Going Away Home Checklist

Who this is for

What to do to the house before you leave it. The list runs room by room and system by system, then covers what the neighbour or sitter needs to know, and ends with the short list for the day you get back.

Anyone leaving the house empty for more than a night or two — a holiday, a work trip, a hospital stay, a stint at a relative's — and anyone who has got to the airport wondering whether the back door was locked.

What this helps you track

• The kitchen, water and heating dealt with so nothing is left running or rotting
• Doors, windows, alarms and lights sorted in the order that stops you going back in
• Post, deliveries, bins and plants handed to whoever is looking in
• What the neighbour or sitter has been told, and how to reach you
• The few things to do on the first evening home

How to use it

1. Write the dates you are away and who is keeping an eye on the place at the top.
2. Work through the before-you-go lists over the last day or two, not the last hour; tick each item as it is done, not as you think of it.
3. Do the security list last, on the way out, in the order printed — it ends at the front door.
4. Go through the handover list with the neighbour or sitter, and leave the house sitter information sheet with them if you use it.
5. Keep the sheet; the on-return list is for the first evening back, and the browser version saves your own added items for next time.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Do I have to do everything on the list?

No. Some lines will not apply to your house — no plants, no post redirect, no alarm — and some trips are too short to bother with the freezer. Cross out or ignore what does not fit, and add what does in the blank lines.

Should the heating be off or on while I am away?

That depends on the season, the house and your heating system, and the sheet does not tell you. The line is a prompt to decide and set it, whatever the right setting is for you — and in winter to ask your heating engineer or provider if you are unsure.

Does this replace the house sitter sheet?

No. This is the list of what you do; the house sitter information sheet is the page of facts the sitter keeps — where things are, what to feed the cat, who to ring. Use both if someone is staying.

Can I keep it for next time?

Yes. Fill the browser version in once, add the lines that are particular to your house, and download it as a PDF. The next trip starts from your own list rather than ours.