Four months in Arizona. Six months of Alberta winter at home.

The honest answer is that it depends on the season, the property and — critically — what your own insurance policy says. There is no universal standard, and anyone who gives you a single number without asking about your policy is guessing.

That said, the practical logic is straightforward. The damage from most vacant-property failures is proportional to how long they run undetected, so the visit interval is effectively a cap on your worst-case outcome. A leak found after three days and the same leak found after three weeks are very different events.

In practice, weekly is the most common cadence for an Alberta property during the heating season, with owners increasing to twice weekly or every 72 hours during extreme cold. Through summer, weekly or biweekly is common. Properties with known risk factors — poly-B plumbing, an aging hot water tank, a history of basement water, or no water shut-off — warrant more frequent visits than a newer, lower-risk property.

The number that actually matters is the one in your policy. Many policies contain a required check interval during extended absences, and some specify who must perform it. Call your insurer or broker and ask directly before you leave.

We cannot tell you, and neither can any home-watch company — that answer lives in your specific policy, and it varies substantially between insurers and between products.

What we can tell you is what to ask. Call your insurer or broker before you leave and ask these questions specifically: What does my policy define as vacant, and as unoccupied? At what point do restrictions begin? Which coverages are affected? Are there conditions I must meet during an extended absence — maintaining heat at a specified temperature, shutting off and draining the water supply, or having the property checked at a stated interval? If checks are required, how often, and does the policy specify who may perform them? Do I need to notify you that the property will be empty?

Get the answers in writing. An email from your broker confirming the requirements is worth having if a claim is ever made.

A common pattern in Canadian policies is a requirement to either maintain heat during the heating season or shut off and drain the water supply, sometimes paired with a required check interval. But that is a pattern, not your policy. Ask.

VacantHomes.ca provides documented property visits that give you an organised record of monitoring. We do not represent that any service, or any visit frequency, satisfies any policy condition — that determination is between you and your insurer.

For an extended absence in an Alberta winter, shutting off the water is the single most effective step available to you. It removes the mechanism for the most expensive thing that happens to vacant homes.

The reasoning is simple. A supply line that fails while the water is on runs continuously at full pressure until someone closes a valve. The same failure with the water off produces nothing. Shutting off does not prevent pipes from freezing, but it dramatically limits what happens when one does.

For it to work properly, shutting off is not enough on its own — the system should also be drained. Open the lowest fixtures to relieve pressure and let standing water out. Water left in the lines can still freeze and split a pipe; you simply avoid the continuous flow afterwards.

Some caveats. If your property has a fire sprinkler system, do not shut off the supply — that system needs to remain charged. If the property has a boiler or in-floor heating, the heating loop is separate from the domestic supply and needs different handling. If the shut-off valve is old, seized or leaking, force it and you may create the problem you were preventing; have a plumber deal with it first.

Also check your policy. Some insurers require water to be shut off and drained during extended absences in the heating season, and some accept maintained heat as an alternative. Which one applies to you is worth knowing before you decide.

The most commonly recommended minimum for an unoccupied home in a Canadian winter is around 15 °C, though recommendations range from about 13 °C to 18 °C. Some insurance policies specify a figure — if yours does, that number governs, not a general recommendation.

The reasoning behind keeping it that high rather than lower: the thermostat reads the air temperature at one location, usually a hallway on the main floor. Temperatures elsewhere in the building — exterior walls, the basement, above the garage, in a bathroom on a corner — run meaningfully colder. Setting 15 °C at the thermostat may mean 8 °C or lower where the plumbing actually is.

Setting it much lower to save on heating is a poor trade. The savings over a winter are modest; the cost of a single burst supply line is not.

A few practical points. Leave interior doors open so heat circulates. Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls. Keep registers open in every room, including ones you would normally close off. If the property has a smart thermostat, set a floor rather than a schedule, and check that any away mode does not drop below your intended minimum.

And ask your insurer whether your policy specifies a minimum temperature during absences. Several do.