Your house in Morocco: closing it and opening it
Two checklists, for the day you leave and the day you arrive, and what to arrange so the house stays healthy while it is empty.
A house that is closed ten or eleven months a year suffers more from damp, leaks and small forgotten things than from use. An hour on the last day and an hour on the first day prevent most of it.
In short
- Water closed at the meter, gas bottles closed, fridge empty and open: the three that matter most.
- Air and cotton, not plastic: covers that breathe prevent mould.
- One trusted person with a key, a written list of what to check, and your number.
- Bills, tax and insurance can be followed online from abroad.
Before you leave
While you are away
- Ask for a visit once a month and after heavy rain: open the windows for an hour, look at ceilings and walls, check the terrace drains.
- Agree in advance which small repairs can be done without calling you, and up to what amount.
- Pay water, electricity and internet from abroad through your bank or the suppliers' sites and apps, and ask the operator whether the internet line can be paused.
- Keep the yearly property taxes and, in a shared building, the syndic fees up to date. Unpaid amounts grow with penalties.
- Home insurance: tell the insurer that the house is empty most of the year. Many contracts limit cover for theft or water damage in an unoccupied house.
- A simple camera or a connected alarm needs electricity and internet left on: decide before you leave.
The day you arrive
Damp and mould
- On the coast, damp is the main enemy. Moving air matters more than heat.
- Lime-based paint lets walls breathe; plastic paints trap damp behind them.
- Keep furniture a few centimetres away from outside walls.
- Wash mould off with diluted bleach or white vinegar, wearing gloves, then find where the water comes from.
- The roof terrace is where most leaks start: have its waterproofing checked every few years, before the rainy season.
Mistakes to avoid
- Leaving the fridge plugged in with food for next time. One power cut ruins it.
- Plastic sheets on beds and sofas.
- No one with a key.
- Water left open at the meter.
- Discovering three years of unpaid tax on the day you want to sell.