Looking after an empty home
You will know what an unoccupied home needs, who can look after it and what upkeep falls each year.
A Spanish home that stays empty for weeks or months needs a different kind of care from one you live in. Water, damp, heat, storms and break-ins can do damage that nobody notices until you return. This topic covers how to shut a home down, what your local climate demands, who can look after the…
Pick the article that fits your situation
Leaving a Spanish home empty: what to do before you go
A step-by-step shutdown routine for anyone leaving a home in Spain empty for days or months: water, power, gas, ventilation, food, appliances and keys, plus what caretaker services typically cost and how to compare them.
What an empty home needs on the coast, inland or islands
Shows how to look after a home you leave empty depending on where it is in Spain: humid coast, cold inland and mountain areas, the islands, or places hit by autumn storms. For anyone leaving a property unoccupied for weeks or months.
Hiring someone to look after your home while you are away
Helps owners who are often away choose between a key-holder, a caretaker and a property manager. It covers what each does, how pricing works, what to put in writing and how to check a provider before handing over your keys.
The annual maintenance a Spanish home needs
A guide to the yearly upkeep a Spanish home needs, who pays for each job in a flat or a house, and which checks are required by law. For anyone who has just bought or rented a home in Spain.
Leak sensors, cameras and check visits for a home you rarely visit
Which sensors, cameras and visits catch leaks, damp and break-ins in a home you rarely visit, what they cost, and where the camera rules stop you. For owners of second or empty homes in Spain.
About this topic
It is for anyone planning or carrying out a move to Spain, including owners of a second home, a seasonal home or a property that will be vacant for a while. You will come away knowing what an unoccupied home needs, who can look after it and which jobs fall each year.
Start with "Leaving a Spanish home empty: what to do before you go". It walks you through water, power, ventilation, food, appliances and keys. After that, read "What an empty home needs on the coast, inland or islands" to adapt the routine to your area. Then choose from the other pages: "Hiring someone to look after your home while you are away", "The annual maintenance a Spanish home needs" and "Leak sensors, cameras and check visits for a home you rarely visit".
Insurance, security upgrades, squatting and letting a property are covered elsewhere in the guide.
Key rules
- Indoor humidity: Aim to keep indoor humidity below about 60 per cent.
- Water stopcock: Close the main stopcock before leaving a home empty for more than a few days, switching off the electric water heater first so it never heats with no water.
- Check visits: Have the home checked in person about every 2–4 weeks, and weekly in storm season or high-risk areas.
- Telling the insurer: After a leak, tell your home insurer straight away, as many policies set a deadline, often within 7 days.
- Humid coast: Salt and damp cause mould and corrosion, so air the home often and protect metal.
- Frost: Only inland and mountain homes usually need pipes drained or minimal heating in winter.
Looking after an empty home: the whole process, step by step
Looking after an empty home, from first step to last
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Before you go: follow the shutdown routine (water, power, gas, appliances). Read: Leaving a Spanish home empty: what to do before you go: before you leave, and before any absence of more than a few days
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Adapt the upkeep to your climate: damp and salt on the coast, frost inland, storms in autumn. Read: What an empty home needs on the coast, inland or islands: before the season starts; on the humid coast, air the home every two to four weeks on dry days
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Arrange someone to hold keys and enter the home. Read: Hiring someone to look after your home while you are away: before you leave, so a contact can get in during a storm or leak
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Set up sensors and cameras, and plan check visits. Read: Leak sensors, cameras and check visits for a home you rarely visit: before you leave; then visit in person every 2–4 weeks, and weekly in storm season or high-risk areas
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Clean filters and descale. Read: The annual maintenance a Spanish home needs: air conditioner filters every 1–3 months of use; extractor hood filters every 1–2 months; water-treatment filters every 6–12 months
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Book yearly servicing of the air conditioning, gas boiler and water heater. Read: The annual maintenance a Spanish home needs: once a year
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Arrange the legally required inspections: gas installation check, and the building inspection if your building is old enough: gas every 5 years; building inspection usually from 50 years old (some regions 30 or 45), then every 10 years
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On return, reopen water and gas slowly, flush every tap and switch the water heater back on. Read: Leaving a Spanish home empty: what to do before you go: as soon as you arrive
Documents you may need
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Provider's tax ID — Hiring someone to look after your home while you are away
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Certificates showing the provider is up to date with tax and Social Security — Hiring someone to look after your home while you are away
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Written service contract — Hiring someone to look after your home while you are away
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Provider's civil liability insurance certificate — Hiring someone to look after your home while you are away
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Energy performance certificate — What an empty home needs on the coast, inland or islands
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Police clearance certificate for an individual — Hiring someone to look after your home while you are away
Looking after an empty home: questions that cross several articles
Do I need to drain the pipes and water heater if I leave the home empty in winter?
Yes, drain the pipes and the water heater if the home is in a frost-prone inland or mountain area, such as the northern plateau, Teruel, Soria or the Pyrenees. On the coast and islands frost rarely matters. Read "What an empty home needs on the coast, inland or islands" for your climate and "Leaving a Spanish home empty: what to do before you go" for the shutdown steps.
What should I do about gas and electricity when the home sits empty for months?
Close the gas supply valve and switch off the circuits you do not need, keeping on only the alarm, the router if you use cameras, and the differential switch. Empty and switch off the fridge for a long absence. The shutdown steps are in "Leaving a Spanish home empty: what to do before you go", and monitoring needs are in "Leak sensors, cameras and check visits for a home you rarely visit".
How do I prepare an empty home for autumn storms?
Clear gutters, terraces and drains, secure outdoor furniture, move valuables off the floor and close shutters before the season. Keep a contact who can enter the home. Read "The annual maintenance a Spanish home needs" for the gutter work and "Hiring someone to look after your home while you are away" for the contact.
Do I need to restart anything special when I come back to an empty home?
Yes, reopen the water and gas slowly, let the water heater fill before switching it on, and run every tap and flush for a few minutes to reduce legionella risk. Check gas joints with soapy water, never a flame. The full routine is in "Leaving a Spanish home empty: what to do before you go".
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