How often should someone enter an empty house?
At least every two or three weeks, and more often in winter and after storms. The person works through a list: water, electricity, humidity, windows, leaks, pool, garden. A month without a visit is already a lot: that is enough time for mould to start, a hose to burst or a drain to block.
The policy for a second home often carries a condition: if the house stands empty beyond a set period, the insurer asks for proof of periodic checks. The terms are read in the contract, not from memory. Each visit is documented with a photo report so you see the condition without travelling.
What happens to the house over winter?
The house is closed, the air stands still and humidity rises. The mild coastal climate gives damp winters: black patches appear in closed wardrobes, on north walls and on the ground floor. Clothes, mattresses and timber absorb water.
Three other visible problems. Blockages: leaves and pine needles clog gutters and channels, and autumn downpours turn a blockage into a leak indoors. Pests: rodents enter through gaps, termites chew timber, wasps build nests and pine processionary nests appear on pines. Equipment: pumps, boilers and taps that sit unused seize up; in stagnant water Legionella can multiply, so on arrival the taps are flushed and the water heated.
An untended garden is a risk too: dry grass next to the house burns in summer. Before fire season the vegetation near the walls is cleared.
Should you leave air conditioning on against damp?
A dehumidifier with a condensate drain, or ventilation, is better than air conditioning. A split unit in dry mode uses more energy than needed and is not designed to run constantly in an empty house. The target humidity is 45–60% and the temperature does not fall below 12–15 °C, to avoid condensation on cold walls.
What works in practice. A fixed dehumidifier with a continuous drain to the sewer on the ground floor. Ventilation with heat recovery at low speed that changes the air by itself. Wardrobe doors left ajar, mattresses raised, black spots on north walls treated. The fridge is switched off and left open.
Temperature and humidity sensors send data to your phone and you see when humidity rises above normal. It is cheaper than treating mould, and those numbers decide whether to boost ventilation.
What to do with the pool in winter?
On the coast a pool is normally not drained. The water stays at working level, filtration runs 2–4 hours a day, chemistry is adjusted to a winter scheme with algaecide, and a winter cover or the automatic cover goes on top. An empty shell under groundwater pressure can float and crack, so draining is done only on a specialist's decision.
Before leaving, check the water level, pH and filter. Through the winter, every two or three weeks the level is checked and the skimmer cleaned. If the house is inland or in a foothill area where frost occurs, exposed pipes and the filter are protected against freezing: the technical side is drained and the shell is left full.
Equipment. The heat pump is switched off in winter or put on protection mode, and we covered heating in the pool article. A pool controller with an app shows that the pump is running and there is no alarm.
Which systems simplify upkeep from a distance?
The basic set. Leak sensors under sinks, by the water heater, the washing machine and in the plant room, linked to a motorised valve on the main tap: the water shuts itself off. Temperature and humidity sensors. Door and window contacts and an alarm connected to a monitoring centre that calls the police (only such an alarm gets a real response). Cameras on the perimeter. Electricity monitoring, so you learn of a power cut. Backup internet over 4G and emergency power for the router.
All of it is tied together by a home smart system, and we covered its basic principles in the home automation article. It matters that it does not depend on one company's cloud and runs locally, or a service outage leaves you blind.
Remote control: pool controller, irrigation, climate and lighting in one app. It is installed during the renovation while the cables are still in the walls: adding sensors afterwards costs more.
How to build a calendar of checks?
The calendar is tied to the seasons. September: cleaning roof, gutters and channels before the autumn rains, checking trees. October to November: switching the pool to winter mode, checking irrigation and turning off what is not needed. December to February: humidity, termites, processionary caterpillar on pines, a check after each storm. March to April: preparing for the season, starting the pool and irrigation, checking the climate system. May: cleaning, flushing the water, checking equipment. June: clearing vegetation from the walls before fire season.
Scheduled services are added: checking the electrical board, cleaning filters, annual servicing of the climate system and boiler, a roof inspection once a year. All of it goes into one table with dates and a responsible person, and photo reports go into a shared folder so there is something to show the insurer.
How to arrange a service contract and what to build into the renovation
In the contract with a service company or manager, specify visit frequency, checklist, report format, response to an alarm, list of contractors and the spending threshold allowed without your approval. Keys and codes are held by two people. The insurance names the contact person.
To make upkeep simpler, build these into the renovation: shut-off valves on every bathroom and circuit, access hatches to pipes and valves, a motorised valve on the water inlet, separate electrical circuits for the pool, irrigation and climate, a plant cupboard accessible without entering the living area, drainage gullies in lower rooms and moisture-resistant finishes. These are design-stage decisions and they cost little.
BCN YARD builds and renovates houses turnkey: on a private house with a pool (2022–2024, full cycle, solar panels) these things were planned together with the house services. We run the site in Russian and Spanish with one person responsible, the price in the estimate after a visit and measurements, and payment under contract in stages.
Frequently asked questions
What does house-watching cost while owners are away?
The price depends on visit frequency, floor area, the pool and garden and the level of reporting. There is no universal figure and services quote after seeing the house. Compare offers by checklist rather than by price per visit: what exactly is checked is what matters.
Does a summer house need an alarm?
Yes. An empty, unwatched house is an easy target for burglary, and an alarm linked to a monitoring centre reduces the risk and is often required by the insurer. Smoke, water and door sensors on one controller give more security than cameras with no human response.
What should be switched off when leaving for several months?
Close the main water tap, preferably with a motorised valve, and switch off the water heater, large appliances and unneeded sockets. Keep electricity for the dehumidifier, sensors, alarm and pool. Empty the fridge, switch it off and leave it open.