The suitcase is packed, the passports are on the kitchen counter, and the cat’s giving you that look she always gives when she senses the wheelie bag coming out. Going away is one of the better feelings life serves up, until you remember the home you’re leaving behind.
You don’t need a military operation. But twenty minutes of sensible prep is the difference between a relaxed two weeks on a beach and the slow-creeping question, three days in, of “did I leave the tap on?” Here’s how to leave the house properly, whether you’re off for a weekend or a fortnight.
1. Check your insurance
This is the single thing homeowners forget, and it’s the one that bites hardest. Most home insurance policies cover unoccupied properties for a limited window: often 30 days, sometimes 60, and after that, cover can quietly fall away.
It’s worth a five-minute read of the small print before you go. Look for “unoccupied,”“unattended”, or “absence.” If your trip pushes the limit, call the insurer to flag it. Some insurers will simply note the absence or extend cover; others may require an endorsement, additional cover, or specific conditions to be met (water shut off at the mains, alarm activated, or mail collected).
Not sure what your policy actually covers?
An insurance broker can run through it with you in plain English and flag any gaps before you fly, not after you’ve claimed.
2. Lock the place down properly
Walk the house once, slowly, before you leave for the airport. It sounds obvious until it isn’t.
Every external door, every accessible window, the side gate, the shed, the back of the garage. Don’t forget the upstairs windows you’ve left open during the heatwave. If you have an alarm, test it. If you have smart locks, check the batteries. An upstairs window left open during a heatwave is exactly the kind of opportunity burglars look for.
If you’ve been meaning to upgrade a flimsy back-door lock or sort out the side gate that hasn’t latched properly since spring, now’s the moment.
Need to tighten things up before you go?
A locksmith or security installer can replace tired locks, fit a deadbolt or set up a basic alarm, usually in a single visit.
3. Make the house look lived-in
Burglars look for empty houses. Your job is to make yours look anything but.
A pair of plug-in light timers, a couple of smart bulbs, or a smart plug on a lamp will do most of the work for you. Set the lights to come on around dusk and off at a sensible bedtime. A smart doorbell that records movement is one of the cheapest deterrents going. And if you’re tempted to post the holiday countdown on Instagram, save it for when you’re back, “empty house from Saturday” is exactly the post a burglar wants to see.
Don’t forget the giveaways outside. A pile of post visible through the letterbox, an overflowing bin, a new TV’s packaging left next to the wheelie bin, all of these say “no one’s home.”
Want it set up properly?
A smart home installer or electrician can fit timers, smart bulbs and a doorbell camera in an afternoon. For many homeowners, the extra peace of mind alone makes it worthwhile.
4. Sort the water, gas and the bills
Water is the bit that does the most expensive damage when no one’s home. A small drip you’d notice in five minutes becomes a swelling stain on the ceiling after a week. For longer trips, particularly if the property will be empty for more than a week, consider turning the water off at the stopcock. It takes ten seconds and saves a lot of grief.
Same logic for the boiler. If it has a holiday mode, use it. Otherwise, consider turning the heating functions off while retaining frost protection if you need it. Unplug the washing machine, the dishwasher and any other appliance whose hose lives under pressure. Set the thermostat to frost-protect if you’re going away in autumn or winter.
Not sure where the stopcock is, or whether your boiler has a holiday setting?
A plumber or heating engineer can show you and check the system over while they’re there.
5. Empty the fridge and sort the bins
Two weeks in the Mediterranean is wonderful. Two weeks of last Friday’s leftovers fermenting in your kitchen is not. Empty the fridge of anything that won’t outlast the trip. Take the bins out the morning you leave, not the night before. Run the bin under hot water if it’s been a hot week.
The freezer is fine to leave on; modern ones are energy efficient, but if you’re going for more than a fortnight, eat down whatever you can. A power cut while you’re away can write off an entire freezer’s contents in a way that’s frankly heartbreaking.
6. Plants, the garden and any pets
The lawn doesn’t need you. The tomato plants do. Move pots into the shade and give them a deep soak the morning you go, terracotta saucers underneath, brimmed. A length of capillary matting in a tray of water can take care of the kitchen herbs for a week or two.
If the trip is long enough that the lawn will look like a meadow when you get back, ask a neighbour to run the mower over once, or book a gardener for a single visit. For pets, this is the moment to confirm the sitter and to leave their food, vet details and emergency contact written down, not just in your head.
7. Tell a neighbour, and plan your homecoming
The unsung hero of every well-handled holiday is a good neighbour. Tell someone trustworthy that you’re going, when you’re back, and how to reach you. Leave a spare key if it makes sense. Ask them to take in the post and any parcels and to drop your bin out and back, the kind of detail burglars notice.Plan the homecoming too. Bread and milk are waiting for the next morning. A quick walk through the house when you arrive: taps, windows, fuse box, and signs of damp or leaks. If anything’s gone wrong while you’ve been away, you want to know within the first hour, not the first week.
The takeaway
A holiday is supposed to feel like a holiday, and the best way to make that happen is to leave the house in a state where you genuinely don’t have to think about it. Twenty minutes of prep before you go, one or two professionals on speed-dial if you’d rather not do it all yourself, and you’re free to focus on the bit you’ve actually paid for.
Go and enjoy it. The home will still be here when you get back.