We are lucky to have a second home, whether in the countryside or the mountains, where we can spend our holidays and enjoy a different atmosphere at certain times of the year. Although it is a home that we use less throughout the course of the year, it still has a number of maintenance costs that have to be assumed.
At Lasose Properties & Investments we explain how you can reduce the costs that come with a second home.
Control damp
Houses that are closed up for long periods of time tend to have many problems with damp, which means they need to be repainted from time to time. To avoid this expense, it is advisable to periodically ventilate the house.
Reducing bills
There are certain expenses that cannot be avoided in a home, such as the IBI (property tax) or the owners’ association fee, but many bills can be reduced in order to cut down on expenses. You could, for example, save on gas and electricity bills by comparing offers from different companies and analysing the contracted power to make sure it suits your needs.
Landline telephone costs can also be avoided, as in a second home it is not worth having a telephone line when you have a mobile phone with which you can do all your business.
Include home automation
Although at first it may seem like an expense, home automation can really help us improve energy efficiency, enabling us to anticipate and modify many daily acts that will reduce energy consumption.
Making the home more profitable
If we only use the house at certain times of the year, a good idea to keep it in good condition and make it profitable is to rent it out during the periods we aren’t using it ourselves.
With these small gestures above we can help to reduce the energy consumption and necessary maintenance of a second home.
