One of the beauties of owning a condo is the ease of escaping winter to a tropical climate, without worrying about who’s minding the house. Be sure to let your insurance company know you will be away and see what services your condo concierge can provide. At luxury buildings such as the Four Seasons, the concierge will do everything from ushering you into your taxi to the airport, to checking on your suite. They will even feed the cat, but if you’re away for longer than a few days or own a dog, it’s best to arrange for a pet sitting service.
During a Canadian winter like this one, it's tempting to lock the door on your condo and head south for several months. Not so fast, says Leonard Sharman, of Cooperators Insurance.
Most insurance guidelines are pretty consistent, he says. "If you're away for more than five days, you need to let your insurance company know. But you also need someone to check your condo daily or you're not covered in case something happens."
That's a lot to ask neighbours or friends – especially if they're here shovelling snow, and you're on a golf course somewhere in Florida.
But if you live in a luxury condo, it's one less thing to worry about. At the Four Seasons Private Residences, for example, "there's not much the concierge won't do to wait on you," says director of sales Janice Fox.
Same thing goes for nearby 133 Hazelton and 181 Davenport, two luxury condos by Mizrahi currently under construction, where a special residents' service is available to homeowners for situations such as this.
Since so many of president Sam Mizrahi's buyers have homes in the south, he developed a comprehensive concierge service that takes care of their suites while they're gone.
(PHOTO: Supplied)
"Take the ice storm we had (in December 2013) – most condos would have had partial power from the generators, but you still want to have someone come in and make sure there are no problems with your individual suite," Mr. Mizrahi says.
The concierge service will also check the suite's temperature and humidity levels. While each unit comes with a steam humidifier, it needs to be monitored to ensure levels are appropriate. "Winter is when most damage occurs because it's so dry, especially with the quality of fabric, drapes, hardwood floors, and wood furniture that is in most of these suites," Mr. Mizrahi explains.
Concierge services can also care for small pets like birds or fish. They can even come in and feed the cat unless you're going to be gone more than a few days.
Dogs are a different matter though, Mr. Mizrahi says. Although resident services at either project would be able to check in several times a day, dogs need companionship and if you're gone for longer than a few days, it's best to either take them to a pet boarding facility or hire a pet sitter to come and stay.
Shae Marie-Janssen, owner at forpetsake.ca, says there's no comparison to sending your pets to a kennel and having them cared for at home. "With so many other stressors today, you don't need to be worrying about your pet as well when you go away. Pets are like extended family members, the children that don't really grow up, so you can't relax until you feel they're taken care of."
Great security and service isn't limited to people living in luxury condos. You can
get the same service for your lowrise freehold villa.
In addition to dog walking and boarding dogs overnight in her own home, Ms. Marie-Janssen also has an overnight pet sitting service. The pet-sitters will sleep overnight, come and go during the day, bring in the mail – they'll even pick up the dry cleaning and buy your lottery tickets. This kind of arrangement works especially well, Ms. Marie-Janssen says, when you have a puppy or geriatric dog, a cat that's diabetic, or a dog that's nervous.
But finding a pet sitter isn't always so easy, admits Ms. Marie-Janssen, and the network of people she hires to stay in people's homes are carefully vetted, police-checked, insured and are shadowed for a standard three month probationary period. "When you are taking care of people's homes, you need to have responsible sitters, so there's a lot of upfront work to find the right people."
Andy Peck stumbled onto a new business for himself when a homeowner couldn't find anyone to house sit and care for his three large dogs. Mr. Peck, along with his wife Rachel, stayed in a villa in northern Spain for three weeks, free of cost. "What a great holiday," Mr. Peck says. "We took care of the dogs – walking, feeding, piling them in the Land Rover – and in exchange we stayed free in a luxurious villa in a beautiful mountainous area."
Since then, Mr. Peck has been pairing up potential house-and-pet-sitters with homeowners all over the world – penthouses in New York and London, Vancouver condos, beach houses in Italy and Greece – and has arranged close to a quarter million nights of sitting. (trustedhousesitters.com)
Even in that scenario, a luxury condo offers the greatest peace of mind. "It's one thing to have a rent-a-cop in a regular condo building," says Ms. Fox. "But in the Four Seasons, you can't get in without the doorman buzzing you in, and then you can't get on the elevator or off at the right floor since the concierge controls the programming. There's not a chance anyone you don't want in there can gain access to your suite, who you don't want to be there."
And then there's coming home, Ms. Fox adds. "If you've been away for a few months, you don't want to return to dust, and unmade beds, and an empty fridge. Or worse, one that has spoiled food in it. You can contact resident services to let them know exactly when you're home, and housekeeping will go in make the beds, do the dusting, and the concierge will have the fridge stocked."
"And don't forget about getting the car started," Ms. Fox says. "Lots of people have concerns about keeping the car going while they're away, so the resident services manager can arrange for the car to be started every few days. And they'll wash your car just before you tell them you're coming home."
(PHOTO: Supplied)
Mr. Mizrahi says he decided to not only develop and build his two luxury projects, but also to maintain and operate the buildings after construction. "Being in charge of security, concierge and maintenance made sense," he says, "because who better than the builder who knows the building inside and out?"
Great security and service, however, isn't limited to people living in luxury condos. You can get the same service for your low-rise freehold villa. Justine Deluce, broker for Chestnut Park Realty, says many people who live in luxury homes in the city and head south for the winter, have a house manager, or at minimum, a personal assistant who makes sure that things at the house happen when they need to. "A house manager oversees anything and everything – from coordinating deliveries, maintenance issues, hiring a housekeeper or new cook," Ms. Deluce says. "It's kind of the modern equivalent of the head butler."
Great security doesn't only depend on a staff, though – that's where technology comes in. "You don't have to have massive overhead at your disposal to manage multiple properties anymore," Ms. Deluce points out . "The technology is amazing, allowing you to turn off or on the heating system, switch the lights on and off. As long as you have someone in Toronto who can go check in if there's a problem."
Enter the security companies that offer comprehensive protection. "They even drive the neighbourhood," says Ms. Deluce. "They're looking for footprints in the snow, make sure the lights are on or off, take your papers off the front stoop if you don't have a fulltime person."
If your home has a 24-hour system that is monitored by an outside company such as this, says Mr. Sharman from Cooperators Insurance, it's covered by the insurance.