Vacant House - How to Preserve?

[WarrenBuffet]

Hi,

A relative of mine recently moved into nursing home due to ill health. Her house (rural location, 200 years + old) is now vacant. It is not suitable for rental and we not currently have the money to make it so.

This is completely new to me – does anyone have any experience with this?

Here is my current to-do list to handle this:
· Electricity – turn off
· Water – turn off
· Insurance – get appropriate insurance

Anything else I should be aware of? Although we don’t have the money for a refurbishment at the moment we don’t want it to fall apart either

Thanks
WB

 

[Mystic Oil]

Hi WB

Some thoughts on this:

Insurance may well be an issue. I suggest that you speak to existing insurers, you may find that they will cover the unoccupied property for a limited period. You may well have difficulty obtaining suitable cover in the long run.

Turn off the water, and drain everything - all pipes, tanks and water traps. Consider filling water traps (in the sinks, toilet bowl) with an antifreeze mixture to protect against freezing.

I'd leave the power on - a couple of small lamps on timers for security would be a good idea. A dehumidifier on a timer, combined with a small oil-filled radiator on a frost 'stat would also be a good idea, IMHO. Bear in mind that the ESB now charge a premium for customers with low (or no) electricity consumption, so the savings available by turning the power off completely may be smaller than you think. I'm assuming that there's no automatic central heating system installed.

Do you have someone nearby who can keep an eye on the upkeep of the outside? Overgrown grass, shrubs & hedges are a big giveaway signal that a house may be unoccupied, and that may attract unwanted visitors.

 

[Elginelf]

We have a similar situation in our family. The house was my grandparents and my uncle who now owns it has moved in with his elderly sister as she won't live on her own. The house isn't decorated to a rental standard but it's very comfortable and homely and all the family have treasured memories from the house over the years. As a result, as a family we have chosen to try and maintain the house in its current state. We have left all of the utilities there (mostly because they are needed to run things on the farm which my cousin looks after). Every Sunday several family members gather at the house and we light the fire (sometimes both fires) and air the house. We started doing this about 5 years ago and now every sunday people gravitate toward the house for a catch-up and a cuppa. Once a year another aunt comes home from abroad with some of her family and they stay there so we do an annual spring clean for this. I plant up window boxes and containers every spring to create a lived-in look from outside. The net result is that even though the running costs of the house are very small, with a little attention and care the house is prevented from deteriorating.
We've removed anything valuable from the house as burglaries are common in rural areas unfortunately. I'd recommend you do the same if you haven't already done so.
Maybe this approach is largely driven by sentiment rather than it making financial sense but I do imagine that if we hadn't been doing it the house would be on its way to dereliction by now. Just a suggestion......

 

[Catherine1]

You may find that there are people out there willing to rent, even though the house is not perfect. I have a friend who is looking for a rural location and would be willing to discuss doing repairs etc in return for a reduced rent. I have no idea of the legalities involved, but surely if both parties agree to terms, this could be arranged? I think my friend may have found somewhere, I am not sure, but she cannot be the only person in the country willing to engage in such an arrangement. It is very sad to see any empty house, and especially lovely old rural dwellings left with nobody living in them.

 

[GDUFFY]

You should consider letting someone live in the house for free in return for the up keep of the property , A house sitter , this won't cause problems if the owner is availing of the fair deal scheme. If rented , AFAIK the majority of rent has to be handed over to the HSE.