Property records · PR-22

Seasonal Home Closing and Opening Checklist

A free printable seasonal home checklist: water drained, power and gas off and the house secured when you leave, then services back on in order when you return.

Download Free · no sign-up

One page. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.

Print it and write on it

A4 45 kB US Letter 45 kB

Fill it in type and save

A4 67 kB US Letter 67 kB

The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.

What this sheet is for

Shut down a holiday or seasonal home in the right order, and open it up again the same way. The signed sheet also shows when and how the house was winterised.

Who it is for

Owners of holiday homes, cabins, cottages and second homes left empty for part of the year.

How to use it

List your drain points, valves and the stopcock's location once, so the next person can find them.
Tick the closing column in order as you shut the house down, then sign and date it.
Keep the photos you took with the sheet.
On return, work down the opening column before using water, gas or the water heater.
Note anything found on reopening, and report damage to the insurer.

What is on the sheet

One page, top to bottom:

Printed under the title: The shutdown of a holiday or seasonal home, ticked in order as you leave, and the reopening checks when you come back, on one sheet that stays with the house.

Your house, your drain points. What needs draining depends on your plumbing and heating, so list your own drain points below and follow each appliance's instructions. Read your policy's conditions for an empty home before you lock up.

Write-on lines: Property · Season · Main stopcock at · Insurer told on · Drain points and valves, in the order you open them

Also printed: CLOSING, IN THIS ORDER · OPENING, IN THIS ORDER

Insurer told, empty-home conditions read
Food and anything that can freeze taken out
Fridge and freezer emptied, doors propped open
Non-essential appliances unplugged
Water heater switched off
Pump or well system shut down, if fitted
Water off at the main stopcock
Every drain point above opened and drained
Water heater drained, if its maker says to
Toilets and traps protected as your plumber says
Gas, oil or LPG off at the supply
Power off at the board, bar circuits left on
Windows, doors and shutters locked
Photos taken of every room and outside
Outside walk first: roof, windows, storm damage
Inside: leaks, damp, pests or a break-in
Drain points closed before the water goes on
Water on slowly, every pipe and tap watched
Water heater refilled before it is switched on
Power back on at the board
Gas or oil on, appliances lit as makers say
Pump or well system restarted and checked
Fridge and freezer on and cooling
Taps run through until the water runs clear
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms tested
Leak check repeated once everything is running
Chimney and flues checked for nests
Insurer told the house is lived in again

Write-on lines: Closed by · Date · Opened by · Date

Ruled lines: Found on reopening: damage, leaks, pests, and what was reported

Questions

Why does the sheet not list which pipes to drain?

Every house is plumbed differently, and draining the wrong valve, or missing one, is how pipes burst. List your own drain points at the top, from your plumber or the previous owner, so the same ones are drained every time.

Why refill the water heater before switching it on?

Many water heaters can be damaged if they are switched on empty, so the opening list puts refilling first. Follow the instructions for your own heater, which may say more.