An empty house for three weeks is an invitation to a small disaster. A slow leak, a dead freezer, or a hallway full of visible post can turn a good trip into an expensive homecoming.
Most of it is preventable in an afternoon. Here’s the checklist worth working through before you lock the door.
Two Weeks Before
Sort the Post and Deliveries
Uncollected post is the clearest signal that nobody’s home. Arrange a hold with your postal service, pause subscription deliveries, or ask a neighbour to collect daily.
Cancel scheduled orders you’ll miss — groceries, meal boxes, anything perishable arriving at your doorstep.
Tell the Right People
One trusted neighbour or nearby friend should know you’re away, roughly how long, and how to reach you. Give them a spare key and your travel dates.
Notify your bank of travel dates to avoid frozen cards abroad, and check whether your home insurance has an unoccupancy clause — many policies limit cover after 30 days empty.
Arrange Plant and Pet Care
Confirm arrangements early rather than scrambling the night before. Leave written instructions, vet details, and emergency contacts.
One Week Before
Deal With Food
Stop buying perishables. Work through what’s in the fridge deliberately over the final days.
Before you leave, empty the fridge of anything that will spoil, take the bins out, and clear the sink and disposal. Returning to a fortnight-old smell is entirely avoidable.
Handle the Laundry
Wash everything, including bed linen and towels. Damp clothes left in a machine for two weeks will need washing again.
Book Any Maintenance
If a tap has been dripping or a boiler making noises, fix it now. Small faults become large ones with nobody there to notice.
The Day Before
Water and Plumbing
Water damage is the most common and most expensive problem in empty homes.
- Turn off the mains water supply if you’re away more than a few days
- Check under sinks and around appliances for leaks
- In cold weather, leave heating on a low frost setting rather than turning it off entirely
Electrical and Appliances
Unplug non-essential electronics — televisions, computers, kettles, chargers. It reduces both fire risk and standby energy use.
Leave fridges and freezers running unless you’re emptying and defrosting them for a very long absence.
Heating and Cooling
Set the thermostat to a moderate holding temperature rather than switching it off. This protects pipes in winter and prevents damp or heat damage in summer.
Security Before You Go
Make the House Look Lived In
- Use timer switches on a couple of lamps, varying the hours
- Close valuables away from view but leave curtains in their normal position
- Arrange for the lawn to be cut or the drive cleared if you’ll be gone long enough for it to show
Lock Everything Properly
Check every window, including upstairs and bathroom windows. Lock side gates, sheds, and garages. Move ladders and tools out of sight — they’re used to break in.
Bring bins in, and don’t leave keys anywhere “hidden” outside.
Stay Quiet Online
Don’t announce your departure or post live holiday photos. Save them for when you’re home.
The Final Walk-Through
Do one deliberate loop before leaving:
- Hob, oven, and iron off
- Taps closed
- Windows and doors locked
- Bins emptied
- Charger and keys packed
- Photograph the meter readings
The Takeaway
Water, security, food, and post cover most of the risk. Turn off the mains, lock everything, empty the fridge, and stop the post — do those four things and you’ve handled the majority of what actually goes wrong.
Everything else is comfort. These are the ones that save money.