Second homes and concierge
How do I winterise an empty house?
Last updated 4 July 2026 · Reviewed by Nick Thorpe, founder
The short answer
Either drain the water system down or keep the heating on low, never neither. Then set a routine: regular documented checks, frost checks in cold snaps, a walk round before and after storms, and gutters and gullies cleared in autumn. Insurers usually require this once a home sits empty, so check your policy wording.
Should I drain down or leave the heating on?
Drain down if the house will sit empty all winter and nobody local can respond quickly. Leave the heating on low, with regular checks, if you plan winter visits or want the house ready at short notice. The only wrong answer is doing neither. A frozen pipe does not wait for your next visit, and in an empty house a burst runs until somebody finds it.
| Approach | Best when | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Full drain down | The house is empty for months and nobody nearby can respond fast | Out of action until the system is refilled, and it still needs regular checks |
| Heating on low | You will visit over winter, or want the house usable at short notice | You pay to heat an empty house, and if the boiler fails the protection fails with it |
Whichever you choose, tell your insurer. Unoccupied home policies usually set conditions on heating, water and inspections once a house has been empty beyond a set period, and a claim can fail on the small print. We cover what policies typically ask for in our guide to unoccupied home insurance checks.
How does a drain down work?
The mains water is turned off and the system is emptied, so a freeze has nothing to burst. In outline:
- Turn the water off at the main stopcock.
- Drain the cold water system by opening taps and flushing toilets until tanks and pipes run dry.
- Deal with the heating and hot water side as the system requires, which differs between combi boilers, cylinders and older tank-fed setups.
- Protect what cannot be drained, such as toilet traps, with a suitable non-toxic antifreeze.
- Label the stopcock and leave clear notes, so whoever reopens the house knows exactly what was done.
Our published drain down fee is £65 plus VAT, and the same again to recommission the system when the house comes back into use. Both sit on our public fee schedule, with no hidden charges.
What heating strategy works if I keep the water on?
A low, constant temperature around the clock, not timed bursts. Constant background warmth keeps the fabric of the house and the pipework above freezing; twice-daily blasts leave long cold gaps on freezing nights, which is exactly when you need cover. The boiler’s own frost setting protects the boiler, not the pipe run to the far bathroom.
Help the heat reach the vulnerable spots. Leave loft hatches ajar so warm air gets to tanks and pipes in the roof space, open cupboard doors under sinks on outside walls, and have the boiler serviced before the cold arrives, because the whole strategy rests on it. A smart thermostat or leak sensor is worth fitting, but a phone alert only helps if someone can get to the house the same day. That is the real case for a local key holder.
What should routine winter checks cover?
A documented walk round, inside and out. Inside: heating running as it should, no drips under sinks or around the boiler, ceilings free of fresh staining, no smell of damp, windows and doors secure. Outside: gutters and gullies clear, roofline looking right from the ground, fences and gates sound, and post cleared from behind the door so the house does not advertise itself as empty. Photograph anything that has changed and keep the dates, because insurers like evidence and so do we.
On our published landlord schedule a void inspection is £25 plus VAT. For private second homes, checks like these are built into Livdin Concierge visits rather than charged per errand.
What should I check after a storm?
The roof, the rainwater goods and the boundaries, ideally within a day or two. From the ground, look for slipped or missing tiles, damaged flashing around the chimney, and gutters knocked out of line. Check fences, gates and anything the wind could have moved. Inside, look up: fresh ceiling staining after heavy rain is the early warning worth catching. Minor storm damage left alone becomes a damp problem by spring, and an empty house will not tell you anything on its own.
Before a named storm arrives, a preventive visit earns its keep too: furniture and pots stored or secured, gates latched, anything loose brought inside.
Is Yorkshire different from Cornwall?
The risk flips. In Pennine Yorkshire the main enemy is hard frost: stone houses, solid walls and exposed pipe runs at altitude, so the drain down decision and the heating strategy do the heavy lifting. On the Cornish coast deep frost is rarer but the storms are fiercer, with salt-laden wind and driven rain, so storm checks, ventilation and damp control matter more than antifreeze.
The discipline is the same in both: keep water where it belongs, keep a record of every visit, and never leave a house to fend for itself from November to March. We manage rented property across Yorkshire from our Holmfirth office, and Livdin Concierge cares for private second homes, never let and never listed, with the tiers described on our concierge page.