He went back to Romania for 8 months. He had a friend stay in his house. The friend was renting an apartment in another part of town. My neighbor kept paying the house payment and left the utilities up to the friend. The friend got a house rent-free, and the owner has someone looking after the place. Do you know any poor college students that would stay there for you? It would be a good deal for both of you.
The costs of someone breaking in and damaging your vacant house, stealing copper, etc. far outweighs the costs of a little prevention.
Even if you don't want to go through the hassle of renting it out, what about having a friend stay there? My neighbor is Romanian. He went back to Romania for 8 months. He had a friend stay in his house. The friend was renting an apartment in another part of town. My neighbor kept paying the house payment and left the utilities up to the friend. The friend got a house rent-free, and the owner has someone looking after the place. Do you know any poor college students that would stay there for you? It would be a good deal for both of you.
jrose609 said:
That reminded me of my mom's burglar alarm. She would leave the radio on in the kitchen real loud. She thought if some broke in they would hear the radio, think someone is there and leave. I guess it worked. They have never been broken into after 40 years.
ptschram
Well-known member
toadermcgee said:
My old residence that I lived in almost 44 years was never broken into. Within months of our moving out, it was getting broken into on a regular basis.
ptschram said:
I don't know about the law in MO, but I am not sure that would apply. Attractive nuisance is a defense to trespass by children. The attractive nuisance doctrine typically doesn't apply to adults.
Why not just rent it out for less than fair market value and put a little change in your pocket? You can thus make money instead of spending money. Seems like that makes sense to me.
Roverjoe said:
tiger kennel? that way you dont have to buy the tigers and the owners of the tigers will pay for food. maybe?
Renting it out would be ideal, but the last time I did that my house ended up destroyed and it took me 3 months to evict them. 
Besides, there are plenty of other vacant houses around here that aren't renting either. Maybe I should go section 8!?!?!? LOL
Besides, there are plenty of other vacant houses around here that aren't renting either. Maybe I should go section 8!?!?!? LOL
DiscoJen said:Renting it out would be ideal, but the last time I did that my house ended up destroyed and it took me 3 months to evict them.
Besides, there are plenty of other vacant houses around here that aren't renting either. Maybe I should go section 8!?!?!? LOL
Advertise that you will in fact take WIC, food stamps and other questionable forms of payment....
orrr a safer bet train a gnome to guard your stuff... i have a gnome that guards the disco and it works awesome!!!
my buddy trained a gnome and it lives in his center console of his RRC in his nest of wires and it keeps the gremlins way.
in theory it should work with anything being gnomes are naturally the guardians of the forest and with guidance are apt for any guard work! watch that they don't get to blood thirsty mine tasted blood and now is acting like a savage!
my buddy trained a gnome and it lives in his center console of his RRC in his nest of wires and it keeps the gremlins way.
in theory it should work with anything being gnomes are naturally the guardians of the forest and with guidance are apt for any guard work! watch that they don't get to blood thirsty mine tasted blood and now is acting like a savage!