Back for the Season: Checking a South Florida Home That Sat Empty All Summer

Quick answer: when you come back to a South Florida home that was closed up for the summer, check for humidity and musty odors, water at the air handler and condensate line, slow plumbing leaks, storm damage to the roof and openings, and the condition of the pool equipment. Test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms before guests arrive for the holidays. If something looks or smells wrong, a professional inspection tells you how far it goes.

November is when Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties fill back up. Seasonal residents return to Jupiter, Stuart, Boca Raton and the coastal towns in between, and the holiday guests are not far behind. But a house that sat empty from May to November has just been through the hottest, wettest, stormiest months of the year with nobody watching it.

Here is what to look for in your first week back.

Humidity: the problem you can smell

South Florida's heat, humidity, heavy rainfall and year-round air conditioning create an environment where moisture problems develop faster than in most of the country. In an empty house, a few small issues add up quickly:

The AC is set high to save energy, so it removes less moisture from the air.
A tripped breaker or failed thermostat can leave the house with no cooling at all for weeks.
Closed doors and drawn shades keep air from moving.

What to check:

Smell first. A musty odor when you open the door is the most common sign of trapped moisture.
Look at closets on exterior walls, the backs of furniture, bathroom ceilings and the inside of cabinets under sinks for spots or discoloration.
Feel the air. If the house feels sticky even with the AC running, the system may not be removing enough moisture.

If you have concerns about the indoor environment, our mold and air quality testing collects air samples from living areas, with an outdoor comparison sample when appropriate, and sends them to an independent laboratory. Billings Home Inspections does not perform mold remediation, so we have no interest in anything except giving you accurate, objective information.

The air handler and condensate line

Your AC pulls gallons of water out of the air, and that water has to go somewhere. Condensate lines clog with algae and debris, especially when the system has been running at low demand for months. A clogged line can overflow into a closet, an attic or a ceiling.

Look around the air handler for water, rust or stains in the drain pan.
Check the ceiling below an attic air handler for any discoloration.
Change the filter, and listen for unusual noises when the system starts up.

Slow plumbing leaks

A small drip under a sink or behind a toilet can run for months in an empty house. Check under every sink, around toilets and the water heater, and along baseboards near bathrooms and the kitchen. Look at your water bill history too. A steady rise while nobody was home is a red flag.

Leaks inside walls and beneath slabs are hard to find by eye. Infrared thermal imaging is one of the fastest ways to spot a slab leak, a failed condensate line, or water moving through a wall before it shows on the surface.

Storm season, after the fact

Even if no storm hit your street directly, summer squalls can lift roof tiles and shingles, loosen flashing and open small gaps around windows and doors. If you did not get a chance to look the house over after the season, our October post on hidden storm damage walks through exactly what to check. Remember that hurricane season officially runs until November 30.

Pools and spas

Pool equipment works hard through a Florida summer, owner or no owner. Look at the pump, filter and heater at the equipment pad for leaks, corrosion or unusual noise, check the water level, and look for cracked tile or loose coping. A pool and spa inspection covers surfaces, decking, equipment at the pad, visible plumbing connections, electrical bonding and GFCI protection, and safety barriers. Pools are not part of a standard home inspection.

Carbon monoxide safety before the holidays

Carbon monoxide gets less attention in South Florida than up north because most homes here do not run furnaces. It is still a real risk, especially around the holidays:

Gas appliances. Gas ranges, water heaters, dryers and pool heaters all produce combustion gases that need to vent properly.
Attached garages. Never warm up a car in an attached garage, even with the door open.
Portable generators. Many households bought a generator for storm season. Run it outdoors only, well away from doors, windows and vents, and never in a garage or screened porch.
Alarms. Test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm when you arrive and replace batteries. If a home has fuel-burning appliances or an attached garage and no CO alarm, add one before guests arrive.

Insurance renewals and 4-point reports

Seasonal owners often return to renewal paperwork. If your carrier is asking for updated information on the roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC, a 4-point inspection documents those four systems on the form insurers use. A current wind mitigation report can also support premium credits and is typically valid for 5 years.

Let us take a look

If your first walk-through turns up musty smells, stains, leaks or anything else that does not feel right, we can help you understand what happened while you were away. Billings Home Inspections serves homeowners across Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie and North Broward counties from our base in Royal Palm Beach, with reports delivered the same day as the inspection.