When leaving the house, especially if it will remain unoccupied for longer than a few weeks, these are the things that should be done / checked.

The Minimum

If you do nothing else, do these things:

• Leave the house as you found it
• Complete the visitor’s book, which is on a side table at the main entrance
• Close all windows
• Close the velux
• Lock all the doors
• Leave the key in the key-lock

The caretakers will close the shutters after you leave. If you close them, remember to replace the metal guides and push a pin through the little holes on the RIGHT end pegs.

During the winter, and longer periods of absence, we should turn off the water. It is in the cellar. There are two reasons: a) we had a broken pipe in the kitchen once and b) the water must be turned off in Winter as per the house insurance policy.

• Take rubbish from kitchen and place in wheelie-bins.
• Put glass (eg wine & beer bottles) in the plastic box which is on the stairs in barn. When full, please take to Eynesse for recycling.
• Leave the dishwasher door open – no dirty dishes left
• Leave no food lying around (it will attract mice)
• Seal food left in the cupboards above fridge or in armoire, or we get caterpillars & moths.
• Make sure no pans are left in the oven
• Clean out food from the fridge, especially when no one will come in the next couple of days.
• Empty water filter.
• Empty kettle, unplug and leave open.
• Unplug and clean Coffee machine (check used capsules & drip reservoirs).
• Empty water reservoir at back of coffee machine.
• Check the aerocinno is clean – no milk left in the bottom.

• Close all windows
• Unplug the TV from the wall
• Close the Velux.

• Strip beds, leave dirty bedding as a pile on top of the bed.

• Towel rails in all bathrooms turn off / unplugged.
• Dirty towels and floor mats left in a pile on the floor.
• Bins emptied.

• Check the lights in toilet and shower room or off.
• Make sure the extractor fan in the shower room is off.
• The two doors leading out from the utility room and outside are closed and locked.
• Lights in atelier are off.
• External lights are off.
• Iron unplugged and iron’s plastic water storage is empty.
• The washing machine and tumble-dryer doors & trays are open.
• The tumble-dryer’s two filters are clean.

• Doors all closed and locked (cellar, barn, gite)
• Turn off gas bottle (in two places, one on the pipe and one on the cylinder itself).
• All lights off (in garage, heating room, barn & cellar)

• Check the post-box for any last-minute mail.
• Check for gardening equipment that may be lying around.
• Garden lights put away.
• Put away garden furniture.
• Close garden gate at rear of house.
• Check outside light at rear of house is off.
• Clothes-line is empty and pegs / peg bag put away.
• Bikes are locked and keys returned.