Do you know how to fix a leaking drain under your bathroom sink? Or how to install a new HVAC? How about programming a new code into your home security system? If you’ve answered “yes” to all of these question, you’re pretty much a modern genius. However, most of us don’t have the skills to perform all the upkeep necessary around the house, even if we have the time. And with landscaping, window cleaning, appliance-upkeep, maintaining home security system equipment, and more being absolute requirements to keep our homes in good repair, many of us are regularly visited by maintenance personnel from various companies.
How Maintenance Personnel can be a Home Security Risk
In most cases, maintenance personnel are just what they appear to be: well-trained, hardworking individuals who come to your home to do a job and do it well. But there are always criminals who will try to pose as maintenance personnel in order to breach your home security system. There are even criminals who purposely get a position with, for example, a landscaping company so they can easily access multiple homes. And then there are those who, though they’ve never committed a crime before, give into the temptation of stealing from a home they’re working at. On occasion, maintenance personnel can also pose a risk to your home security system purely by misunderstanding or forgetting instructions about closing or locking doors and gates.
Dealing with Maintenance Personnel Responsibly
Though all this information may seem a bit intimidating, there’s no reason to start taking DIY carpentry classes or firing your window cleaner. All it takes to deal with your maintenance personnel responsibly is a bit of patience and an extra phone call or two. Before you hire a certain company, check to see if their license is valid, and check online for reviews from other customers. Any time you schedule a maintenance visit to your home, make sure to enquire about the name of the maintenance person coming and ask for a set time. When the person arrives, ask to see their ID, as well as a copy of the company’s license. If anything seems amiss, for example, if the person turns up hours late, or on a completely different day, always check with the company before you let him or her in. If the maintenance company cannot verify that that particular person is scheduled to be at your home at that time, don’t let him or her in. Instead, alert the police and let them deal with the situation before you have to call them to report a burglary or worse.
