It’s a New Year! You’ve no doubt made a list of ways you are going to improve your life, including keeping better tabs on your health, your finances, your relationships, or any number of things.

Doesn’t your home deserve the same level of introspection to ensure it either becomes or remains its best version of itself?

Not only will doing a few simple annual check-ups ensure your house continues to get a clean bill of health, but it could also potentially save you a tremendous amount of money and prevent the loss of precious possessions.

MyKey recommends the following New Year’s Resolutions for your home.

Winter has much of northern North America firmly in its icy-cold grip. At MyKey Global Accommodations, we know that this, unfortunately, and inevitably, will lead to some folks being affected by frozen pipes that burst, tree branches that damage homes, and a whole host of nasty surprises that that trickster Jack Frost has ginned up for us each year during these cold-weather months.

To help you avoid these potential events, MyKey has developed tips to help you be better prepared for what may come when the winter winds begin to blow!

Clogged gutters and downspouts

If you haven’t already done so, clean out your gutters. Build up of leaves or other debris left inside gutters may cause snow and ice to pile up, which can then cause improper drainage of ice, snow, and rain from your rooftop. As temperatures fluctuate over the course of the day, and certainly from day to day, this could lead to ice damming too. Another good tip is to invest in a roof rake to help remove snow build-up.

Freezing faucets

Be sure to remove hoses connected to your home’s exterior faucets. If you can, turn the water source leading to them off from within the house, and then leave the faucet just slightly open to clear out the remaining water. Water left inside will expand once frozen, which could lead to any combination of a burst hose, faucet or pipe.
Freezing pipes.

Never set your heater below 13° C (55° F) in the winter. In the event of loss of heat or extreme outdoor temperatures, leave a faucet on the main level of your home slightly open, allowing just a slow drip, so that water has somewhere to go instead of freezing in place and perhaps causing a pipe to burst. You might also consider protecting pipes in attics, basements, and crawlspaces with insulation to combat freezing temperatures. In all cases, be sure to know where your water shut-off valves are for your pipes in the event of a pipe breaking.

Trim trees of their dead branches

Tree branches are highly susceptible to the harsh weather commonplace in winter. Any combination of ice, snow, and wind may cause tree limbs to snap. This can lead to damage to your home or that of a neighbor.

Now that we’ve talked about what the cold can do, let’s discuss how heat can also cause damage to your home.

Don’t put combustible items near heat sources. If you have a fireplace, space heater or wood-burning stove, for example, don’t leave things nearby them that could easily catch fire when coming in contact with a flame or perhaps just a hot surface.

Keep your eye on candles

The holiday season in particular is a time for candles, candle-lit holiday meals, and pine or cinnamon-scented candles. Be sure to keep them away from flammable substances and always do a whole-house check to be sure all candles are properly extinguished before leaving home or going to bed.

Deck the halls with boughs of holly! Fa la la la la, la la la la! Yes, it sure is the holiday season. You can almost hear Santa calling out your name from Winter Wonderland! This is the most wonderful time of the year. There’s a lot of chitter-chatter and hustle-bustle going around about putting up lights, buying presents, or choosing the perfect Christmas tree. And while all this planning and execution excites and enthralls us, we must always remember that danger itself never takes a holiday and that it is important to prepare our homes before the holiday season arrives.

The U.S. Fire Administration declared December as the worst month for electrical fires. Most fires are caused due to dried out Christmas trees, a poor inspection of lights, or furnaces, chimneys, and barbecues that have not been serviced. Thus, it is important to make sure your home is prepped before the holidays arrive.

Here are few important points to be noted before you get your home ready for the holidays:

Do a thorough inspection of your decorative lights
Make sure you check the strands of the lights for any frayed cords or cracked bulbs before you string them on the tree or the house. Replace the broken bulbs and get rid of frayed cords. This will help prevent an accidental fire.

Buy the right Christmas tree

Pick a fresh-looking tree with green needles as fresh trees are much less likely to catch fire. Trees having brownish needles means they are really dry, thus making them more flammable. You must water the tree so it remains consistently moist. Keep the tree away from heat and lit candles. Make sure you turn off the lights strung on the tree while you are sleeping or away from home.

Make sure to service the barbecue

Cold weather or not, some diehard grill masters cook over gas or charcoal no matter the season. Clean the cooking surface and the inside of the grill thoroughly as it avoids the risk of a fire. Also, if you decide to grill or deep fry a turkey, keep checking it frequently. Be sure children stay away from the barbecue and also remove any dangling electric cords around it. Other safety tips include:

• Make sure you operate your grill outside and place it at least 10 feet away from your home, trees, and overhangs
• Clean the grill before and after you are done using it to eliminate flare-ups
• Don’t leave your grill unattended
• Use only charcoal starter fluid. Avoid using other flammable liquids
• Check the propane gas tank hoses for any leaks
• Allow the coals to cool down completely before you dispose of it in a metal container

Keep your fire extinguisher and smoke alarms in check

Make sure your smoke alarms are working and test them by pushing the test button. Replace the batteries of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they work properly in case of a fire hazard. Make sure your fire extinguisher is accessible and unexpired.

Make sure the candles are kept away from linen and flammable substances

The holiday season is all about lights, happy cheers, and presents; and even though you would want to light up your house like a ballroom, make sure you keep away electric wires, bulbs, and lit candles from linen and other flammable substances that may lead to a fire hazard.

According to one study conducted by fire departments, Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires followed by Christmas Day. Records showed that the fire departments responded to an estimated 172,900 home cooking fires between the years 2014-2018 with Thanksgiving and Christmas Day being the peak days.

It is important that you have a safe holiday before you have a joyous one!

Here are 10 additional tips to copy down on your sticky note to prevent accidents during the holidays:

1. Get rid of old and worn out decoration items and replace them with new ones
2. Do not overload power sockets and extension cords with light strands
3. Place the Christmas tree far away from candlesticks and the furnace/fireplace
4. Get rid of any clutter around the furnace/fireplace and the Christmas tree, especially linen and other flammable substances
5. Never leave the lights on while you are sleeping at night or when you are away from home
6. While experimenting with recipes, make sure you do not leave the stove, oven, or barbecue unattended
7. Keep washcloths and other linen away from the stove while cooking
8. Place candlesticks away from drapes, stockings, and other decorative items
9. Make sure the lights put up on your house or tree are not touching overhead wires or lamp posts on the street
10. Keep the area around your dryer clean and don’t overload it. Remove snow from the outside that opens to the dryer vent. Avoid overheating the dryer by using the air-dry setting or a lower heat setting

We feel your thrill and excitement over the holidays and understand you are ready to end the year with great pomp and celebration. However, safety comes first and while you’re having fun it is important to take the necessary precautions to enjoy the season to the fullest.

Snow-capped trees, white rooftops, cozy weather, and hot chocolate! Yeah, we do love Winters, don’t we? After all, it is the season of joy, love, and holiday cheers! But are you prepared for it? Is the fireplace properly maintained to avoid an accident? Or have you checked the furnace since last year to ensure it is running correctly? Well, here’s a handy guide for you to get your house safely prepared for cold days and colder nights.

Even though the snow looks beautiful and the sight of snowflakes lazily dancing on the breeze is pleasant when viewed through the window, you still want to keep the cold outside where it belongs during the winter months, don’t you? That is why it is important to keep your furnace and fireplace in check and properly maintained before winter arrives.

Furnaces and fireplaces are used mostly during winters and tend to be heated to high temperatures on extremely cold days. At times, if the gas pressure of the furnace is too high or the fireplace is not maintained properly, the soot in the walls of the heat exchanger might become combustible, leading to a house fire. Statistics show, about two-thirds of house fires in a year are caused by poorly maintained furnaces or fireplaces.

We recommend that you consult with a professional to ensure regular proper maintenance of your furnace and fireplace prior to their first use each year. Here are some things you should also be looking for and staying on top of as a homeowner.

Swaying trees, chirping birds, clear skies, and a perfect Friday morning! Oh, how you wish every morning would be a perfect one, don’t you? The temporary furnished apartment is spick and span, the children look cheerful as ever, and its baking day. But you stop to sigh and wonder, “If only the terrible storm hadn’t damaged our house months ago, we would have been happier and merrier in our cozy living room!”

And then, just as you're pondering over that thought, you remember, your lease ends tomorrow but the contractor called you last week to let you know unfortunately there had been some delays and your house is going to take another week! Suddenly, you are in a real pickle. How will you get an extension for the furnished accommodation you’re staying in on such short notice? Your heart starts pounding as anxiety floods your body.

Relax!

You need not let this worry take a toll on your mind because MyKey’s got your back. When your insurance adjuster teams up with MyKey Global Accommodations, we’ve got protocols in place to avoid a problem like these that we not-so-affectionately call “The Friday Effect”.

Has your home recently sustained damage that has caused you to be temporarily displaced, such as a fire or weather-related incident? You’ve filed a claim with your insurance company and your Homeowners Insurance policy provides a stipend for Addition Living Expenses, or ALE, to cover your temporary living arrangements.

Now the question is, what accommodations are right for you? Well, it’s complicated. Many factors must be considered when deciding what route to take, including:

• ALE budget
• Length of stay
• Location
• Proximity to school and work
• Number of people
• Special needs
• Pets

All the above criteria (and more!) come into play when finding a solution. You’ll want to choose accommodations that meet as many of these criteria as possible, not to mention being someplace you actually want to live!

Overwhelmed? Not to worry. That’s where MyKey comes in as a leading provide of temporary accommodation services to the insurance industry in Canada and the United States. We’ll examine all your requirements and desires, and work with your insurer to identify solutions that work for your unique needs.

Learn more about who we are and how we help

Here are the key options to consider whenever you need temporary housing.

We are on the cusp of tornado season in North America, and MyKey is here to ensure you navigate the claims process with the least amount of stress. You have your family to worry about more than anything.

Put your mind at ease though, the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor that you will never have to worry about your home being hit by a tornado. If fact, if you check out the statistics on BookOfOdds.com, you have a 1 in about 4.5 million chances of this occurring.

Spring is here! Blue skies. Sunshine. Birds singing. Floods.

Wait…what? Floods?

Yes, it is spring, and in many parts of Canada and the United States, that means floods. Ice dams formed in the winter are thawing due to gradually rising seasonal temperatures, and every child can tell you next month’s flowers come courtesy of this month’s showers. Altogether, that adds up to an overabundance of water suddenly hitting our rivers, streams, and standing bodies of water. And with that comes the inevitable flooding.

MyKey is here to help you prepare and protect your home in advance of potential springtime flooding. And should you unfortunately sustain damage to your home due to flooding, we can provide some useful tips on what to do and how to properly file a claim.

As the leading provider of insurance housing solutions in North America, we work with insurance companies and adjusters to match policyholders with temporary housing that meets their unique needs and policy budget.

MyKey Global Accommodations is committed to providing professionally managed and vetted furnished accommodations so your can stay in comfort and with confidence. We believe that commitment extends beyond just where you lay your head each night, however. We’re here to help make every facet of traveling, relocating or otherwise engaging in the furnished accommodation experience easy, stress-free and enjoyable.

It’s inevitable. Extreme weather events are occurring more and more frequently. Up to 60% of locations across North America, Europe, East Asia and parts of South America would likely see a three fold increase in various extreme events. Fires, tornadoes and floods can have extreme impacts on your safety and piece of mind. Because of this, it’s important to be prepared.

MyKey Global Accommodation recommends that once a disaster strikes, if you home is damaged, file your claim right away. If you do this, you are more likely to settle your claim quickly. The sooner your claim is settled, the faster you can get your life back to normal.

Here are things MyKey wants you to know about weather related insurance claims:

FEMA only pays for temporary living expenses if a home is destroyed in a storm that is declared a disaster by the federal government and if grants are made available. Claims need to be made through the homeowner’s primary insurance company.

When Hurricane Sandy happened in 2012, for instance, FEMA determined that there was enough damage to make an “individual assistance” declaration and therefore provide grants to homeowners to help them with temporary living costs such as finding food and shelter.

The National Flood Insurance Program is administered by a group of insurance companies that were selected by FEMA to manage the program. By the time a storm approaches, it’s already too late to buy flood insurance. Talk to your insurer about adding this optional insurance to your policy if you are concerned about flooding due to natural disasters.

FEMA may step in with grants in the event of flooding due to natural causes. Those grants don’t pay for repairs or to make the home livable again, but will help with temporary food and shelter.

One storm can be categorized as multiple events requiring separate deductibles (especially if it is considered very severe). Before a storm strikes, we recommend you getting familiar with your coverage.

If the damage is not severe, it may be best to wait on filing a claim. Using a hail storm as an example, waiting may avoid the risk of having another hail storm pound a new roof and then have to start the process all over again.

It’s important to know that there is a 30-day waiting period for flood insurance to kick in. If you have just endured a storm, you should also know that flood insurance is something that you have to purchase separately from your regular home insurance policy.

Disaster relief can take a long time. When a storm hits, almost every homeowner affected files insurance claims immediately following the event. Insurance adjusters are inundated with claims, phone calls and questions.

Disaster Adjusters can change frequently. Because of this, it’s necessary to document everything. Companies may send in large teams of adjusters to deal with the high volume of claims.

If you need a separate policy to cover flooding, especially if you live in a flood-prone area, you may or may not be required to have hurricane coverage in certain areas of the country.

If a tornado takes out your porch, and then another tornado carries off some of the roofing the next day, you may have to pay a separate deductible for each strike.

Be Prepared
Severe weather is unpredictable and can strike at any time. Being prepared and knowing how your home insurance policy works in the event your property is damaged by a hurricane, tornado, hailstorm or similar disaster will help you navigate the claims process more quickly and with less friction.

Do you have a need to find immediate housing due to weather-related damage to your home or a home fire? MyKey is the leader in insurance housing, providing vetted options regardless of the length of your need. Whether you need a hotel, furnished apartment or custom housing solution, we can help you. Fill out an inquiry or book immediately at MyKey.com.

MyKey Global Accommodations is committed to providing professionally managed and vetted furnished accommodations so you can stay in comfort and with confidence. We believe that commitment extends beyond just where you lay your head each night, however. We’re here to help make every facet of traveling, relocating or otherwise engaging in the furnished accommodation experience easy, stress-free and enjoyable.

The Rise of Non-Traditional Tenants

MyKey Global Accommodations recognizes the growing importance of corporate housing for many consumers. These tenants and the industry as a whole continue to grow and develop. With the evolution of temporary accommodations, corporate relocations, and business travel, furnished apartments will increasingly move toward the forefront.

Interesting Fact: 71% of millennials expressed desire to work internationally. This has led to temporary relocations becoming more prominent.

Reasons People Are Interested In Furnished Apartments

1. Emergency stays due to severe weather or emergencies that displace individuals and families for more than 30 days.
2. Travelers with children who would rather stay in a furnished apartment than a hotel to save on food, have more space, and feel more at home.
3. Seasonal travelers, for instance during ski or surf season, are looking for convenient places to live while enjoying their hobby.
Customers who stay in furnished apartments self-book 69% of the time. These individuals are focused on not only meeting specific lodging needs but also on leisure opportunities in the area. These include choosing a location near great shopping and entertainment, close to cultural centers for site-seeing, and near a gym.

Demand for Furnished Housing

Because of the emergence of the global marketplace, the best employee for a role may not even be located in the same country or even the same continent. Surveys show there will be a 50% increase in overseas assignments. The data also indicates that overseas assignments have increased by 25% over the past decade.

Demand for furnished housing is partly fueled by companies sending their employees out of town for an extended period of time. Many residential renters don’t want to deal with buying furniture and are showing interest in furnished housing. The global corporate housing market generated $36.2 billion in revenue last year. Part of the growth is attributed to residential, rather than corporate, rentals. However, corporate providers often offer lower daily rates and more spacious apartments.

Average rents have increased by 6.3% since 2015. A reason for this may be that while supply has increased to an all-time high of around 67,000 properties, spurred by an increase in residential construction of luxury apartments, this increase hasn’t kept up with the demand for corporate housing. Today, corporate housing equates to a full 20% of the temporary accommodation market.

How Laws and Regulations have Changed

Vacation rental law changes like “primary residence” laws and hotel taxes are changing the holiday rental industry. These laws, passed in different cities all over the world are in response to a variety of problems arising from vacationers such as trashed homes and high turnovers that lower property values. Corporate housing is far better positioned to manage the demands of lawmakers and homeowners associations due to the high quality of properties, stricter rules and more responsible clients.

Employers are feeling the pressure to comply with health and safety regulations, and ensure their employees are safe while traveling. This is a major driving reason as to why MyKey only offers vetted hotels and furnished accommodations. In addition, employers need to know that employees can be located and evacuated quickly if necessary in a temporary apartment. Many companies believe that serviced apartments provide long term flexibility and security to fill the gap between the convenience and safety of a short stay.

The Types of Furnished Apartments that Consumers Want

Two trends that are emerging in the market are focused on lifestyle and community. The quality of the experience for guests includes a move toward luxury, which is being driven by the growth at the top end.

Other trends include new offerings and technologies to cater to different demographics. These options include servicing millennial families, providing wellness facility options and virtual assistants such as Alexa and Google Home, and greater focus on eco-design and operations.

The increased demand for social and communal spaces gives way to a new type of furnished apartment. It’s the new way to socialize and entertain, rather than the old extended stay-pitch of “doing everything in your own private apartment.”