The pool – the most overlooked item
This is where most owners make the biggest mistake, and it is an expensive one.
In the Axarquía, the coast rarely sees temperatures cold enough to freeze pipes or pool equipment. Cómpeta and the higher inland villages run about four degrees colder than the coast in winter, but even there, hard frosts are rare and pipe freezing is not a realistic concern. The pool issue here is different. It is about what happens to the water chemistry and the pump over eight months of no attention.
What you must do before leaving:
Add an Invernador (pool winterising chemical) to the water. This is a slow-release algaecide and chemical treatment designed to keep the water balanced through the winter months without constant intervention. Most pool suppliers in the area sell it specifically for this purpose. Do not skip it and assume a shock dose of chlorine in the spring will fix things. It usually does not fix them cheaply.
Cover the pool. A proper winter cover keeps debris out and slows chemical degradation. For a pool sitting empty of visitors for eight months, this is straightforward protection.
Arrange for someone to run the pump for a few hours every two to three weeks. A pump that sits completely idle for eight months accumulates calcium and limescale. Seals dry out. When you switch it back on in June for the season, you discover the problem at exactly the wrong time. Two to three hours of circulation every couple of weeks keeps everything moving and avoids a significant repair bill.
This is one of the services our regular maintenance visits cover during the winter months. If you have a keyholding or maintenance contract, your pool can be managed throughout the winter without you being here.
Plumbing – the problem nobody expects
Pipes do not freeze in the Axarquía. But they do cause problems in empty properties, and the cause is calcium rather than cold.
The water in this region is hard. When taps, showers, and toilets sit completely unused for months, the water in the traps evaporates and the calcium deposits left behind start to clog valves and seals. Rubber seals dry out and fail. Valves that have not moved in eight months seize. The first time you flush the toilet in June, you find out whether everything still works.
Before you leave:
Flush every toilet, run every tap, run every shower. This refreshes the water in the traps and slows the calcium build-up.
If you can, arrange for someone to do this monthly while you are away. A one-hour visit to flush every trap in the property is one of the cheapest maintenance tasks available. It prevents seized valves, dried-out seals, and the blocked or sluggish systems that are a common discovery on the first visit back.
Also locate your water stopcock before you leave – not when something has gone wrong. Photograph it and note the location. If a slow leak develops while the property is empty, your local contact needs to know exactly where to turn the water off.
Some owners choose to turn the water off at the mains for the full absence. If you do this, flush all the traps before you shut it off so the water in them does not sit stagnant.
Roof and gutters – sort this before the rain arrives
December is the wettest month in the Axarquía. The DANA storm season runs from September to November, which means that if you are leaving in October, you are leaving just as the most damaging storms of the year begin.
Check the gutters before you go. Summer accumulates a significant amount of debris – leaves, dust, bird activity and a blocked gutter in a heavy DANA downpour forces water back under roof edges rather than away from the property. Clearing the gutters takes 20 minutes. The water damage from a blocked one over a winter does not.
Check the visible roof tiles. A loose tile in October is a missing tile after a November DANA. A missing tile is months of winter rain getting into the roof structure. If you spot anything that looks out of place, arrange to have it seen to before you leave.
Shutters, outdoor furniture, and the garden
Close and latch every shutter. Not just closed – latched. An unlatched shutter in DANA wind conditions does not survive the storm. Latched shutters protect windows and significantly reduce the chance of water infiltration through the gaps.
Move outdoor furniture, pots, parasols, and anything else that the wind can pick up either inside or under cover. Garden furniture left on a terrace through an Axarquía winter ends up damaged, scattered, or both.
Check your irrigation timer and set it to a winter programme. Plants need less water in winter, and a timer left on a summer schedule runs the system unnecessarily, wastes water, and can waterlog plants that are not actively growing. If you have someone managing the garden through winter, let them know the schedule has changed.
Inside the property
Fridge and kitchen appliances. Empty the fridge completely, clean it, prop the door open, and switch it to its lowest setting or off. A fridge left closed and off for eight months develops mould and a smell that is difficult to shift. An open fridge door prevents this. Unplug small appliances.
Ventilation and damp. The Axarquía does not have the severe damp problems of northern Spain, but a property closed completely for eight months will accumulate moisture, particularly in wardrobes, bathrooms, and rooms without good air circulation. Leave internal doors open throughout the property so air can circulate. Consider leaving a small dehumidifier on a timer in the most enclosed areas if damp has been an issue previously.
Heating system. Spanish properties are built for summer, not winter insulation. If your property has a boiler and radiators, check the pressure gauge before you leave — it should read between 1.0 and 1.5 bar. A system with low pressure will not circulate when you switch it back on. If you can set a frost-protection programme on the thermostat, do so. It is not about comfort. It is about keeping the system from deteriorating through total inactivity.
Valuable items. Anything portable and valuable should come home with you or be locked away securely. Do not leave passports, cameras, jewellery, or significant cash in an empty property for eight months.
Security and alarms
Test your alarm before leaving. Confirm the monitoring service is active and that the contact numbers registered with them are current. An alarm connected to a monitoring station that has an old phone number on file is no protection at all.
Set lights on timers. A property in complete darkness from October to June is identifiable from the street. Timers that switch lights on and off in a natural pattern are a cheap and effective deterrent.
Confirm your local contact has a working key, the current alarm code, and knows the property is going to be empty. They are the person who responds if something is flagged by the monitoring service, a neighbour, or a security camera alert.
Admin before you leave
Insurance. Check your policy for an unoccupancy clause – typically 30 to 60 days of continuous absence after which certain cover is reduced. If your policy requires notification for absences over that period, notify your insurer before you leave. For an eight-month absence, a specialist second-home policy may be more appropriate than a standard home insurance product.
Utility meters. Photograph the electric, water, and gas meter readings before you go. This protects you against billing disputes and gives you a reference point if something unexpected appears on a bill during the winter.
Community meetings. If your property is in a community, check whether any AGMs or significant votes are scheduled for the winter months. If you cannot attend, nominate a proxy or instruct your property manager to represent you.
The short version: what to do before you lock up
Outdoor
- Add “Invernador” to pool, cover it, arrange fortnightly pump runs
- Clear gutters and check roof tiles
- Close and latch all shutters
- Store or secure all outdoor furniture
- Set irrigation timer to winter programme
Indoor
- Flush every toilet, tap and shower
- Empty and prop open fridge
- Leave internal doors open
- Check boiler pressure
- Set lights on timers
Security and admin
- Test alarm, confirm monitoring contacts are current
- Confirm local contact has key and alarm code
- Check insurance unoccupancy clause and notify insurer
- Photograph utility meters
- Check for community meetings
If you do not have a local contact who can run the pool pump, flush the traps, check after DANA events, and handle anything that comes up between October and June, take a look at our keyholding and property maintenance service before you leave this autumn.
It is considerably cheaper than what gets missed when nobody is looking.
WhatsApp: +34 711 032 640
Frequently asked questions
Do pipes freeze in winter in the Axarquía?
Rarely. Even in the higher inland villages like Cómpeta, which run about four degrees colder than the coast, temperatures barely drop below zero. Pipe freezing is not a realistic concern for most properties in this area. The winter plumbing risks here are calcium build-up, dried-out seals from months of inactivity, and seized valves – not frozen pipes.
Do I need to winterise my pool in the Axarquía?
Yes, even though the climate is mild. The main risk is not freezing but chemical imbalance and pump deterioration from eight months of no use. Add an Invernador (winterising chemical), cover the pool, and have someone run the pump for a few hours every two to three weeks throughout winter. A pool ignored for eight months is rarely in good condition by June.
How often should someone check my Spanish property while I am away for the winter?
Monthly as a minimum for most properties. Fortnightly is better for rural fincas, properties with pools, or older houses. The visits should include flushing taps, showers and toilets to keep water traps full and seals from drying out, checking for visible damp or leaks, running the pool pump, and confirming the property is secure.
What should I do about insurance before leaving my Spanish property empty for months?
Check your policy for an unoccupancy clause – many standard policies reduce or void certain cover after 30 to 60 consecutive days of absence. If your absence will exceed that threshold, notify your insurer before you leave. For extended absences of six months or more, a specialist second-home policy is often more appropriate than a standard home insurance product.
When should I do the winter preparation?
In the week before you leave, ideally. For the Axarquía, most owners leave in October. The DANA storm season is already underway by then, so gutters, roof checks, and outdoor furniture should be dealt with before departure, not left to the first storm.
Do I need to turn the water off at the mains when I leave?
Not necessarily. Some owners prefer to leave the water on so that a local contact can flush traps and run taps during regular visits. Others turn it off as an extra precaution against undetected leaks. If you turn it off, flush every trap before you do so. Either approach works – what matters is that someone local is checking the property regularly regardless.
