End-of-season checks: closing your home properly

The close-up checklist

The last day of a stay can be busy. A closing check records how the house was left and deals with the practical tasks that matter while it is empty. The existing service covers water isolation, power where safe, ventilation and dehumidifying arrangements, shutters, doors and windows, plus dated photographs of every room and the outside.

• Turn off the water and the power where it is safe to do so.
• Set up the agreed ventilation and dehumidifying arrangements.
• Close and check shutters, windows and doors.
• Check the roof, terraces and drains before the rain.
• Photograph every room and the outside with a date.

Instructions that belong to your property

Do not assume that everything electrical can be disconnected. Tell us which equipment must remain powered and provide its operating instructions. The same applies to water supplies serving equipment or shared installations. Decisions about an unfamiliar system should be resolved before it is switched off. The check should follow the arrangements for that property, rather than a rule copied from another home.

List known faults separately from the closing tasks. A shutter that already sticks or a terrace with an existing damp patch should remain visible in the record. A dated photograph helps distinguish the condition at departure from a later observation, but it does not establish the cause of concealed damage. Ask for a repair assessment where that is needed.

How it works while you are abroad

Agree access around your departure and explain when the house will next be occupied. If an agent, cleaner or guest will enter after the close-up, make that clear: a subsequent visit may change the condition recorded in the photographs. Key holding provides a log of authorised access when that service is in place.

Keep the dated photographs with your property records. They are useful when comparing the house before and after an empty period. If the check identifies work, decide on the repair scope and price separately. Roof or terrace work may also involve shared ownership or a permission process; a closing check does not itself authorise alterations.

Between departure and your next visit

An end-of-season visit records one point in time. A maintenance plan establishes an agreed schedule for later checks, including the arrangements you want after heavy rain. There is no automatic inspection frequency attached to this page. Your next pre-arrival check can then use the closing record to identify changes and prepare the house for occupation again.

Owners leave at different times of year. The useful trigger is a prolonged absence, whether that follows a summer stay or a winter spent in Spain. Give the dates that apply to you rather than treating the service name as a fixed calendar appointment.

Permission and community checks

Where the agreed work involves building alterations, the route depends on its scope. TRLOTUP articles 232, 233 and 241 distinguish licence and responsible-declaration procedures and their conditions. A service name is not a permission category. In a community of owners, LPH article 7 limits alterations affecting the building or other owners and requires prior notice to the community representative for works within the provision. Check shared elements before authorising the work.

How we price the work

Start with a free estimate, then a fixed-price quote after a site visit. The scope, access and findings inform the quote. Review what is included and what needs a separate decision before accepting it. There are no standard rates on this page: the price follows the property and the agreed work, rather than a figure detached from the inspection.