The short version: An empty house has two big risks: water damage and burglary. Handle water first: shut off the main and drain the pipes, keep the heat at 55 degrees, and drain outdoor faucets. Then make it look lived-in with a free USPS mail hold, light timers, and a watchful neighbor. Finally, call your insurer, because coverage can lapse on a home left vacant too long.

Why an empty home needs a plan

Leaving for the season is a gift you have earned. But a house left empty for weeks or months faces two risks that a lived-in home does not, and both are expensive.

The first is water. A pipe that bursts while you are away can flood the house for weeks before anyone notices, causing the kind of damage that runs well into five figures. The second is burglary, because a vacant-looking home is exactly what an opportunist watches for.

The good news is that a short checklist handles both. Do the water first, make the house look occupied, tell your insurer, and arrange for someone to keep an eye on it.

Water and pipes: the top priority

Water damage is the costliest thing that goes wrong in an empty home, so this comes first.2

  • Shut off the main water valve, then open a faucet and flush a toilet to relieve the pressure in the pipes. With the supply off, a failed pipe cannot feed a flood.
  • Drain the outdoor faucets and disconnect hoses, since these freeze first.
  • Insulate exposed pipes in the garage, attic, or crawlspace, and leave the cabinet doors open under sinks on exterior walls so warm air reaches them.2
  • Add a freeze sensor and a leak detector, ideally a whole-home one with automatic shutoff if you must leave the water on. See our guide to smart water leak detectors.

Heat, power, and appliances

Set the house to sip energy without risking a freeze.

  • Keep the thermostat at 55 degrees or higher. This is the number that matters. Turning it lower to save a few dollars risks a burst pipe that costs thousands.1
  • Turn the water heater down or to vacation mode, since heating water you will not use is wasted money.
  • Unplug electronics and small appliances like the coffee maker, TV, and computer, or put them on surge protectors, to cut phantom power and fire risk.
  • Leave the refrigerator running if someone will check it, or empty it, unplug it, and prop the door open to prevent mold.

A smart or programmable thermostat is worth having here, since it lets you watch and adjust the temperature from your phone and can alert you if the house gets too cold. Pair it with the broader steps in our winterizing guide for senior homes.

Make the house look lived-in

Burglars look for the tells of an empty home. Remove them.

  • Put a USPS Hold Mail on. It is free, covers up to 30 days, and takes about two minutes online. Stop the newspaper too, since a pile-up is a giveaway.3
  • Set interior lights and a radio on timers or smart plugs to switch on and off in the evening, near front and back windows.
  • Use outdoor motion lights, and trim shrubs that hide doors and windows.
  • Ask a neighbor to park in the driveway occasionally and clear any flyers left at the door.
  • Do not announce the trip on social media until you are home.

A video doorbell lets you see and speak to anyone at the door from wherever you are. Our home security guide for seniors covers the full setup.

Tell your insurer, before you go

Here is the step almost everyone skips, and the one that can cost the most.

Many standard homeowner policies limit or exclude coverage once a home has been vacant or unoccupied for a set period, often 30 to 60 days.4 If you will be gone longer, a burst pipe or break-in could be denied precisely because the house was empty.

Make one phone call: before you leave, ask your insurer whether your absence triggers a vacancy limit and whether you need a vacancy or unoccupied-home endorsement to stay covered. It is a short, free call that protects the whole point of everything else on this list. Do it every year, since policies and your travel plans change.

Arrange a set of eyes

Even a perfectly prepped house benefits from someone checking on it.

Line up a trusted neighbor, a family member, or a paid home-watch service to look in periodically. Give them a key, your phone numbers, and the alarm and water-shutoff details. Just as important, set your leak and freeze sensors to alert them, not only you, so someone nearby can respond within minutes to a problem you cannot see from a thousand miles away.

A regular documented check also keeps some insurers happy. The peace of mind of knowing a leak, a break-in, or a heating failure will be caught early is worth the small cost or the favor.

Key takeaways

  • Water first. Shut off the main and drain the pipes; a burst pipe is the costliest empty-home disaster.
  • Heat to 55. Never lower, or you trade a small saving for a frozen, burst pipe.
  • Look lived-in. Free USPS mail hold, light timers, motion lights, and a watchful neighbor.
  • Call your insurer about a vacancy endorsement, and set someone up to check the house and get your sensor alerts.

What’s next

Reviewed by John Smith, CAPS, Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist. This guide is general information, not insurance advice. Confirm vacancy coverage with your own insurer before you travel.

  1. Winter Weather. Ready.gov, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, retrieved September 17, 2026. .
  1. Prevent and Thaw Frozen Pipes. American Red Cross, retrieved September 17, 2026. .
  1. USPS Hold Mail Service. United States Postal Service, retrieved September 17, 2026. .
  1. Facts + Statistics: Homeowners and Renters Insurance. Insurance Information Institute, retrieved September 17, 2026. .