Caring for an empty house
 

As we will be out of the country and not expecting a rapid sale we are concerned that our house will deteriorate while we are elsewhere. I have had experience of paying people to come in and check previously and it wasn't good. Someone suggested house sitters but references or not I have an inbuilt aversion to providing free accommodation to have my property cared for. Rental is an option but the tax implications and demands to fix things which sometimes aren't even broken leave me wondering. Not to mention the huge agency fees for doing next to nothing.

Has anyone come up with the solution to this problem. I have visions of the pool turning green and smelly, plants dying and even break-ins - HELP!

Re: Caring for an empty house
 

Don't forget to tell your insurance company that it will be empty.

Re: Caring for an empty house
 

... but you'll have to pay tax anyway (imputed rental tax).

What about asking the estate agents to take a regular look at the property for a small fee?

Re: Caring for an empty house
 

You have put an identical thread in the Cyprus section, do you have a property in each or could you clarify which country you need advice about?

Rosemary

Re: Caring for an empty house
 

If the house is up for sale you'll need to have someone looking after the garden for you. Just because you're not there doesn't stop the weeds growing :thumbdown:

I'd strongly suggest having a few lights on timers. It might not fool anybody, but all you're trying to do is give the bad people a reason to move along to the next house - rather than break in to yours (and the problem with a burglary is the amount of damage done, not necessarily what's stolen). That's another reason to keep the outside looking tidy, too.

Maybe get your gardener to come over once a week and check everything's OK, put out a (large) dog bowl with the name Fang on it :eek: and some well-chewed bones - that might send a message.

Re: Caring for an empty house
 

Couldn't agree more about the estate agents and house sitters. The other comments are all relevant and the only answer is somebody living there. Have you tried finding a responsible and fit younger retired person who will agree to undertake the maintenance and still pay at least enough rent to cover the overheads. Surely there's a couple out there who are prepared to put their hand in their pocket and still show a esponsible attitude to the property and you.

Re: Caring for an empty house
 

and of course be happy to move out quickly when it does sell.

Re: Caring for an empty house
 

I'd be happy to do this for somebody. I'll be moving to Spain in two or three months when my house in Canada sells. I'm definitely handy, can undertake maintenance, keep the garden in order, and I don't smoke. Heck, I'll even help you sell it. I don't care about having to move two or three times; it'll give me exposure to different areas so I know where I'll want to eventually buy. I might even decide I want to buy the house I'm house-sitting. I work from home so I'll be there a good percentage of the time.

Re: Caring for an empty house
 

Hey deepcpearl, that's a good idea. My wife and I have loads of experience running our own hotel, we're retired, she speaks Spanish and weI spend lots of time researching so we're around the property. Like you we haven't made up our minds where to live so moving after a few months, or weeks wouldn't be a problem. there you are Edislaw, just give us time to conclude our contract in Portugal and you have two offers.

Re: Caring for an empty house
 

Right on, Worldly Wanderer. Sounds like a win-win to me. We're better than having a tenant; we'll actually look after your property and keep it maintained/heated/aired and generally looking like it's loved rather than abandoned and neglected and we'll move on when requested. And we'll even pay you for the privilege of looking after your house (for a lower rent than normal, of course). Snap us up, Edislaw, before someone else does!

Re: Caring for an empty house
 

I notice you have an identical post in Cyprus forum. Where is your property? If near me I could help and am sure others can recommend a reliable gardener and cleaner in their area.

Unfortunately it is difficult to find someone who will take as much care of your property as you would. Can you visit, say once a month.

Re: Caring for an empty house
 

An idea maybe is to use guards who look after your property from a caravan or motorhome as we do in the UK. This gives a visual presence and you do not have them in your property. You would need to supply an electric and water point and access to a toilet. We do this in the UK and hope to continue to do so when we move to Spain. A simple way to ensure that you are using people of good character and honesty is to insist that they hold a current SIA licence. This is a government body, Security Industry Authority, and anyone holding a licence has been through a positive vetting procedure and has also completed a four day course. The security vetting is far more in depth than CRB checks. Anyone in the UK who works in the security industry must by law hold a SIA licence. They are very easily checked on by going on to the SIA website and entering their licence number. If you find a couple who are both licence holders, as we are, then you can be assured that your property will be in safe hands. In the UK we get paid to do this but in the sun we would not expect payment. Between us we could cope with keeping a house clean, my wife is a keen gardener with references and we both are keen on DIY. So maybe that has helped. There must be more couples out there like us who would be only to glad for a "place in the sun"

Re: Caring for an empty house
 

You have offers from 2 posters on here.. BUT.. I would be very wary of just agreeing without knowing anything, apart from what they tell you here, about them. The forum is open to anyone to post, so any post could be from a person with a nefarious agenda (not saying that any of those have, just a general warning)

Re: Caring for an empty house
 

Sorry to waste your time folk, the OP is a sock puppet with multiple usernames talking to himself in this thread.

He and his socks have now left the building, and will probably have to search the internet for a new virtual laundromat :D