Mel B Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 Reading the post about how many nights away some people spend, I wonder how people sort out their affairs regarding their 'abandoned' homes, ie houses, bungalows and the like whilst they are away. Our bungalow, for example, being built in the 1860s, doesn't 'appreciate' being left locked up for more than a weeks or so, it starts to get a bit stale smelling - it's not damp but we have found that being an older property it does need to have the air circulating a bit more than a more modern house. To counteract this we have a couple of dehumidifiers which keep the humidity at a constant level and blow out quite a lot of air which circulates and keeps it fresh (that is until an old one bunged up and we came home after 2 weeks to a big puddle on our nice new carpet - fortunately it cleaned up okay!). So, when you are going off on your jaunts for a month or two, what do you do to keep your home safe and in good condition? Do you have someone popping in to check on it each week? Do you have a house sitter? Do you just drain everything down and leave it to its own devices? What do you do about post etc???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 I have someone who comes every two weeks to cut the grass (big give away otherwise that the house is unoccupied) and he also comes in and feeds the fish. I clear the fridge/freezer and put all frozen food into the separate freezer. I can't drain down this house so the heating has to stay on - if winter I turn the thermostat down and have the boiler on less hours - if the summer I switch the boiler to "holiday" for the required number of days. In winter I have one or two lights to come on automatically but don't bother in the summer. As for post I have it transferred to France (now at a ridiculous cost) but find much of it has been delivered home anyway. Sick of fighting Royal Mail on this one although Posidiotch (which has since been closed down!) managed to get me a full refund last time it happened. I think I will have paperless bills for everything this year and not bother with the redirection at all. Family members call in from time to time too. However, in the main once away I don't think about the house at all: it is will insured with good locks and I live in a "Watch" area with good neighbours (one is particularly nosey!). My maximum length of time away is 93 days so not desperately long but I enjoy every minute of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 Family members call in at least once a week to check all is o.k. + water a few pots if necessary. Plus we have good neighbours who 'keep an eye' on the place. We turn off gas and water and unplug as many electrical items as possible. Some friends of ours went away for an extended period and while they were away their fridge caught fire ! So we now empty the fridge and unplug that as well. We went away last winter and had to leave the heating on low and fortunately nothing went wrong with that.(But I had my fingers crossed). :-| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hymer C 9. Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 When we are away, friends and daughter have the key and pop in every other day to move the post, son-in-laws keep lawns cut, always empty the fridge and freezer and switch off as many appliances as possible, when Ed was working he used to go through houses decorating after fires for a big insurance company, and one of the main things that used to go on fire even when not being used was dishwashers, so always unplug them.General rule if it can be switched off switch it off.Strange thing is when we are away I never think what is happening with the bungalow Comfort 120 day insurance gives us peace of mind as well.The strange thing is how big our bungalow seems after being away in the van for a while takes a few days to get used to. Carol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 Same here, our son pops in and checks things, our neighbor watches for us, the mail piles up but its mostly junk, the bank pays the bills, everything is insured with CCC for 180 days away in any one trip,all water is off or drained, power is off except for alarms etc,and if it smells when we return we open the windows, its only a building after all and there is a lot of world out there to explore. (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 We leave the lot running thats the best thing about the older ones still being at home no worries about the animals or post :D Only problem is they want the house stocked before we go so it costs us big time :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 Neighbours check the house on a weekly basis as well as 'keeping and eye' on it. Daughter and or gardener cut the grass. Post Office 'Keep Safe' system holds the mail for us until our return. House never smells musty, so no special action taken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 spospe - 2009-01-01 5:28 PM Neighbours check the house on a weekly basis as well as 'keeping and eye' on it. Daughter and or gardener cut the grass. Post Office 'Keep Safe' system holds the mail for us until our return. House never smells musty, so no special action taken. I have just looked up the price of the Keepsafe system but it appears to be cheaper for me to have the mail redirected, even if redirected abroad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smifee Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 the wife stays at home to work & pay the bills whist i take the dog for a couple of months walking. come on fellas get organised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROON Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 Smifee, is that why you have a pink nose and big ears .... the wife boxed em? ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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