Cabin Chronicles

Footprints in snow make home look occupied

We have had tons of snow this year, and one thing we are always sure to do with the homes we care for is make them look lived in. Of course, many of our customers do actually stay at their homes year-round and just have us perform concierge services for them. However, for the customers that are away, either for weeks, months, or just days at a time, we can make footprints in the snow on their walkways, if we are not shoveling and clearing snow completely off the walkways. Nothing is more attractive to burglars than an unoccupied home, and it’s so obvious a house is unoccupied when there is snow piled up in front of main entry doors.

It is important that homeowners inform their neighbors if they will be having work done at their home when they are not around. Recently, a Colorado Springs handyman hired to change a homeowner’s locks nearly missed a bullet after a police officer who had mistaken him for a burglar fired a shot at him. The police were responding to a complaint from a neighbor who noticed the handyman there.

It is stories like these that concern us, since we often work in homes when the owners are not home. The neighbor did the right thing by reporting the suspicious activity, but you can see how this turned into an embarrassing and dangerous situation quickly due to poor communication. We always ask our customers to inform any neighbors they can trust that we will be doing some work at their home. Most importantly, we ask that they tell any guests who may be staying at their home about us.

This case is a bit extreme, and it seems like it escalated out of control quickly. However, it does happen. If you have service workers coming to your home, please be sure to notify a close neighbor and any houseguests you may have. You will avoid a dangerous situation like the one in Colorado, and your neighbors and home service workers will appreciate this.

The Colorado handyman is okay, and he has forgiven the police officer.