When living at apartments in Tampa, do you have any tips when leaving for the holidays?

The holidays are upon us! If you live in apartments in Tampa but have family in other areas of the country, you're not alone. December is one of the busiest travel months of the year and many people will be locking up their homes for days at a time. There are a few tips that you can follow when living in apartments in Tampa that will help you keep your peace of mind while you travel this season.

First off, you should let the office know that you will be out of town. Many apartments in Tampa have emergency maintenance on call, just in case anything disastrous should go happen over the holidays.  If this affects your apartment, then the office will know you're not home and will be able to respond to the situation appropriately. They may also keep an eye on your place, knowing that you will not be there. They can be concerned if they see any suspicious people lurking around or, hopefully not, entering or exiting your apartment! Many apartments in Tampa are equipped with alarm systems which should help deter potential burglars. Gated apartments also help by making sure unwanted visitors aren't allowed access into the property.

One of the biggest tips, which also seems like the easiest (but you'd be surprised!) is to lock all of your windows and doors. Plan your travel schedule accordingly so you aren't running late to catch your flight or bus. Since locking windows and doors may not be something you do on a daily basis, being in a hurry will certainly make you forget them. Check all of your locks and then double check. This is a very simple task that can save you in the case of a possible intruder.

Whether you live in a one bedroom, two bedroom, three bedroom, or beyond, you will want to make sure you conserve as much energy as you can when you lock up for the holidays. I'm sure you would hate to come home with a huge electric bill for the days and weeks that you weren't even there! One of the biggest ways to avoid this is to unplug all unused electronics. Computers and televisions at apartments in Tampa definitely consume the most power, even when turned off and left plugged in. Even if you have a bunch of smaller devices, the watt count starts to add up. Do yourself a favor and unplug your devices. There are a few devices that suck more power than the others, so be sure to catch those before you leave.

Another way to save energy is to turn your thermostat on your air conditioning unit down. Since you will not inhabit your apartment, there is no need to heat it. Fortunately in Florida, we don't historically have as frigid of winters as our friends up north, so setting your AC a bit lower than usual won't result in a frozen catastrophe. When returning to apartments in Tampa, residents may be a bit chilly for a few minutes while their home thaws out, but you will be saving yourself a good chunk of money in the long run.

My final tip is to clean your apartment before you leave, especially take out the trash and clearing the refrigerator. You do not; I repeat, DO NOT want to come home to your home when a 2-week old carton of cottage cheese and half an onion lie in your garbage can. You will be exhausted from the traveling and then will have to deal with a rather unpleasant smell. The same goes for the refrigerator: no one wants to deal with a science experiment on last month's spaghetti and meatball leftovers. I would also suggest cleaning your apartment so all you have to do when you get home is unpack, unwind, and enjoy!

These are the opinions of writers and not the opinions of RentTampaBay.com or any of our advertising partners.