Shutting Off the Utilities in Your Vacation Home

For many vacation home owners, shutting down your second home during the off season means shutting off all the utilities to the home, but that’s not the only option.

If you’re a vacation home owner who is only away from your vacation home for a few months or less at time, you may want to look into vacation plans that may be available through your utility provider. In most cases, these plans allow you keep the utilities on and available, as well as continuing monthly billing – although at a reduced rate. If you don’t plan on being away from your vacation home for long, the overall cost can end up being much less than turning the utilities off and paying for reconnection fees.

Some vacation home owners may find that shut off the utilities during the off season is still the best option. If you’re shutting down your vacation home’s utilities for the first time, it’s important to know that most companies will do the service for your, but you will need to call well in advance to have the process completed.

Water and gas utilities need to be shut off at the main incoming line. Many localized water lines have shut-off valves, as well, and sometimes they can be hard to find. If not maintained or operated properly, shut-off valves can also break at the most inconvenient times, as one Angie's List member found out when forced to call Dallas plumbers under less-than-convenient circumstances: "The water shut off valve in my front yard broke on a Saturday, I called three plumbers, no one could come out to fix it except Ernie 's Plumbing."

This scenario highlights the importance of getting your utilities properly shut off before vacating your property. Simply relying on the valves may not do the job. It is much more sure if you get the company to turn everything off.

How do you prepare your vacation home for when you're away? Share your experiences in the comments below.

Editor's note: This is an updated version of an article originally posted on Nov. 2, 2012.