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Prepare a house for an extended absence by removing the ways it can fail alone: shut off the water at the main (or, in winter, keep the heat on and set no lower than 55°F as the Red Cross advises, and preferably both), unplug what does not need power, stop the mail and the deliveries, arrange the lawn or the snow, set lights on timers, and arrange for someone to walk through weekly. Then write down what you did so you can undo it in order when you return.
This post is the list, grouped by what it prevents. It applies to a two-week trip and, with the longer items, to a season away.
What prevents water damage?
Water is the most common absence loss, and shutting off the main removes most of it: a supply line, a washing machine hose, a toilet fill valve, or an ice maker line cannot flood a house with the main closed. Shut it off, open a low faucet to relieve pressure, and, in a cold climate, keep the heat on so any water left in the pipes does not freeze. If the water must stay on, close the valves at the washing machine, the dishwasher, and the ice maker, and check the sump pump.
- Shut the main and open the lowest faucet.
- Turn the water heater to its vacation setting or off (gas control) or switch off its breaker (electric); an electric heater with the water off must be off, or the elements burn out.
- Close the washing machine, dishwasher, and refrigerator supply valves if the main stays on.
- Test the sump pump and its battery backup (the sump pump guide); a storm while you are away is exactly when it matters.
- Clear the gutters and check the downspout extensions before you go.
What prevents freeze and heat damage?
In winter, keep the heat on and set no lower than 55°F, open the cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls, and, ideally, shut off and drain the water as well. In summer in a humid climate, keep the air conditioning running at a warm but not off setting so humidity does not climb and grow mold; a smart thermostat lets you check. The Red Cross's freeze guidance, cited in the freeze guide, is the basis for the winter setting.
The American Red Cross's frozen pipes guidance says that when away in cold weather, leave the heat on and set to a temperature no lower than 55°F.
What prevents fire, theft, and pests?
Unplug small appliances, the television, and chargers; leave the refrigerator and freezer running unless the absence is long enough to empty them. Set a few lights on timers, stop the mail and packages, ask a neighbor to collect anything that arrives anyway, and keep the lawn cut or the walk shoveled so the house does not look empty. Take out every bit of food waste, run the dishwasher and the disposal, and store dry goods in sealed containers; an empty house with food in it is a house with mice.
- Unplug what you can; a surge on an empty house is uninsured until you return.
- Timers on lamps in two rooms, on different schedules.
- Mail hold, package hold, and a neighbor for the exceptions.
- Lawn service or snow removal on a schedule.
- All perishables out; the disposal run clean; the trash out.
- Doors and windows locked, the garage door opener unplugged if the garage has an exterior keypad you do not trust, and the alarm set if you have one.
Who checks the house, and what do they check?
Arrange a weekly walk-through by someone with a key and your number, and give them a short list: look for water on floors and ceilings, check the thermostat reading, run the taps for a minute if the water is on, look in the sump pit, check the refrigerator is cold, look at the exterior for damage after any storm, and bring in anything left at the door. Some insurance policies require this for vacancies beyond a stated period; check the policy before a long absence.
Give the checker the location of the main shutoff, the breaker panel, and the plumber's number, and the burst-pipe steps in case they walk in on water. A leak sensor with a phone alert on the main, near the water heater, and under the washing machine is inexpensive and gives you the same information without waiting for the weekly visit.
What should you record?
Record what you shut off and when, the thermostat setting, the checker's name and schedule, the service arrangements, and the dates, so the return is a checklist in reverse: heat back to normal, water on slowly, water heater on last (after the tank is full), appliances plugged in, mail resumed. Put it in the home record as a note on the property, and set the tasks in the maintenance schedule as one-time reminders for the departure and the return.
Common questions
Should I turn the water off when I leave?
For an absence of more than a few days, yes, at the main, unless something in the house needs water while you are gone (an irrigation system on a separate line is fine; a fire sprinkler system is not to be shut off). A house with the water off cannot flood from a burst supply line, which is the most common absence loss.
What temperature should I leave the heat at in winter?
The Red Cross's guidance for cold weather is to leave the heat on and set no lower than 55°F. The cost of heating an empty house is small next to the cost of a frozen pipe, and if you also shut off and drain the water, the risk drops further.
Do I need someone to check the house?
Yes, on a schedule, and some insurers require it for a vacancy beyond a stated number of days. A neighbor, a friend, or a service who walks through weekly, runs the taps if the water is on, and checks the thermostat, the sump, and the mail is the difference between a small problem and a large one.
What should you do next?
Write the departure list for your house now, while you are not packing. Most of it is the same every time, and the parts that change (the season, the length of the trip) are the parts worth thinking about at leisure. The seasonal prep post covers what a house needs when the trip lands in a storm or a freeze.