How to Prep Home for Extended Absence?
 

Looking for advice on how to prep home for extended absences.
Closing on our TV home in 3 weeks, but for next year can only visit every 3-4 months, will have security system. What advices/tips do you have for preparing our home for those extended absences?

home watch service,

then water off, remote wireless irrigation timer installed, external electricity off for all appliances, lanai and exterior outlets, refrigerator off, leave top and bottom open, drain ice maker of ice and water, garage doors locked from inside, garage door remotes shut off on the inside, air conditioner set to 78, humidity to 50%, monitor with smart phone app, natural gas off at grille connection, or house, if gas appliances. . .

bi monthly home watch to run water, flush toilets, check for leaks,

that's my list, for the most part. . .

:bigbow::bigbow::bigbow:

CoachKandSportaguy, thank you for the great advice!

How about a house sitter?

water and water heater off, irrigation system on, stow anything outside, we tape all drains and place plastic wrap over the toilets, set AC at 80, leave 2 lights on timers, let neighbors know our plans, we left the fridge on this winter and placed cable and internet on away mode. That is about it for the six months we are away. Over the other six months we hope to be down at least 4 weeks but generally do close to everything for those time periods.

And be sure to have the lawn serviced on a regular basis.

Another thing to think about if you haven’t done it is to hire a company to treat and fertilize your lawn . In central Florida there are tons of insects and critters that will destroy your grass if it isn’t treated for controlling them.

This might not be an issue initially because the shrubs and vegetation included will be small when the house is new but they will grow very fast in the Florida environment and will need to be maintained. We utilize a home watch service too but I like them to come by at least every 10 days for peace of mind that all is ok.

Toilets
 

Easier fix on toilets. Instead of plastic wrap take a plastic garbage bag and drape it over the toilet then lower the seat. Done in seconds.

Why plastic over toilets?

My assumption is to keep water from evaporating. Without water in the toilets the line vents sewer gas and possible bug entry

Water filter
 

We also turn off our whole house water filter, then run the water a bit to make sure we have chlorinated water in our lines, toilets, hot water heater, etc.

to minimize evaporation and keep out bugs

Close your drains
 

Buy a cheap bag of cat litter and zip lock bags, fill the bags about 1/3 full zip them and place them on top of each drain so the entire drain is covered In the house, take Plastic wrap and seal your toilets, this will keep bugs from traveling to your home from the Sewer or from the Vent on your roof, don’t forget the washing machine drain, just wrap all together.