When a house is used only part of the year, memory is a poor filing system. Instructions live in one inbox, a plumber’s invoice in another, and last winter’s leak exists only as a recollection. A simple evidence file is the opposite of that: a dated set of documents that shows what was supposed to happen, what was observed, and what was done.

It is not a claim file until a claim exists. It is not legal advice. It is housekeeping for a remote owner.

What belongs in the file

Keep, in one place you can actually find:

  • the current owner instructions (water, electricity, alarms, shutters, who may enter)
  • key and access inventory, coded rather than addressed
  • inspection reports and their photographs
  • contractor attendance notes and invoices
  • condominium or specialist contacts
  • any written answers from an insurer or adviser about vacancy, visits or notification — stored as correspondence, not as Guardemar’s interpretation

What a photo report should contain describes the visit side. How to brief a property-care company describes the instruction side. Questions to ask your insurer is the insurance conversation to have elsewhere.

Keep it factual

Write what was seen, when, and by whom. Separate observation from someone else’s diagnosis. “Moisture visible beneath the kitchen sink on 12 November” is a fact. “The pipework is defective” is a plumber’s job to say.

That distinction is what makes a chronology usable later — for a contractor, a buyer, or, if it comes to it, an insurer. Unoccupied property clauses explains the limit: records can support an account of oversight. They cannot promise cover.

Photographs need a home as well as a caption

A report that says “see WhatsApp” will not survive a change of phone. Store the images with the visit date and the room. The same viewpoints each time are more valuable than a large unsorted album.

If a follow-up visit happens after a repair, keep that report next to the original. The story is then complete.

Share only with people who need it

The file will contain access information, personal contact details and pictures of your home. Send it to the keyholder, the owner, and a contractor who has a reason to see a particular visit. Do not attach the full pack to every casual message.

When ownership or the local team changes, treat the file as part of the property handover.

Start it at closing, not after a leak

The cheapest moment to create the file is when the house is in known condition — typically when you leave after summer. Closing the house after summer is that moment. Every later visit then has something to compare.

If you want the inspection half of this file produced on a schedule, review home watch and plans, or request a property assessment.