What to Check Before Leaving Your House Empty

Leaving a house empty for a week or two is ordinary, and the checks that make it safe are ordinary too. The single most useful thing you can do before you lock up is to test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm and make sure each one works, because a fire that starts while nobody is home is the risk that matters most. Fire and rescue services advise testing alarms weekly, and if an alarm does not sound when tested, buy a new alarm rather than assuming a battery change will fix it¹.

Then walk the house in the order you would at bedtime. Switch off and unplug appliances that are not designed to be left on, close the doors behind you as you leave, and make sure nothing is left burning: an open fire or log burner should be out before you go². If you live in a flat, know your building's evacuation arrangements before you travel, because what you should do in a fire depends on whether the fire is in your flat or elsewhere in the block⁴.

Finally, tell someone you are away. Leaving a home empty carries a higher risk of burglars targeting it, and a neighbour who knows your plans can raise the alarm if something goes wrong⁶. The checklist below puts all of this in one place.

Checklist before you leave the house empty

Work through this list in the last hour before you go. Each item takes seconds and each one is backed by fire and rescue service advice.

1. Test every smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm. Press the test button on each one and listen. If an alarm does not sound, buy a new alarm¹.
2. Check you have a carbon monoxide alarm if you burn fuel. Homes with a solid fuel appliance such as a log burner should have a working CO alarm, and so should any home with a fixed combustion appliance⁸.
3. Put out open fires and log burners. Make sure fires are out before leaving the property³.
4. Switch off and unplug appliances not designed to be left on. That includes TVs, washing machines, dishwashers, computers and chargers².
5. Leave the fridge and freezer running, with ventilation clear. They are designed to be left on, but can cause fires if defective or not used properly¹.
6. Unplug e-bikes and e-scooters, and never leave them charging unattended. The main danger is when they are left on charge and unattended in homes or communal areas¹⁰.
7. Clear escape routes of clutter, including bikes. Exits should be clutter free so anyone in the house can get out¹¹.
8. Close doors behind you as you leave. Even a regular door can stop the spread of fire long enough for firefighters to act⁷.
9. Tell a neighbour you are away and how to reach you. An empty home carries a higher burglary risk⁶.
10. In a flat, check communal corridors and balconies are clear and know your building's plan. Keep corridors and staircases free from clutter and report damaged firefighting equipment to your housing provider¹².

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms: test them before you go

Alarms are the one part of the house that works for you while you are away, which is why they come first. Test your smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms weekly, and if an alarm does not sound, the advice is not to change the battery and hope: buy a new alarm¹. You are twice as likely to die in a house fire that has no smoke alarm than a house that does, according to fire service guidance².

Carbon monoxide deserves its own check. As well as smoke alarms, have a working carbon monoxide alarm⁹. If you have a solid fuel appliance such as a log burner, a working CO alarm is specifically advised⁸, and chimney fires are best caught early by fitting and testing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms¹³. If a CO alarm sounds while you are at home, leave the building immediately, call the emergency services if anyone feels unwell, and do not re-enter until it has been declared safe¹⁴. Our page on what to do if your CO alarm sounds walks through this step by step.

Batteries are the weak point. Never take the batteries out of your alarm to use in another electrical item, because an alarm without batteries cannot warn you if a fire starts¹⁵. If you are buying or replacing alarms, a sealed battery compartment helps prevent tampering or removal of the battery¹⁵. For the wider question of which alarm goes where, see our guides to smoke alarms and how often to test them.

Switch off and unplug: what to leave on and what to turn off

The rule is simple: switch off and unplug electrical appliances before you go, unless they are designed to be left on, like your freezer². Fire services list TVs, washing machines, dishwashers, computers and chargers among the things to switch off and unplug when not in use, because any electrical appliance left plugged into the mains could cause a fire¹. Unplug appliances when you are not using them, when they are fully charged, or when you go to bed¹⁷.

Two appliances need a word of their own. Fridges and freezers are designed to run continuously, but even these can cause fires if they are defective or not used properly, so always make sure proper ventilation is in place to help stop overheating¹. E-bikes and e-scooters are the opposite case: the main danger occurs when they are left on charge and unattended in homes or in communal areas such as hallways and stairwells, and charging indoors increases fire risk, especially overnight when occupants are sleeping¹⁰. Unplug them before you leave and store them somewhere that would not block your way out. Our e-bike charging guide covers storage in more detail.

Heating, chimneys and cold weather

Colder weather can increase the risk of fire as people use heating appliances more frequently, so use heating safely during colder months to keep warm and reduce the risk of fire in your home¹⁸. Before you leave in winter, look at anything that has been running hot: give heaters space, keep anything that could catch fire away from them, and do not leave them running in an empty house unless they are designed for it.

If you burn solid fuel, the chimney is the part you cannot see. Make sure fires are out before going to bed or leaving the property³, and fit and test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to give early warning of danger from chimney fires¹³. A working carbon monoxide alarm is specifically advised in any home with a solid fuel appliance such as a log burner⁸.

If you are leaving for a long period in cold weather, the bigger risk to the property may be water rather than fire. Our guides to frozen pipes and what to do if a pipe bursts explain how to find your stop tap and limit the damage, and knowing where the stop tap is before you travel is worth the two minutes.

Flats and high-rise blocks: what to check before you leave

If you live in a flat, the checks above still apply inside your home, but the building around you needs a look too. Keep communal corridors and staircases free from clutter, keep your balcony clear of anything that might cause a fire, and report any damage to firefighting equipment to your housing provider¹². Before you travel, know your escape route and what to do if there is a fire inside your home or somewhere else in the building⁴.

The advice for flats turns on where the fire is. If there is a fire in your building but not in your flat, stay in your home and keep the front door closed unless you are directly affected by heat, smoke or fire, or the Fire and Rescue Service or Police tells you to get out¹⁹. If your own flat becomes affected by smoke, leave at once, closing windows and doors behind you⁴. If there is a fire inside your flat, alert everyone and get out immediately, do not try to extinguish the fire, close all doors behind you, always use the stairs rather than a lift, and call 999, never assuming someone else has²⁰.

Many blocks operate a "Stay Safe" policy, which means that if there is a fire in your flat you should leave the flat and the building, and if there is a fire somewhere else in the building you can remain in your flat and do not need to leave the building⁵. If you have a fire or smoke in your flat, do not try and fight the fire, stop to collect belongings, go back into your flat, use the lifts, or re-enter the building until told it is safe⁵. Our page on fire in flats sets this out in full.

Where to get help if something goes wrong while you are away

The first number is 999. If there is a fire, get out, stay out and call 999, and remember that 999 calls are free²¹. Once you are out, stay out¹⁹. If you hear a neighbour's smoke alarm, do not ignore it: alert the resident, and if they do not respond, call 999 and ask for Fire²². That is exactly the role a neighbour can play while you are away, and it is why telling someone your plans is worth doing.

People who live alone are more at risk from fire, but only when combined with other risk and vulnerability factors, and one reason is that there is no one around to alert the occupant to risky behaviours or to a fire, or to help with evacuation⁴. If you are leaving someone vulnerable on their own, our vulnerable person checks page sets out what to look at.

If there is a gas, chemical or radiation incident while you are away, the advice for anyone at home is to go indoors unless asked to leave by the emergency services, close all doors, windows and vents, put out all naked flames such as pilot lights, switch off gas supplies, and stay indoors until you know more⁵. Our major incidents guide covers this in full.

For anything else, start with our home emergencies section, which covers fire, carbon monoxide, gas leaks and burst pipes, and our fire safety checklist for the routine checks that keep a house safe whether you are in it or not.