House remaining empty till sold....

R.O.S.S.I

R.O.S.S.I

R.O.S.S.I

Soldato
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Hi all, I have a house which is currently being sold and a tenant in the house who is going to be moving out in the next 2 weeks so it will be empty until the sale completes and the new owners move in.

I don't live near this house anymore so is a bit more difficult for me to go round and check things but i'm just thinking of a checklist of things I need to do when the tenants move out and was wondering if anyone could think of anything blindingly obvious i may have missed? This is not so much about tenant checkout (i.e making sure house is clean etc) but more about leaving the house in a "dormant" state as it will be empty for a few months now.
  • make sure fridge is clean and empty, leave doors open
  • open washing machine door
  • turn all plug sockets and lights off in the house
  • turn mains electric off at fusebox
  • turn water off at the mains
  • take meter readings for water, gas and electric
  • contact council to inform them tenants have moved out and to arrange paying council tax
  • inform water, gas and electric of the same
  • leave smaller windows open for ventilation
  • make sure all doors are locked
Figured i'd leave all services turned off and the new owner can come in and turn things back on and whatnot rather than have some potential issues with water, electric and gas usage.

Is there anything else you would do once you have moved out of your home that is going to be sold?
 
If the property is going to be empty through the colder months, I'd be looking at leaving the heating to tick over at a cool temp. I had an empty house that was left through snowy weather until sold and I just left the heating on 12C 24/7.
 
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R.O.S.S.I said:
new owner can come in and turn things back on and whatnot rather than have some potential issues with water, electric and gas usage.
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dont forget that there will be standing charges and any (albeit small amounts) usage from them handing their keys over to you turning everything off, so it's not as simple as that!
 
Yes I know, i'm happy to pay standing charges till the new owner moves in. However if i turn off all electric, gas, and water I know the meter readings will be the same the day I check them to the day they move in.
 
R.O.S.S.I said:
inform water, gas and electric of the same
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Yeah. Don’t do what our sellers tried and that was to get us to pay for gas/electric in between the day that their tenants moved out and before we completed the purchase! Lol…
 
Yeah depends how long you think it'll take, the market is still moving pretty quickly so hopefully you'll sell it before it gets cold, but from say October i'd want to have some form of low level heating going on so you don't get and damp in there, it's amazing how quickly an empty house starts to have a damp musky smell.
 
Insurance is the main one. When we were renovating and not living at the house for the year it was stipulated we had to go and check at least once a week. Had to do a register, like a visitors book of when we'd been.
 
Read up on council tax empty homes exemptions, premiums and discounts to make sure you're not overcharged :)

www.gov.uk

How Council Tax works

Your Council Tax bill - how to work it out, who has to pay, discounts and exemptions for students and disabled people, second homes, empty properties, paying the bill and getting the Council Tax rebate.
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk
 
Open the trickle vents on the windows if you don't want to leave them locked in the ajar position.

Tell the neighbours the house is empty and give them your number so should they hear anything or if other problems arise they can contact you. Thieves steal the boilers and copper from the walls if they have the chance.

Make sure your previous tenant has a redirect set up for their mail so that it doesn't build up on the door step.

When you visit the property turn the water back on flush the toilet and run water in the sinks and drains - the u-bends can dry out which breaks the non-return nature of them meaning the smells from the drains can enter the house. I've heard of people putting clingfilm over toilets to stop the smell and to deter sewer rats.
 
I would leave a lamp or tv on a timer so that people can't work out the house is empty.
Sure, there's nothing inside to steal but that doesn't help you if they've smashed a window or broken the door to find that out.
 
touch said:
I would leave a lamp or tv on a timer so that people can't work out the house is empty.
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Amazing how many people don’t do this as standard in their own homes. You don’t even need a smart bulb, just a cheap-as-chips manual plug timer.
 
Scam said:
Amazing how many people don’t do this as standard in their own homes. You don’t even need a smart bulb, just a cheap-as-chips manual plug timer.
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I don't bother either, it reminds of a sketch in a comedy show i saw once, where the robbers were looking for the lights coming on at set times and knew people were away long term because of it.

Maybe it helps i'm not in London though :p
 
Martynt74 said:
I don't bother either, it reminds of a sketch in a comedy show i saw once, where the robbers were looking for the lights coming on at set times and knew people were away long term because of it.

Maybe it helps i'm not in London though :p
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You can get timers which operate at random intervals between set times to simulate going to bed at different times and getting up to use the loo during the night.

I had one in London that clipped over the upstairs landing light switches and would operate both hallway and landing lights. Cost £30 IIRC.
 
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