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Water Damage for California Vacation and Second Homes

A vacation home or a second home is a home that spends much of its time empty, and an empty home is a home where a leak can run for days or weeks before anyone notices it. A pipe that bursts on a Monday, in a home that will not be visited until Friday, can fill a room, soak through a floor, and wet the rooms below it before anyone sees the water. The risk is not that a vacation home is more likely to leak. It is that a leak in a vacation home is less likely to be found in time.

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This guide explains the subject in general terms: empty-home risk, checking for leaks before leaving and on return, shut-off in general terms, and inspection before and after the season. Whether any inspection service is available is still to be confirmed with the operator, so no availability claim is made here. What this guide gives you is a routine for a home that is often empty, so that a problem is caught early, while it is still small.

Empty-home risk in general terms

Empty-home risk, in general terms, is the risk that a water loss in an empty home goes unnoticed, and the damage grows while no one is there to see it. A slow leak from a pipe, a washing machine hose, or a water heater can wet a wall, a floor, and the rooms below it over days, and the first sign may be a stain on a ceiling, a warped floor, or a musty smell, found on the next visit. A burst pipe can fill a room in hours, and the water can spread through the home before anyone arrives.

The risk is larger in a home that is empty for weeks at a time, because the leak has longer to run, and it is larger in a home that is empty in winter, because the rain can find its way in through a roof or a window, and no one is there to see it. The risk is not a claim about any specific home, and it does not say that every vacation home will suffer a water loss. It says that a home that is empty needs a different routine from a home that is lived in, because the routine of daily life, noticing a damp patch, hearing a dripping tap, smelling a musty room, is not there to catch the problem early.

Checking before leaving

Checking before leaving, in general terms, means looking at the home before it is left empty, and dealing with the small problems that could become large ones while no one is there. Look under sinks, behind toilets, and around appliances, for staining, dampness, or a smell that was not there before. Look at the water heater for leaking, rusting, or water around its base. Look at the ceilings after rain, for staining or damp patches, and look at the walls for damp at the base or around windows.

The shut-off is part of the check. In general terms, shutting off the water supply to the home before leaving, where that is practical, stops a leak from filling the home while it is empty, because the water cannot run if the supply is off. That step is not right for every home, and it should not be taken without thinking about what else it affects, such as heating, or a garden, or an appliance that needs water. Where it is practical, it is the single most useful step a homeowner can take before leaving a home empty. The water damage restoration service covers the wider response in general terms, and a leak found on return is a job for a professional, not a job to deal with alone.

Water Damage for California Vacation and Second Homes — California water damage restoration guide

Checking on return

Checking on return, in general terms, means looking at the home as soon as you arrive, before unpacking and before turning things on. Walk through every room, look at the floors for water or staining, look at the ceilings for damp patches, and smell each room for a musty smell that was not there before. Look under sinks, behind toilets, and around appliances, and look at the water heater for leaking or water around its base. If the home smells damp, or if a room shows staining that was not there when you left, do not ignore it.

If water is found on return, the first steps are the same ones this site has covered throughout: deal with the water if it can be done safely from a dry place, stay out of any water that may be contaminated, avoid handling electrics in standing water, and call a professional. Do not turn on appliances that have been in contact with water, and do not use a household vacuum on standing water. The emergency water removal service covers the removal of standing water in general terms, and a home that has been empty needs the same response as any other home, with the added point that the water may have been there for days.

Inspection before and after the season

Inspection before and after the season, in general terms, means having the home checked before it is left empty for a season, and again when it is opened up for the season, so that a problem is found while it is still small. The inspection looks at the parts of the home that carry water, and at the parts that keep water out: the pipes, the drains, the roof, the gutters, and the walls around them, and it checks for moisture, staining, and damp, in the places where a fault is most likely to show. Whether any inspection service is available is still to be confirmed with the operator, so no availability claim is made here.

A home that is checked before the season, and checked again after it, is a home where a leak is found early, and where the drying can start before the damage spreads. A home that is not checked is a home where the first sign of a problem may be the damage itself, found on the next visit, weeks after the leak started. Homeowners in water damage restoration in Los Angeles and across California who own a vacation home or a second home can use the same routine: check before leaving, check on return, and arrange an inspection before and after the season, so that the home is watched even when no one is living in it.

A routine for an empty home

A routine for an empty home is worth writing down, because a home that is empty needs a different routine from a home that is lived in, and the routine is what replaces the daily life that would otherwise catch a problem early. Check the home before leaving, and deal with the small problems that could become large ones while no one is there. Shut off the water supply where that is practical, because the water cannot run if the supply is off. Check the home on return, as soon as you arrive, before unpacking and before turning things on, and look at every room, every floor, and every ceiling.

Arrange an inspection before the season, and again when the home is opened up for the season, so that a problem is found while it is still small, and so that the drying can start before the damage spreads. Whether any inspection service is available is still to be confirmed with the operator, so no availability claim is made here. Keep a record of what was checked and when, because the record is what shows the condition of the home over time, and it is useful for the next visit and for any insurance claim. A home that is watched, even when no one is living in it, is a home where a leak is found early, and the routine is what does the watching.

Key Takeaways

Empty-home risk, in general terms, is the risk that a water loss in an empty home goes unnoticed, and the damage grows while no one is there to see it.
Checking before leaving, in general terms, means looking at the home before it is left empty, and dealing with the small problems that could become large ones while no one is there.
Checking on return, in general terms, means looking at the home as soon as you arrive, before unpacking and before turning things on.
Inspection before and after the season, in general terms, means having the home checked before it is left empty for a season, and again when it is opened up for the season, so that a problem is found while it is still small.
A routine for an empty home is worth writing down, because a home that is empty needs a different routine from a home that is lived in, and the routine is what replaces the daily life that would otherwise catch a problem early.

Your Next Step

If this guide matches what you found at home, the next step is a visit — not a guess. Call and describe what you found, and the visit is arranged from what you describe. The Water Damage Restoration page explains what that service covers, and the Water Damage Restoration page explains what that service covers, and the services hub lists every service in one place.

Do not use a household vacuum on standing water while you wait, and if water is still coming in, turn off the shut-off valve for that fixture where you can reach it safely.

Keep the guides on this site bookmarked: the first guide, the signs guide, and the preparation guide cover the checks worth repeating — after moving in, and after bringing used fixtures home.

Water damage help is available across California. See water damage restoration in Shasta View, Redding, CA for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.