Water first, then electricity
Water is by far the number one cause of damage in an empty house. When a flexible connection hose bursts and nobody is there, the water runs for days. That is why the first item on the closing list is shutting the mains valve.
Closing the valve is not enough on its own: water left in the pipework can freeze in a hard winter and crack the pipe. Taps should be left open to drain the system, and the outside tap and garden line in particular must be emptied completely.
- Close the mains water valve
- Open every tap and drain the system
- Drain the outside tap and garden irrigation line separately
- Read and photograph the water meter — for comparison at the spring opening
Don't forget the traps
A dried-out trap is the way drain smells and pests get into the house. In basins and floor drains that go unused for months, the water evaporates and the odour barrier disappears.
The fix is simple: pour a little water into each drain and a thin layer of cooking oil on top. The oil slows evaporation and the barrier survives the winter.
The fridge door must stay ajar
A fridge that has been emptied and unplugged but left closed turns into a mouldy box within three months. After cleaning it, use a cloth or a door holder to keep the door ajar.
The same logic applies to the washing machine: leave the door and detergent drawer open and drain the water from the drum.
Which circuits go off and which stay on
Cutting all the electricity is not always right. If an alarm, a camera or a dehumidifier needs to run, that circuit has to stay live. The correct approach is to switch off unnecessary groups (socket circuits, water heater, air conditioning) and leave the essential ones.
For that distinction to be possible, the groups in the consumer unit need to be labelled. If they aren't, labelling them at the closing visit turns this into a few minutes' work in future years.
Outside: gutters, shutters, garden
A gutter not cleared in October sends the November downpour straight onto the façade and over the window heads. In the Mediterranean this is the most common structural cause of winter damage.
Garden furniture, pots and light objects become projectiles in a storm. They need to be brought in or secured. Shutters and roller blinds are closed, but the house should not be sealed airtight — letting it breathe a little reduces the mould risk.
Ventilation, the most commonly skipped item
A locked, completely closed house is a box with the damp trapped inside. Because relative humidity stays high through a Mediterranean winter, an unventilated house grows mould in cold corners and behind cupboards within three months.
This is not a problem you can solve remotely. Either someone has to come regularly and air the house, or a dehumidifier has to be left running.