Leaving an empty house

[newchapter]

I am moving abroad and will be leaving my house empty. Anyone have any suggestions or advice about this? I own my house and my mortgage is very low and manageable so I'm just going to leave everything intact. I'm going to unplug everything and pay a friend to stop by once or twice a month to check on it. Of course I'll set the heat low so the pipes don't freeze in the winter. I'm leaving in July and will come back in December then probably again the following June. Just wondering if anyone else has done this.

Thanks!

[matts1w]

No worries. Im from Florida, and my parents, along with a million-billion other people, are snowbirds (Half a year in Florida/Half a year elsewhere), so I know a bit about leaving an empty home just from listening to them. Biggest thing to prevent is water damage. My dad leaves his fridge running on the warmest setting too. Says it costs pennies and avoids mildew and the like.

Here is some good advice: https://www.travelers.com/prepare-preve ... ation.aspx

[DeDee]

I have 2 sets of "snowbirds" in my family. They live up north- New Jersey and Connecticut in the summer (around May to September) and come down south for the winter (October to May). They both leave their houses. They have neighbors who check on their houses every 2 weeks. They have the mail transferred to them. They also have a list of repairmen (heating/air/plumbing,etc. ) that they have established good relationships with. That way if anything happens, they can have it fixed immediately and pay the bill later. You might want to have a list b/c it would be aggravating to try to find someone to do repair work when you are in another country. They also have a contract with a lawn service to keep the yard maintained as much as possible during the winter. Depending on where you live, you can let the PD department know you will be away. In my city, if you are going to be away for an extended time or for vacation, they will cruise by your house periodically. At least they say they will, I've called before but I don't know if they actually did or not.

If you are coming back in Dec., then this should definitely be fine. People do it all the time. Good luck!

[Cheery Littlebottom]

Yeah, we leave our house year round too. Sister in Law checks it out for us, and her son in law changes the sprinkler system when necessary. We're thinking of getting a system we can control electronically - camera to look at the lawns and remote sprinkler thing. We have automatic lights etc. No problems in 6 years.

[heyteach]

Newchapter, I was in the same situation as you. My mortgage is very manageable and is drafted from my account each month, as are all my bills. If you haven't set this up yet, do so now as it takes a billing cycle or two to kick in.

I did not want to rent out my furnished house so I hired a very reliable neighbor to check on it a couple times a month (mainly checking for bugs or leaks). On occasion she would dust and vacuum and sweep the walkway out front and tidy the yard. I kept the electricity and phone so the alarm system would stay on, but I had the water and gas turned off (so no frozen pipes or gas leaks). Keep the fridge door open, and unplug clocks, lamps, stereo, etc. I also bought lots of sheets at thrift stores and kept everything covered. I took all the artwork off the walls and stored it in a closet.

About a month before my return each summer, I'd email the neighbor to get the house ready, and arrange for the water and gas to be turned on. After hours of travel, I'd walk in, and it was just as though I'd never left--sheets off, house smelled fresh fridge plugged in, a very welcoming beer in the fridge.

[newchapter]

Thanks, all, for these tips. I hadn't thought about turning off the water. I knew I had to keep the heat on low so the pipes won't freeze. I'm in Maryland in the states so winters can be cold...some winters are colder than others. I wonder if there is a charge from the utility company to turn it off or is that something I can do myself? So many things to think of!

[Flyingpigs]

Check with your insurance company re: how many times you have to have someone check in. In Ontario, Canada, the insurance stipulation that someone check in at least once a week, or insurance is not valid. Best to check--rather be safe than sorry.

[rudolph]

You might not be able to drain the water from your home, although you can turn it off from the main valve so that if pipes do freeze and break, at least water won't continue to run. You'll find out when you turn the water back on if that's the case!
We have a lake property in a northern state where there are small buildings with water which can be drained, water turned off, then the process reversed in the spring in order to get ready for our return. However, the home we live in when we're there is too old to do that to - we just keep the heat at around 45 and haven't had problems (so far - 7 years!) We did pay for the plumber to check on things after this winter's brutal winter and according to him, all was good.
So far doing this has cost us far less than the damage renters did to a previous home when we went that route. I know some people have been lucky renting out but that wasn't us - twice. So never again. We don't have to pack to return there for summers - all our lake clothes are in our drawers - it makes life easy.
Laws in the US are different than Canada - we have Canadian friends who MUST rent out their home so that it's occupied in order to get insurance; under our current mortgage in the US we are not supposed to rent the home out, and our insurance is for our home and things - not for a renter's belongings or liability. Those things could be changed, of course, but the price would go up for everything I think.

[heyteach]

Newchapter, I had the water turned off because the sewer and garbage services are bundled in with the water service (all of which are city services), and I would get charged for them even while away. While our winters are milder, temps can and do get into the teens a few times and pipes can burst. I believe there was a charge to turn the water back on, but I don't remember how much. I say, contact your utility provider and find out what they recommend regarding shutting off the water.

[newchapter]

Thanks, Heyteach. I didn't think about the trash. I think it's paid for through my property taxes which I'll still have to pay, so can't cancel that. But, am going to disconnect my tv - don't want to pay for it if I'm not there. I'm assuming (and hoping) my utility bill will be really small since I won't be using any water and just a tiny bit of electricity for a little heat and maybe a little air conditioning. I have a programable thermostat which really keeps the heat/aircon down.I just have a feeling I'm going to get to my school having forgotten to do something.

Others have mentioned calling insurance company but how would they know if someone is in the house or not? Why would it be a penalty if no one is there?

[Flyingpigs]

Insurance companies dont want to pay out. So if your house is left unlived in, and unwatched, they are under no obligation to payout if they stipulate that the house needs to be checked at least once a week, and it isnt.
They would "know" if/when they do an investigation and they ask neighbours etc who looks after the house, and how often. It depends on what your insurance company expects. For me, in my case and in my province--the house needs to be checked once a week minimum. If there is damage when I am away, and my house ISNT looked after according to their rules...they dont pay.

[newchapter]

What do people do about their mail? Does the post office (in the U.S.) have a service that will collect it? Or, do most of you have a friend collect if for you?

Thanks for all the tips!

[heyteach]

You might look into assigning a trusted and reliable relative or friend your financial power of attorney, and have all your mail forwarded to him/her. That way, they can handle any unexpected issues that might crop up. My sister did this for me, and she had some of my bank checks so she could pay monthly the neighbor looking after my house.

You can request the USPS forward all your mail, and they will do this for six months. I believe they will continue the forwarding if you re-request it. Change the billing address of your credit cards to the person you're having your mail forwarded to. Before you come home, request that mail be sent to your home address, or just collect it from your relative.

[newchapter]

Thanks, Heyteach. I'm going to get all my bills sent to me online so I won't have any paper bills.(I pretty much do that now) Hopefully I can pare it down to just a few things. Do you have your mail forwarded to you abroad or forwarded to your trusted friend?

[heyteach]

All my bills and mortgage are paid by automatic draft, and I"m able to pay my property taxes and insurance online as well. Still, it was handy for my sister to be able to write checks and do things on my behalf on occasion. She handled all my mail; I never had it forwarded to myself.