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Snowbird Checklist: Closing Up Your House for Winter

Medium 26 items · 1 day
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testuser Published 1 week ago
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Leaving a house empty for a whole winter is different from a two-week vacation. Nobody hears a pipe let go in January, so a leak can run for days before the person checking the house walks in. Most of this list is about water, heat and that person.

Use it whether you head south for the season or close a lake house after the summer. It runs from the calls to make a month ahead to locking the door on the way out.

Call your insurance agent before anything else. Many homeowner policies restrict coverage when a house sits empty for a long stretch unless someone checks it on a schedule or the water is shut off, and the exact terms are in the policy itself. Ask what yours needs, then plan the rest around it.

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  1. Ask your insurance agent what the policy requires while the house is empty — Get the answer in writing if the policy requires regular checks or the water shut off.
  2. Arrange for someone to check the house on a set schedule — Leave them a key, the alarm code, your winter address and a plumber's number.
  3. Set up temporary mail forwarding with USPS — Temporary forwarding has an end date, so delivery switches back on its own when you come home.
  4. Request a mail ballot sent to your winter address for any election while you are away — The 2026 general election is on November 3, and each state sets its own deadline for requesting a ballot, so check yours before you leave.
  5. Refill prescriptions for the months away, or move them to a pharmacy near your winter home
  6. Move bills to autopay or online payment
  7. Pause newspaper and regular deliveries
  8. Tell the alarm company and a neighbor the dates you will be gone
  9. Arrange snow removal for the driveway and walk — An unshoveled driveway tells anyone passing that nobody is home, and the house checker needs a clear way in.
  10. Install a thermostat or freeze alarm that sends a low-temperature alert to your phone — The alert gives your house checker time to act before a pipe freezes.
  11. Put leak sensors by the water heater, the washing machine and under the sinks
  12. Leave the heat on at a low setting — Keep it high enough that the coldest room stays well above freezing, not just the room with the thermostat.
  13. Open the cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls — Warm room air then reaches the pipes behind them.
  14. Shut off the main water valve — If the heat fails, a closed main limits a burst to the water already in the pipes.
  15. Open the highest and lowest taps to drain the lines — The top tap lets air in and the bottom one lets the water out.
  16. Set the water heater to vacation mode or turn it off — Follow the maker's instructions for a gas heater's pilot light.
  17. If the heat will be off all winter, have a plumber winterize the plumbing — That means blowing out the lines and putting non-toxic antifreeze in the traps and toilets.
  18. Empty the fridge and freezer of anything that will spoil — If you switch the fridge off, prop the doors open so mold does not grow inside.
  19. Seal pantry food in metal or glass containers or take it with you, and take out all the trash — Food left in a quiet house for months draws mice.
  20. Unplug electronics and small appliances
  21. Put a few lamps on timers
  22. Bring in outdoor furniture, hoses and anything wind can move
  23. Store the car you leave behind — A battery maintainer keeps the battery from dying over the winter. Ask your insurer whether storage coverage would cost less.
  24. Photograph every room before you lock up — Dated photos make an insurance claim easier if something happens while you are away.
  25. Lock every window and door, including the basement and garage
  26. Pack ID, insurance cards, a medication list and the keys to your winter home
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