Leaving your Costa Blanca home empty? What a key-holder should check

Why an empty home needs checking

Most problems in an empty home are small when they start: a slow leak under a sink, a blocked terrace drain, a damp patch on a ceiling, a frayed shutter strap. Left for months, they become a flooded floor, mould, or a break-in through a broken shutter. A full letterbox also tells everyone the home is empty.

Before you leave

1. Decide with your key-holder whether the water stays on or is turned off at the stopcock.
2. Decide whether the fridge stays on. If it is off, leave the door propped open.
3. Close and lock all windows and balcony doors; lower the shutters.
4. Empty the bins and the fridge of anything that can go off.
5. Leave your key-holder your contacts, an emergency contact, and your community administrator’s details.

What should be checked on each visit

Security

1. Gate and front door: no signs of forced entry, locks working.
2. Windows and balcony doors closed and locked.
3. Shutters intact and straps not frayed.
4. Post and flyers removed from the letterbox and door.
5. No sign that anyone has been inside.

Water

1. No leaks under sinks, around toilets, the washing machine and the water heater.
2. Every tap run briefly and every toilet flushed, so water does not go stale.
3. Floor drains and shower traps topped up with water, to stop sewer smells.
4. A photo of the water meter, so a hidden leak between visits shows up.

Damp and air

1. Walls and ceilings checked for new damp patches or mould.
2. The home aired while someone is there.
3. Any smell of gas: leave, call 112 and the gas company.

Electrics and appliances

1. No tripped switches in the fuse box.
2. Fridge, water heater and air conditioning as agreed with you.
3. A light tested in each main room.

Outside

1. Roof terrace and solarium drains clear — this matters most before rain.
2. Gutters and downpipes clear, walls and railings without new cracks or rust.
3. Garden and irrigation working, nothing that could catch fire.

Before leaving

1. Everything left as found: windows closed, shutters down, doors locked.
2. A report sent to you the same day, with photos, and a fixed price for anything that needs fixing.

How to judge a key-holder

• Where are my keys kept? They should be numbered, never labelled with your address or alarm code, and kept locked away, with a record of who took them out and when.
• What do I get after each visit? Ask to see a sample report. Photos and a meter reading are better than “all OK”.
• What happens when you find a problem? You should get a price before anything is done.
• How often do you visit, and is that written down?
• Do you respond to my alarm? We do not: alarm response is the alarm company’s job.

Our Home Care plans are below. Each one follows this checklist; they differ in how often we visit and what else is included.