Question about leaving an apt for a long period of time.

[KT27]

I am flying back to the States for about 50 days over the holidays. My dog will be at my pet sitter's home and my friend will come in once a week to check in on things here at my apartment. My mail goes to an APO box and I don't get a newspaper so those aren't issues but....

Would you make your bed with fresh sheets before you go or leave the bed stripped?

Should I crack a window?

Any other suggestions?

 

[jlima]

I am flying back to the States for about 50 days over the holidays. My dog will be at my pet sitter's home and my friend will come in once a week to check in on things here at my apartment. My mail goes to an APO box and I don't get a newspaper so those aren't issues but....

Would you make your bed with fresh sheets before you go or leave the bed stripped?

Should I crack a window?

Any other suggestions?

Make the bed; it will be ready to go when you go back.

Don't crack a window. You want the place to be secured.

 

[tomthebarncat]

to put a hold on your mail or the mailroom will start doing wonky things with it. I would let my German landlord know I was out of the country and how to get ahold of me just in case. I envy you, for tax reasons I cannot stay in the states for longer than 29 days! Day 30, I become liable for 11 years of back taxes on my foreign earned income. Have a wonderful and safe trip and say hello to my home land for me.

 

[KT27]

to put a hold on your mail or the mailroom will start doing wonky things with it. I would let my German landlord know I was out of the country and how to get ahold of me just in case. I envy you, for tax reasons I cannot stay in the states for longer than 29 days! Day 30, I become liable for 11 years of back taxes on my foreign earned income. Have a wonderful and safe trip and say hello to my home land for me.

Actually we live on base so no issues with a landlord I wish we were able to live off base I feel we would have a much happier, authentic German experience. Right now I feel like I live in "Little America" and am reliving college dorm days!

 

[tomthebarncat]

I would worry about getting robbed, I am in the K-town area 25 minutes down A62. The KA is full of this stuff. When you get back maybe we could met for a coffee? I don't really have alot of friends right now as most of them have moved with the army and the germans take forever to make friends. Also can you talk to the MP's and ask if they have any suggestions? Is that your wedding photo? you look absolutely beautiful!!

 

[KT27]

I would worry about getting robbed, I am in the K-town area 25 minutes down A62. The KA is full of this stuff. When you get back maybe we could met for a coffee? I don't really have alot of friends right now as most of them have moved with the army and the germans take forever to make friends. Also can you talk to the MP's and ask if they have any suggestions? Is that your wedding photo? you look absolutely beautiful!!

I would love to meet up! I am in Ramstein & Ktown weekly!

Yes, that is my wedding photo. It was an amazing day!

Are you on face book?

 

[barkley]

i'de put my important documents into a safety deposit box at a bank, that way if something happened at least they would be safe. also, since you will be out of the country, to ease things if something happened that you had to do a distant insurance claim on, you might consider scanning copies of any renters or other insurance policies into your computer. that way you would at least have access to them if needed.

if where you live is prone to very cold weather you might want to find out what the minimum temp you can leave your thermostat at to help prevent a frozen/burst pipe.

empty the fridge of anything that will go bad during that period of time (and since it won't be opened regularly you might put a couple boxes of open baking soda into it to keep it fresh smelling). make sure not to be a goof like me and go off leaving a used coffee filter in the coffee maker (they mold within a couple weeks), don't leave anything unwashed in the dishwasher-it will SMELL (even if well rinsed).

if you want the house to look 'lived in' from the outside, maybe have your friend at some point put a holiday wreath on the door (it would be a dead giveaway around our neighborhoods that someone's gone if there was'nt some indication of holiday decorations).

OOOOH-just thought of one i heard the other day that sounded good-if you live in an area with snow ask a friend (and idealy a friend with a dog) to come over periodically after new snowfalls and walk in your driveway, up your walkway and around the place because nothing says "i'm not home" like no footprints in the snow (and the dog tracks give the impression that if you're not home your dog is)-the local news gave this one for the people in our area that head for warmer climates during the winter, they said it was one of the best things a neighbor who lives in the area full time could do for them.

since you have a friend who will be checking your place once a week i'll pass on a suggestion a friend in law enforcement gave me-a quick way to determine if someone has been in your home during your absence is to leave in a highly visable place (but not visable from outside) a small amount of money (a $5 or $10 bill is fine). you leave it sitting on a counter or a table that you can see as you first enter the home. the idea is, if someone has broken in they will immediatly see the money and take it in the course of doing whatever it is they are planning to do BUT it also provides an instant visual cue to yourself or your friend when you enter that someone has been there/is there-that way you/they can immediatly exit and call the police (or in your case the m.p.'s) without (1) endangerment (in case the persons are still there) and (2) disturbing the crime scene. my friend suggested it to me when i lived alone and said my "rule" should be if i opened the door and did'nt see the money on the table i should immediatly close the door and call police. you might want to work out something similar with your friend to do.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Yes I would leave the bed made--but with a blanket over the top (and pillow shams) which you do not plan to use and :"fresh" ones in plastic ready to put on the outside layer (things will get dusty in a full month)--or else cover it all with a sheet you can pull off before crawling into bed the first night.

Can your friend open a couple of windows (wide open) for 10 minutes or so whenever she stops by? It will help keep the house from getting too stuffy.

I do not know what base housing is like, but our German apartment starts to smell a bit of sewage as the water in the traps evaporates. If you are gone for more than a couple of weeks it can be icky upon return. You can prevent this by having your friend flush every toilet and run water down every drain (sinks and shower--shower seems to be more important than sink) every couple of weeks. She just needs to run the faucets/shower for about a minute.

Baking soda in the fridge (per pp) or just unplugging it and leaving it propped open is also a good idea.

I am jealous of you living near Ramstein--we read about a Chili's in Germany and did not realize it was on a base at first. The kids and I were so excited to go eat chips and salsa (salsa that does not taste like ketchup!) and then figured out it was not accessible to us--next time you are in there have a margarita for me, will ya?. Oh well, we do get to live down the road from a castle.

Have a great trip to the USA

 

[Imzadi]

Unless you are in a corner basement apartment, you won't have to worry about the water pipes bursting. There will be enough residual heat from the other apartments to keep the building warm enough. Plus, the water will be passing through the pipes to the other apartments. Just make sure all faucets are turned off! That goes for irons, curling irons, coffee pots, etc.

If you are not on the ground level and there is no way someone can enter one of your windows without doing dangerous acrobatics, you can leave that window opened a crack. Make sure it is not the one at the fire escape. Or the window next to the firescape where they can climb over from that.

I'd leave an internal light on. You don't want the place to look unoccupied for 50 days. People would look in the window and never see the lights on. That's a dead giveaway that you are away. You might even get one of those light timers, so the lights go on & off at different times.

Have the bed made up, so the place is inviting when you get home. But, you will have to change the sheets. 50 days is a long time for dust to collect.

 

[KT27]

Yes I would leave the bed made--but with a blanket over the top (and pillow shams) which you do not plan to use and :"fresh" ones in plastic ready to put on the outside layer (things will get dusty in a full month)--or else cover it all with a sheet you can pull off before crawling into bed the first night.

Can your friend open a couple of windows (wide open) for 10 minutes or so whenever she stops by? It will help keep the house from getting too stuffy.

I do not know what base housing is like, but our German apartment starts to smell a bit of sewage as the water in the traps evaporates. If you are gone for more than a couple of weeks it can be icky upon return. You can prevent this by having your friend flush every toilet and run water down every drain (sinks and shower--shower seems to be more important than sink) every couple of weeks. She just needs to run the faucets/shower for about a minute.

Baking soda in the fridge (per pp) or just unplugging it and leaving it propped open is also a good idea.

I am jealous of you living near Ramstein--we read about a Chili's in Germany and did not realize it was on a base at first. The kids and I were so excited to go eat chips and salsa (salsa that does not taste like ketchup!) and then figured out it was not accessible to us--next time you are in there have a margarita for me, will ya?. Oh well, we do get to live down the road from a castle.

Have a great trip to the USA

I took a look at your blog it's great! I swear I think we were on the same Disney Cruise awhile back maybe December 2006? Its funny I was born in Derry, NH! It's a small world and I did not realize so many DIS'ers live in Germany! Enjoy your 1st year here The Christmas Markets will be starting soon.

 

[lovemygoofy]

Hey Katie! I hope you and your sweets are doing well and enjoying Germany.

When I'd leave my apartment for a long period of time. I'd strip my bed but leave a blanket over the bed and put my pillows away if not leaving them covered with a blanket or pillow cases.

Make sure the housing office knows your are leaving and that you don't have to do anything like wrap outside water spouts.

If you have a trusted friend, have someone come in and run the water and flush the toilets once a week or so and then have them come in a day or two before you are due home to turn the heat on low so it's not super freezing.

Do put your mail on hold though. Even though you have a APO Box, you wouldn't want someone to try to pick it up or anything.

Have a great trip back home.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I took a look at your blog it's great! I swear I think we were on the same Disney Cruise awhile back maybe December 2006? Its funny I was born in Derry, NH! It's a small world and I did not realize so many DIS'ers live in Germany! Enjoy your 1st year here The Christmas Markets will be starting soon.

Aww thanks. The blog is really not much at all--but it is something there for friends and family when I don't have time to emeail everyone! It's full of my trademark typos too

Oh I think we were on the same cruise. How fun is that I get to cruise again on December 5 (our first trip "home" since we moved here) and I can't wait. By the time we get back the Christmas Markets will be in full swing (we saw several last year when we came out apartment hunting and to sign the contract).
I hope you have a lovely time visiting home Any particular reason you are going for so long?