Property unoccupied over winter

shiraz99

jcuurthht said:

greensalad said:

If you are keeping it cold, I would ventilate it constantly. Does it have windows you can leave on a secure latch to make sure each room is ventilated? Once a week likely won't be enough.

Yes, I'm pretty sure it has these windows.

chris_n said:

Is the stop tap off? Is the tank / boiler / pipework all drained?

Yes, stop tap is off and all pipework has been drained.

BooJewels said:

We went with the opposite option of leaving the heating on, controlled by the thermostat insurers requested 13C, we went with 14 or 15C for comfort.  We were attending to clear it, so wanted it pleasant for not only us staying there, but to protect the fabric of the building and to feel fresher and more recently lived in to potential buyers.  We didn't want it to feel like a long-unoccupied house, which it was.  It cost of course, but we felt it was worth it.  We didn't need to worry about ventilation as the upstairs windows were in bad shape.

If I remember, you live in Germany, so not able visit regularly - is the house actually empty now?

Yeah the house has been cleared. 1 sale fell through last month just before exchange.

My concern with leaving the heating on is if something goes wrong with the boiler, I'm not local so getting someone round to fix is difficult. (I live in Germany)

Yes, you don't want the boiler running if there's never anyone inspecting the property. One thing could happen, if it's a combi boiler, is the condensate freezing during a cold snap, so you'd definitely want to be around to sort that out with the boiler running.

jcuurthht

shiraz99 said:

jcuurthht said:

greensalad said:

If you are keeping it cold, I would ventilate it constantly. Does it have windows you can leave on a secure latch to make sure each room is ventilated? Once a week likely won't be enough.

Yes, I'm pretty sure it has these windows.

chris_n said:

Is the stop tap off? Is the tank / boiler / pipework all drained?

Yes, stop tap is off and all pipework has been drained.

BooJewels said:

We went with the opposite option of leaving the heating on, controlled by the thermostat insurers requested 13C, we went with 14 or 15C for comfort.  We were attending to clear it, so wanted it pleasant for not only us staying there, but to protect the fabric of the building and to feel fresher and more recently lived in to potential buyers.  We didn't want it to feel like a long-unoccupied house, which it was.  It cost of course, but we felt it was worth it.  We didn't need to worry about ventilation as the upstairs windows were in bad shape.

If I remember, you live in Germany, so not able visit regularly - is the house actually empty now?

Yeah the house has been cleared. 1 sale fell through last month just before exchange.

My concern with leaving the heating on is if something goes wrong with the boiler, I'm not local so getting someone round to fix is difficult. (I live in Germany)

Yes, you don't want the boiler running if there's never anyone inspecting the property. One thing could happen, if it's a combi boiler, is the condensate freezing during a cold snap, so you'd definitely want to be around to sort that out with the boiler running.

The neighbour checks once per week as requested by the home insurer.

Eldi_Dos

OP, sorry to ask a question on your thread but thought answers might be of interest to you.

A friends relative has a property abroad and they were unable to get to it for over two years due to lockdowns and travel restrictions. When they did finally get to property the water in u bends and wc's had evaporated out, leading to infestation of cockroaches and flies.The property was uninhabitable and all soft furnishings had to be disposed of then property fumigated and redecorated.
The question I am asking is what steps can be taken to stop u bends drying out if unused for long periods.

GDB2222

Eldi_Dos said:

OP, sorry to ask a question on your thread but thought answers might be of interest to you.

A friends relative has a property abroad and they were unable to get to it for over two years due to lockdowns and travel restrictions. When they did finally get to property the water in u bends and wc's had evaporated out, leading to infestation of cockroaches and flies.The property was uninhabitable and all soft furnishings had to be disposed of then property fumigated and redecorated.
The question I am asking is what steps can be taken to stop u bends drying out if unused for long periods.

You don't need running water for this. Just take a really big bottle of water with you, and empty some into the toilet and basin/bath/sink. It will need replenishing occasionally, depending on temperature.

chris_n

Eldi_Dos said:

OP, sorry to ask a question on your thread but thought answers might be of interest to you.

A friends relative has a property abroad and they were unable to get to it for over two years due to lockdowns and travel restrictions. When they did finally get to property the water in u bends and wc's had evaporated out, leading to infestation of cockroaches and flies.The property was uninhabitable and all soft furnishings had to be disposed of then property fumigated and redecorated.
The question I am asking is what steps can be taken to stop u bends drying out if unused for long periods.

I've seen this a couple of times, fortunately without the infestations but never in the UK and never in winter. I'm sure it is possible in the UK in summer but when we have been away for months in summer my daughter was at the house occasionally. We did have it with a property in Austria when for whatever reason we were late going out in Summer and temperatures were in the 30s. I doubt very much it will be a problem anywhere in UK in winter. Plugs could be left in sinks if you are worried but toilets would need checking occasionally.