Leaving Your Aruba Home Unoccupied: A Practical Checklist

Reviewed September 2026. Property, policy and equipment requirements vary. Confirm instructions with your insurer, utility providers and qualified technicians.

An empty home is not a maintenance-free home. Before leaving Aruba for several weeks or months, owners should reduce avoidable risks, document the condition of the property and give a trusted local contact enough information to recognise and respond to a problem.

Four weeks before departure

Check the insurance policy for vacancy, inspection and notification requirements.
Arrange a local keyholder and agree the inspection frequency in writing.
Complete overdue air-conditioning, pool, roof, plumbing and security maintenance.
Resolve active leaks, drain problems, electrical faults or pest activity.
Confirm that recurring utility and service payments will continue.

Do not assume a property manager’s standard service includes emergency attendance, storm preparation or supervision of contractors. Ask what is included, response times, reporting and spending authority. Our guide to choosing a property manager in Aruba provides a fuller due-diligence checklist.

Water and plumbing

Record the water-meter reading and photograph it. Check toilets, taps, irrigation, pool top-up systems, water heaters and visible supply lines. Decide with a qualified professional whether the main supply should remain open, be isolated or be managed in another way for your property. Pool, irrigation, fire or appliance systems may affect that decision.

Make sure the local contact knows the main shut-off location and can reach it safely. Unexpected meter movement when the home is unused deserves investigation.

Electricity, cooling and humidity

Do not switch off circuits without understanding what they serve. Refrigeration, alarms, internet equipment, pumps, ventilation and monitoring may need power. Unplug non-essential devices where appropriate and ask an air-conditioning technician how the property should be managed during a long absence.

Humidity control is property-specific. Leaving every room sealed with no airflow may cause different problems from operating equipment without inspection. Record thermostat or timer settings and tell the keyholder what a normal reading or operating sound looks like.

Pool, garden and exterior

Confirm pool visit frequency and chemical and equipment checks.
Remove loose objects and clear drains and roof outlets.
Check irrigation schedules and visible leaks.
Trim vegetation that blocks access, cameras or ventilation.
Arrange reporting for failed pumps, unusual water loss or storm damage.

Security and access

Test doors, windows, gates, alarms and cameras. Review who has keys and digital access, remove obsolete users and store a spare through a controlled arrangement. Avoid announcing an extended absence publicly or placing the complete address on key labels.

Remote cameras can support oversight but do not replace physical inspections. Agree what the keyholder should photograph during each visit and how privacy will be protected if the property is later occupied by guests or tenants.

On departure day

Photograph the condition of every room and exterior elevation.
Record water and electricity meter readings.
Remove perishable food and household waste.
Confirm doors, windows, gates and selected appliance settings.
Send travel dates and emergency contacts to the local representative.
Test that monitoring notifications reach the correct people.

What a local inspection should record

A useful inspection is more than “everything looks fine.” It should cover signs of forced entry, unusual smells, water ingress, meter movement, air-conditioning or ventilation, pest activity, pool and garden condition, alarms and visible exterior damage. Use consistent photographs and keep a dated log.

Give the inspector a clear route for urgent decisions. The emergency plan for absentee homeowners explains contacts, authority and incident records in more detail.

Official starting points

This checklist is general information. Follow the written requirements of your insurer and the instructions of qualified service providers for your specific property.