Every warning sign in this subject depends on somebody being in the building to notice it. Where nobody is, the whole early-warning system is absent and the damage simply runs.
Brandon has a fair number of properties in that position, and they are worth treating differently.
Which properties
- Holiday lets and second homes, empty for weeks at a time
- Properties between tenancies, or on the market
- Inherited or probate properties
- Outbuildings, annexes, garages and workshops
- Barns and rural buildings used seasonally
- Any building where nobody sleeps under the roof
Why they fare worse
Not because they are more attractive — though an unheated, undisturbed building with no comings and goings does suit an animal rather well. It is that every one of the usual signals is missing.
- Nobody hears the noise. The single most reliable indicator, gone
- Nobody notices a tripped circuit or a light that has stopped working
- Nobody sees a ceiling stain until it has spread or come down
- Nobody notices the debris on a sill or a path
- Nobody feels the heat loss, because nobody is heating it
- Nobody is going in and out, which is itself a mild deterrent
The result is a whole season of damage discovered at once. Owners of these properties typically find out in one visit rather than in stages — which is why the bill looks so much worse than it would in an occupied house.
What to do instead of listening
- Look at the roof line every visit. Ten minutes, from the ground, at full zoom. It replaces the noise as the early warning
- Open the hatch every visit and look with a torch. Daylight showing, disturbed insulation, droppings on clean material
- Photograph, and compare with last time. With nobody living there, change over time is the only evidence available
- Clear debris deliberately, so anything new is obviously new
- Check the consumer unit for a tripped breaker on arrival
- Close the openings proactively. Proofing at £180 is worth considerably more on an unoccupied building than on an occupied one, because there is no other line of defence
Preparing a property that will stand empty
- Get the roof line surveyed and the openings closed before it is left
- Cut back anything overhanging or reaching the roof
- Clear the gutters, because overflowing water rots the boards that let things in
- Do not leave soft materials, bedding or stored textiles in the loft
- Ask whoever holds the keys to look up and photograph the roof each time
Brandon's position
The town sits close to a great deal of woodland, which supports a substantial local population and puts steady pressure on the buildings at the edge of it. For an occupied house that means the annual check matters. For a building nobody sleeps in, it means the openings are the whole of the defence.
Questions
How often should an empty property be checked?
Every visit at minimum, and ideally monthly through the autumn. Ten minutes outside and five at the hatch.
Is it worth proofing a building nobody uses?
More so than an occupied one. With nobody to hear the early warning, the closed opening is the only line of defence.
What about an outbuilding or barn?
The same principles apply, and access at height is often easier. Worth dealing with at the same time as the house.
Squirrel Control Brandon
Squirrel control in Brandon is £280 fixed cost. Proofing work, where it is needed afterwards, is £180. Call 01502 630 122 and tell us what you have heard or seen.
For squirrel control in Brandon, call 01502 630 122, or read the Brandon squirrel control page.