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Water Damage Restoration for Texas Vacation and Second Homes
A vacation home or a second home in Texas is a house that spends much of its time empty, and an empty house is a house where a leak can run for weeks before anyone notices. A pipe that bursts on a Friday may not be found until the following month, and by then the water has soaked through floors and walls, and the damage is far worse than it would have been if the house had been lived in. This guide looks at the risk of an empty home, in general terms, and at the checks that help.
- ✓ Written for Texas homeowners
- ✓ Visit first, then a plan
- ✓ Call to arrange a visit
It covers checking for leaks before leaving and on return, shut-offs in general terms, and inspection before and after the season. Whether any inspection service is available is for the operator to confirm. For the service that deals with a loss once it has happened, the water damage restoration page sets out what is offered in general terms.
Empty-home risk in general terms
Empty-home risk, in general terms, is the risk that a leak runs unnoticed because no one is there to see it. A leak that would be found in a day in a lived-in home can run for weeks in an empty one, and the water it leaves behind soaks further into the structure with every day it runs. The damage is not just the water itself but the time it has had to work, and a loss that is found late is a larger job than the same loss found early, with more material wet, more drying needed, and more repair to follow.
The risk is not limited to leaks. A water heater can fail, an appliance hose can split, a roof can leak in a storm, and a sewage backup can happen, all while the house is empty, and each will sit unnoticed until someone comes back. The risk is also not limited to one season: a burst pipe in winter, a roof leak in spring, and a failed hose in summer can all happen in an empty house, and each needs the same response once it is found, with water removal, drying, cleaning and repair.
Before you leave
Before you leave a vacation home, the checks worth doing are simple and practical. Check under sinks, behind toilets, around the water heater, and behind the washing machine, for damp or staining. Check the ceilings for stains, and the floors for softness. Know where the water shut-off is, and consider shutting the water off at the main while the house is empty, if that is the advice given for the property, because a house with the water off cannot suffer a burst pipe or a leaking appliance in the same way. If the water is left on, make sure someone can get in to check the house while you are away.
It is also worth arranging for someone to look in on the house regularly while it is empty, and to know what to look for: damp, staining, a musty smell, and water where it should not be. A neighbour, a friend, or a property manager who checks the house every week or two is worth more than any single check before leaving, because a leak that starts after you have gone will only be found by someone who looks. Homeowners in Corpus Christi and along the coast who leave a second home empty should arrange that check before the season, not after a loss.
On your return
On your return to a vacation home, check the house before you settle in. Walk through every room, look at the ceilings and the floors, check under sinks and around the water heater, and smell the air in rooms that have been shut up. A musty smell, a stain that was not there before, or a floor that feels soft are all signs that water has got in while you were away, and they are reasons to arrange a visit rather than to carry on as normal. Do not turn the water back on in a hurry if it was shut off, and check for leaks as it comes back on.
If you find water, do not enter a flooded room, and do not handle electrics in or near standing water. If the water is sewage or floodwater, it is Category 3 black water, and the cleanup is professional-only: avoid contact, keep everyone out of it, and call a professional. If the water is from a burst pipe, shut the water off if it is safe to do so from a dry place, move belongings away from the water, and call. The first hour after a loss is found matters, even when the loss itself happened weeks ago.
Inspection before and after the season
Inspection before and after the season means having the house looked at by someone who knows what to look for, at the start and at the end of the time it is empty. The inspection should cover the places water hides: inside walls, under floors, around pipes and windows, and in the roof space. Moisture readings show where water is present, and a look at the structure shows what needs attention. Whether such an inspection is offered as a service is for the operator to confirm, and this guide does not present it as a confirmed service.
An inspection before the season is the time to find and fix small things, such as a dripping tap, a hose that is showing wear, or a gutter that is blocked, before the house is left empty. An inspection after the season is the time to find anything that happened while the house was empty, before the next season begins. The emergency water removal page explains the first stage of dealing with a loss in general terms, and the general restoration page explains the service as a whole. A second home that is inspected at the start and the end of the season is a home whose owner knows what they have.
Arranging a regular check
Arranging a regular check for a vacation home means finding someone who can look in on the house while it is empty, and agreeing with them what to check and how often. The check should cover every room, with a look at the ceilings, the floors, under sinks, around the water heater, and behind the washing machine, for damp, staining, a musty smell, and water where it should not be. The person checking should know where the shut-off is, and what to do if they find water: stay out of a flooded room, do not handle electrics in standing water, and call the owner and a professional. The check should be done regularly, every week or two, rather than once a season, because a leak that starts after a check will only be found by the next one.
It also helps to agree what the person checking will do with what they find, and how they will report it. A photo sent by message, with a note saying when it was taken and where, is worth more than a phone call saying something looks wet, because the photo shows what the words cannot. The owner should keep the reports in one place, with the dates, so that the history of the house can be followed, and so that a pattern, such as damp appearing in the same place more than once, can be spotted. Whether any inspection service is available for a vacation home is for the operator to confirm, and this guide does not present it as a confirmed service, but a regular check by someone the owner trusts is a practical step that any second-home owner can arrange, and it is the step that catches a loss early.
Key Takeaways
- Empty-home risk, in general terms, is the risk that a leak runs unnoticed because no one is there to see it.
- Before you leave a vacation home, the checks worth doing are simple and practical.
- On your return to a vacation home, check the house before you settle in.
- Inspection before and after the season means having the house looked at by someone who knows what to look for, at the start and at the end of the time it is empty.
- Arranging a regular check for a vacation home means finding someone who can look in on the house while it is empty, and agreeing with them what to check and how often.
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 flood damage cleanup page explains how flood water is removed and the rooms are dried.
Do not step in standing water near electrical outlets or appliances 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 appliances home.
Water damage help is available across Texas. See water damage restoration in Pecos, TX for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.
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