Snowbird home checklist: who should check your house while you're away, and what they should look for

If you spend the winter somewhere warm, the house you leave behind still lives through the cold months. Getting it ready to sit empty is one job (our guide to winterizing a vacant home covers the heat-on versus full drain-down decision). This guide covers the other job: who keeps an eye on the house for the four or five months you’re gone, how often, and what they should actually check.

A burst pipe that’s found the same day is a mess. One that runs for three weeks can cost $10,000 to $70,000 or more, according to Triple-I (the Insurance Information Institute). Regular check-ins are what close that gap.

Step 1: Read your policy before you pick a schedule

Most homeowners policies limit coverage when a home is vacant or unoccupied for a stretch, often 30 to 60 days, and many exclude freeze damage unless you kept the heat on or shut off and drained the water. Some policies, or the insurer’s seasonal endorsement, spell out how often someone must check the house. There is no single national rule, so call your agent and ask three things in writing: how long you can be away before coverage changes, whether a minimum heat setting or water shutoff is required, and whether a visit schedule is required.

Then make your check-in schedule at least as frequent as the policy requires, and keep a dated record of every visit. If you ever file a claim, that log is your proof of reasonable care.

Step 2: Choose who will check on the house

Whoever it is, give them a backup person too. Snowstorms, flu season and holidays happen, and a missed visit in a cold snap is exactly when problems start.

• A neighbor or friend: free or low cost and often the quickest to respond. Best when the visits are short and you trust them with a key and the alarm code.
• A family member nearby: same benefits, and they can make decisions for you if something goes wrong.
• A professional home watch service: a person or company that visits on a set schedule, follows a checklist and usually sends a short report with photos. Ask whether they are insured and bonded, what a visit includes, and what they charge to wait for a contractor.
• Your property manager, if you have one for a rental or condo: confirm in writing that check-ins are part of the service.

Step 3: Agree on how often

Use the stricter of your insurer’s rule or this rule of thumb: about once a week in normal winter weather, and an extra visit within a day or two after any hard freeze, big snowstorm, power outage or ice storm. A remote thermostat or freeze and leak sensors don’t replace a visit, but they tell your checker when an extra trip is needed.

Step 4: Give them a visit checklist

• Outside: walk around the house. Look for broken windows, open doors, damaged roof or fallen branches, ice dams at the eaves, and drifted snow over dryer vents, furnace intake and exhaust pipes, or the gas meter.
• Thermostat: note the indoor temperature on every visit. If it reads below the set point, call the heating company right away.
• Water: look under sinks, around the water heater and the main shutoff, and on ceilings and walls below bathrooms for drips or stains. If the water is supposed to be off, confirm the main valve is still closed.
• Basement: check the sump pump has power and the pit isn’t overflowing, and look for water on the floor.
• Smell and sound: gas, smoke, a running toilet or a furnace that cycles constantly all mean a call.
• Mail and packages: pick up anything on the porch so the house doesn’t look empty.
• Before leaving: lock up, reset the alarm, and write down the date, time, temperature and anything unusual. A photo of the thermostat is an easy proof of visit.

Step 5: Leave them what they’ll need in an emergency

• Your phone numbers and the best times to reach you, plus a backup decision-maker.
• Where the main water shutoff, gas shutoff and electrical panel are, with a photo of each.
• Names and numbers for a heating company, a plumber and a water damage cleanup company, agreed in advance so no one has to search in the middle of the night.
• Your insurer’s claims number and your policy number.
• How much they can approve without calling you, for example an emergency plumbing visit up to a set amount.

Step 6: Handle mail, bills and deliveries

USPS Hold Mail keeps your mail at the post office for up to 30 days, which is too short for most snowbird seasons. For a longer stay, file a temporary change of address with USPS to forward mail to your winter address, and switch bills and statements to paperless before you leave. Pause newspaper and regular deliveries so nothing piles up outside.

Step 7: Plan the trip home

• Ask your checker to visit the week before you return and turn the heat up a day ahead if you set it low.
• If the plumbing was drained, have a plumber or a knowledgeable helper restore water slowly and check every fixture and the water heater for leaks before you rely on them.
• Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, run each faucet, and look at the ceilings again.
• Book any spring work early: a roof check after a snowy winter, gutter cleaning and an air conditioning tune-up.

Keep it all in one place

Estodia’s free Away mode lets you set leave and return dates for each home, work through leave and return checklists, get a reminder to tell your insurer when you’ll be gone 30 days or more, and keep a check-in log (date, who checked, indoor temperature, all OK or an issue, and a note). That log stays with your property, ready if your insurer ever asks. If something needs fixing while you’re away, you can request quotes from local pros without sharing your phone or email.

• How Away mode works
• How to winterize a vacant house or second home
• How to prevent frozen pipes
• How to prevent ice dams