How to leave my house before going travelling

drjonny

Hi

This winter I'm going away backpacking for 4 months from mid Nov to March. I'm a homeowner and I've decided not to rent my house out while I'm gone to someone I don't know. Instead I'm taking a mortgage holiday which I can do for 3 months.

My house is going to be empty for this 4 month period and I was wondering if anyone has any tips to save any outgoings whilst I'm gone. I won't be paying the mortgage for this time but I will still be paying bills:

I currently have broadband, TV, and phone through Virgin
All my gas and electric through EDF
Water through united utilities
Council tax etc

Any tips greatly appreciated!

arthurdick

hi, it might be wise to check that all your pipes are lagged well for the winter period, you do not want to come back to a flood damaged house, maybe even turn the water off?. i would make sure i defrosted the fridge/freezer, then turn that off, unplug all electrical items..just some ideas of what i would be thinking of if i wwas thinking about going away over winter..i might be wrong, as i have never been away for that long, well not holiday anyway.

Moto2

We turn the gas and water off and leave the electricity on

We have a couple of lights that come on via timers to try and give any passing burglar the idea that we are home.
We have 3 oil filled radiators that come on twice per day for an hour and 2 dehumidifiers set to auto with the drains emptying into toilets.

It's a fairly big house though at 5 bedrooms and old so you may be able to reduce things on a better insulated and smaller place

Doshwaster

I would leave a key with a friend, relative or neighbour that you trust and ask them to check on the house once in a while. Promise to bring them back a present in payment.

tuesdayweld

Hi there,

I went away last year for a week to Siberia where most of my family are from, and really worried about all the same things that you are currently stressing about, so perfectly understandable that you are concerned about leaving it empty for quite a considerable length of time.

Having a trustworthy and friendly neighbour always takes this kind of stress away; if you do have one that you can depend upon to check your property over whilst you are gone, and deal with any up and coming emergencies etc. One of my brother's came helped me, but I know for sure that if you contact your local council authority; they do offer a free housing maintenance service and possibly in some kind of situations such as yours, they may be very happy to check your home over for you if you hand over a spare key - always ensuring valuables in lock-up though.

Give it a go if you, because they are quite a flexible and friendly team at the council maintenance.

zagfles

Check your house insurance - most say that you aren't covered if it's left unoccupied for more than a month or so.

It's probably best to turn the water off and drain down the heating system but take advice on this. Your cold pipes may be lagged but what about the heating system pipes? Or you could leave your heating on with the thermostat low eg 5 degrees though obviously that'll cost you.

busiscoming2

Definitely check with your insurers as zagfles said.

I'd be inclined to leave my CH and HW on timed to come on a couple of times a day but with the thermostat set very low just in case we have a very cold snap.

agrinnall

I turned everything off (water, electricity, oil) and drained down the central heating system when I went away for 4 months over the winter. The only problem I had on my return was that the internal pipes in the electric shower had frozen burst so I had to buy a new one - if I did it again I'd dismantle it and give it to a friend to take care of in a heated house.

I also cancelled my Sky subscription but I've never restarted it so that's a continual saving. If they aren't already you could switch your gas and electric to tariffs that don't have a standing charge component, so you won't be paying for anything if you're not using it, but check to see if that works out better in the long term first.

bb69

You could also consider redirecting your post via royal mail. Although I have tried this before and was hit and miss in that some mail was still being delivered.

Try and request paperless bills where possible

bb69

You could also consider redirecting your post via royal mail. Although I have tried this before and was hit and miss in that some mail was still being delivered.

Try and request paperless bills where possible

itsanne

Follow up on the insurance advice. When we've gone away for two months we've had relatives stay for weekends etc. That has covered not leaving the house unoccupied for more than a certain number of days.

It might be worth leaving small valuable items with relatives or friends.

Obvious mail could be a problem. It would be very useful to have someone who could check up on things periodically and move mail.

Enjoy your trip!