Flipper/Rehabber · Loveland, OH · Member since 2014 · 44 posts · 28 votes
I’m in Cincinnati and walk vacant homes and between-tenant rentals for out-of-town owners. The biggest winter surprises I see are slow leaks, heat that quietly shut off, and doors that aren’t actually locked.
For those of you with vacant units: how often do you have someone physically walk them in cold months? Weekly, monthly, or only when something goes wrong? And do you winterize, or keep the heat on at 55?
I’m curious what’s working for you, and happy to share what I’m seeing locally.
Memphis is not Cincinnati, but the math on a vacant house in winter travels fine: a scheduled walk is cheap, a burst pipe is not, and the house is already costing you rent every day it sits.
We walk vacant houses on a set schedule, not when somebody remembers, and the schedule tightens when the temperature drops — not after a freeze. Heat stays on in a vacant house for us. A fully winterized empty house is harder to show, harder to lease, and slower to turn when a good applicant appears.
Every walk gets the same documentation: thermostat, faucets, under the sinks, and photos, the same way we document a turn. Anything off goes on a work list that day, not at the next visit. And a walked house should also be moving toward rent-ready — winter checks are part of getting it leased, not a separate project.
I think regular physical inspections are important, especially for out-of-state owners who can’t keep an eye on their properties themselves. Having reliable local contacts to check on vacant units and deal with maintenance issues can make a big difference. I’m interested in connecting with investors and property professionals who work with out-of-state owners. Do you also work with owners who need help finding reliable local service providers?
Always depends on the service. I agree anything can change from week to week especially if people notice no one is going to the property. It’s always good to have a set of trustful eyes out.
Eric, great question — and as an agent who lists vacant properties, I see the expensive version of this every winter. My answer: someone should lay eyes on a vacant property every two weeks minimum in cold months, weekly if it's older or has a history of plumbing issues. The slow leak you mentioned is the classic one — a $15 part becomes a five-figure mold remediation because nobody walked through for six weeks. On winterize vs. heat at 55: I advise clients to keep the heat on at 55 rather than fully winterize, because a winterized house still needs monitoring and most insurers require heat to be maintained. The walk-through is really an insurance policy with a flashlight. Do you send owners photos after each visit?
Absolutely agree. I’ve seen a few times where when it got cold the property would have a raccoon get inside or pets and cause thousands to remove and remediate.
Yes I use company cam to send photos as well as a short walkthrough video of the interior and exterior.
Memphis is not Cincinnati, but the math on a vacant house in winter travels fine: a scheduled walk is cheap, a burst pipe is not, and the house is already costing you rent every day it sits.
We walk vacant houses on a set schedule, not when somebody remembers, and the schedule tightens when the temperature drops — not after a freeze. Heat stays on in a vacant house for us. A fully winterized empty house is harder to show, harder to lease, and slower to turn when a good applicant appears.
Every walk gets the same documentation: thermostat, faucets, under the sinks, and photos, the same way we document a turn. Anything off goes on a work list that day, not at the next visit. And a walked house should also be moving toward rent-ready — winter checks are part of getting it leased, not a separate project.
@Eric Kottner, thank you for starting this, it's very timely for us.
We're looking at options for our first US house in Columbus, and if we go ahead, the rehab will run into winter. So the house won't be empty, it'll be half open: walls opened, crews in and out. On our Swiss jobs every stage closes with dated photos and a check before the next one starts, and I'd want the same for a cold weekend when nobody is on site.
From what you see around Cincinnati, on a house under rehab, what's the bigger risk: a frozen line, or the crew leaving the heat off or a door unlocked on a Friday? And how often would you walk it then?
Vladimirs, on a Columbus rehab through winter I'd treat "open walls + empty nights" as higher risk than a locked vacant with heat on. Bigger weekend risk I've seen isn't the freeze alone — it's heat set back or shut off after a Friday punch-list, plus an exterior door that didn't latch. What works for me: heat on a documented set-point (I keep occupied-rehab units warm enough that pipes aren't the weak link), dated end-of-day photos (furnace display, thermostat, every exterior door, open walls), and a same-day walk after any hard freeze warning. Water: know which valves shut which floors before demo starts. If you want, I can share the winter turnover checklist I use on Columbus 1–4 unit turns. Are you self-managing the rehab or hiring a GC with draw inspections?
For us it’s been frozen lines. Here in Ohio (with bj being in Columbus he can confirm or change) we have about 3 odd sets of winter. Cincinnati and Columbus we usually get our freeze days in January or February and just had a couple cold days before that. When February hits we can have 1-2 weeks of a major snowstorm and then below zero temperatures. If I see it coming I can set a twice a week visit to check on it. Also one of the things I did at my projects is make sure water lines are drained and there are insulation products that can be placed on supply lines to keep them warm. I’ve also emailed out before a winter checklist we give to our contractors to follow for the weekend set ups.
Eric, this is spot on. Cincinnati winters will expose every weak spot in a vacant house.
From what I see with out-of-state owners I lend to, the ones who get hit hardest are the ones who only check when something goes wrong. By then it is a burst pipe, a flooded basement, and a $5K+ repair.
For a vacant unit, I always recommend weekly walks in cold months, heat kept at 55, and water shut off and lines drained if it is going to sit empty for more than a couple weeks. A $50 temp sensor that alerts your phone is cheaper than one freeze claim.
Winterizing vs. keeping heat on depends on how long it will be vacant, but never just leave it with heat off and water on. That is how deals go sideways.
Do you find most owners in Cincinnati are doing monthly checks, or are they mostly reactive until you flag something?
Sadly I wish did more monthly checks or even more. Most are generally reactive but there I know some that will make sure they send one at twice a month with a reserve in case there’s a major storm I. E. Rain, snow, or a news event that happened close to the property.
It’s one of the reason with my vacant property checks they can order single site visits. Once a week, or twice a week. If they get a bundled package they can use them for different properties as well and schedule their own time they want me to view it on the calendar so they know when a property was last visited.
Everyone's covering how often to walk. The bigger gap is what the walk actually catches.
A slow leak doesn't look like much in one photo. Shoot the same spots from the same angle every visit (under the sinks, the ceiling below the bathroom, the base of the water heater) and put it next to last week's. That's when the stain ring shows you it's grown.
And heat that "quietly shut off" often left a clue. Most furnaces flash a code on the little status light behind the panel before they quit. Snap that light every visit. A flame sensor on its way out will often start blinking well before the house goes cold.
Agree. Thats why I like company cam. We can also provide a full range with a video. One picture can be misleading but you have a video with different angles and lighting you get the full extent.