How do I prepare a house before going away?
The checklist that prevents coming home to a problem — water, security, food and the things that quietly go wrong.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 1 hr
- Read
- 2 min
- Safety
- caution
Short answer
Turn the water off at the stopcock if you will be away more than a few days — a burst pipe or a failed washing machine hose while nobody is home is the one thing that causes real damage.
Most holiday disasters at home are water and most of them are preventable in thirty seconds. The rest is a short list that takes an hour and removes the low-level worry.
Safety
Step by step
- Turn the water off at the stopcock.For anything more than a couple of days. A leak with nobody home for a fortnight is the difference between a puddle and a ruined ceiling. Also isolate the washing machine and dishwasher.
- Empty and deal with the fridge.Anything that will spoil. For a long trip, empty it entirely, turn it off and prop the door open — a fridge left off and closed grows something memorable.
- Take the bins out.Including the kitchen caddy. A bin left for two weeks in summer is unpleasant and attracts flies.
- Set lights on timers.Two or three, varying through the evening. A house dark for a fortnight is visible from the street, and this is a genuinely effective deterrent.
- Stop or redirect deliveries and post.A full letterbox or parcels on the step advertise an empty house. Pause subscriptions and ask a neighbour to collect anything.
- Tell a neighbour and leave a key.Someone who can check, take a parcel in and deal with a problem. This is worth more than every other measure combined.
- Check the outside.Gutters clear, garden furniture secured, gates locked, ladders and tools put away — anything that helps someone get in, or blows around in a storm.
- Turn off what does not need to be on.Unplug what you can at the socket. Leave the heating on a low frost setting in winter, the freezer running, and any alarm on.
Tips
- Photograph the meter readings before you go. It settles any argument about usage while you were away.
- Do not post about the trip on social media until you are home. It is the modern equivalent of leaving a note on the door.
- Water plants by grouping them together out of direct sun with a good soak, or ask the neighbour who has your key.
Questions people ask
Should I turn the water off when I go on holiday?
For more than a couple of days, yes. A leak with nobody home is the single most damaging thing that can happen, and turning the stopcock takes seconds.
Should I leave the heating on?
In winter, yes — a low frost-protection setting prevents frozen pipes. In summer it can be off entirely.