Leaving your home in Greece empty: a practical planning checklist

01

Create a starting record

Walk through the property while there is still time to ask questions. List any existing concern, incomplete appointment or detail you want observed during your absence. Be precise about location: a note about the lower corner of a particular window is more useful than a general reminder to check the house.

Where a photograph genuinely helps, record the relevant area without including private papers or unnecessary personal possessions. An initial record gives later observations context. It does not certify the condition of the property or prove that concealed areas are free of problems.

• Existing observations and their locations.
• Appointments already requested or confirmed.
• Tasks still awaiting your decision.
• Areas that are inaccessible or outside the planned check.

02

Separate ordinary tasks from technical decisions

A departure list might include clearing personal items from an agreed access route or documenting an unfinished task. Decisions about utilities, equipment settings and specialist procedures need property-specific instructions. Do not copy a generic list of switches to turn off and assume it suits every apartment or house.

Gather relevant instructions from the appropriate professional or manufacturer and identify who is responsible for carrying them out. If you do not understand an instruction, resolve that question before delegating the task. A caretaker should not have to infer a technical procedure from a brief message.

03

Agree the visit before agreeing the calendar

Describe the purpose of a property visit first. Which accessible spaces should be observed? Are there particular changes you want brought to your attention? What should the update contain? Once the scope is clear, discuss a suitable schedule and the provider’s actual availability.

Check any conditions relevant to your own property arrangement directly with the responsible professional or insurer. A website checklist cannot tell you what an individual policy or building agreement requires. Keep those requirements distinct from the general service you are discussing.

04

Make access and contacts usable

Identify the person authorised to give instructions, the contact for routine updates and any agreed alternative if a decision is needed. Confirm how keys are handed over and returned, and how a change of lock or instruction will be communicated. Sensitive access information belongs in an appropriately agreed channel, not a public enquiry form.

Where a shared building or an existing contractor is relevant, record their role and the circumstances in which they may be contacted. Naming a person does not automatically authorise unlimited access or spending. State what still needs your approval.

05

Leave an open-items list, not a vague reassurance

Use simple status language: completed, appointment requested, awaiting owner decision or not checked. A task that has been requested is not yet a completed task. This small distinction helps prevent an unfinished item from disappearing into a general message saying that everything is arranged.

Before you leave, review the list once more and make sure each open item has a next step. Keep the record short enough to use. On a later update, you should be able to see what changed without rebuilding the story from several separate conversations.