If you own a home in Madrid and spend the winter somewhere else, the house doesn't go on holiday with you. It stays put, with the heating off, water sitting in the pipes and a gas installation that still has deadlines attached to it.
I'm Peruvian, I live in Madrid, and I run VA in Madrid, a small team that helps foreign families and companies with the administration of living and owning things in Spain. I'm not a plumber, an insurer or a lawyer, so nothing here is legal or tax advice. What I can do is gather the official guidance in one place, so you can close the house properly before the cold and the Christmas trips begin.
A leak in a flat where someone lives gets noticed fast. In an empty one it can run for weeks. That's the whole logic of this checklist: remove the things that can fail quietly, and make sure someone can reach you when something does.
The Comunidad de Madrid, passing on advice from Canal de Isabel II, says that if a home will be unoccupied for a long time, it's advisable to close the entry valve (the llave de paso) and drain the interior circuit. The context is the cold: every winter Canal warns about frozen pipes and meters, and an empty flat has nobody to notice the problem.
In practice, before you leave, find the main valve, close it and open the taps to let the pipes drain. If you have a water heater (termo), ask a plumber whether it should be drained or switched off, because that depends on the model.
Then look at the meter. The same Comunidad de Madrid notice, dated 21 November 2025, suggests checking that the meter cabinet door closes properly and insulating the pipes around the meter with foam insulation or bubble wrap. Crumpled newspaper or wool inside the cabinet also helps. If a meter does freeze, don't force the valve and never use an open flame. The official advice is to use dry heat or very hot water instead. Canal's free number is 900 365 365, open 24 hours.
Madrid's Instituto Municipal de Consumo explains that piped gas installations in the Comunidad de Madrid go through a periodic inspection every 5 years. The distributor has to tell you in writing, in advance. You can let the distributor do it, or hire an authorised installer within the deadline, who then reports the result to the distributor.
Here's why this matters if you live abroad. The notice goes to the contract holder. If your post piles up in an empty flat, you can miss the deadline without ever knowing there was one. The Comunidad de Madrid says the same in a 2019 notice: for piped gas, the supplier notifies the contract holder of the deadline, and bottled gas users must book the inspection with an installer before it expires.
My opinion, for what it's worth: decide now who will open your post, or whether your distributor can contact you by email. It's a small decision that avoids a bigger headache.
Two more things from the official pages. First, nobody should be paid directly. The inspection cost goes on the gas bill, so never pay cash to the person at the door. Second, there are scams. The Comunidad warns about unsolicited visits, fake notices in building entrances and maintenance contracts sold as mandatory. A genuine letter carries your name, the date of your last inspection and your CUPS. The same page says that individual home installations under 70 kW don't need a maintenance contract.
If you're not sure whether to close the gas valve while you're away, ask your installer how to do it safely and how to reopen it.
This is the part where I can't tell you what your policy says, and neither can anyone who hasn't read it. What I can tell you is that policies differ. Some home insurance wordings treat a home as unoccupied after a set number of days, often a month or two, and may limit or exclude cover while it is. Some insurers may also limit water damage cover when a home hasn't been maintained.
If you do have a policy, the question is whether it does what you think it does while you're away.
So ask your insurer, in writing:
Keep the answer. If the reply is vague, a broker (corredor de seguros) can help you compare.
Utilities and community fees (the comunidad de propietarios) are easier to manage from abroad when they're paid by direct debit from a Spanish account that you keep funded. That's practical, not a rule. A returned bill is a small problem that can turn into a bigger one when nobody is home to see the letter.
Property tax is a separate subject. We covered the two property tax deadlines that non-resident owners face before 31 December in our guide to IBI and Modelo 210. Questions about how your Spanish property is taxed belong with an asesor fiscal, not with a blog post.
An empty home needs a person, not just a plan. Choose someone who can go in: a neighbour you trust, family, or a property manager. Give them the location of the main water valve, your contact details, your insurer's phone number, Canal's number and the contact of the president of your comunidad de propietarios. A visit every few weeks is a sensible habit, and more often if there's a cold snap.
How long can a home stay empty in Spain before my insurance is a problem?
There's no single number. Some policies define unoccupied after 30 days or more, others differ. Read the wording and ask your insurer to confirm.
Is closing the water valve compulsory?
It's official guidance from the Comunidad de Madrid and Canal de Isabel II. Your insurer's own conditions may add requirements, so check them.
Is the gas inspection yearly?
No. For piped gas in the Comunidad de Madrid it's every 5 years, according to Madrid's Instituto Municipal de Consumo. Boiler servicing is a different, private service.
Someone rang the bell saying they're here for the gas inspection. What do I do?
Don't pay cash. Ask for the letter with your name, last inspection date and CUPS, and call the number on your gas bill to confirm.
Where do I start if I'm already abroad?
With the person who has keys and the insurer's answer. Everything else can follow from there.
Own a home in Madrid and want a second pair of eyes on the administration around it? Write to us on WhatsApp or through the contact form on our website.
Prefer Spanish? Read this guide in Spanish: ¿Dejas tu casa en España vacía este invierno? La lista para propietarios que viven fuera.
Sources: the Comunidad de Madrid notice on protecting water installations from the cold, Madrid's Instituto Municipal de Consumo guide to gas supply and the Comunidad de Madrid page on gas inspection scams.
