Before the Rain: A Pre-Winter Checklist for L.A. Homes You Don’t Live In

Every fall I get the same call from an owner who lives in New York, London, or Dubai: “Is the house ready for winter?” It’s the right question. When you’re 3,000 miles away, nobody is standing in the yard when the first real storm of the season rolls in. Here is how I think about it as a property manager with a construction background.

Start with water, because water is what actually damages a house. Roofs, flashing, skylights, and gutters should be looked at before the rain, not after. A clogged downspout or a lifted shingle is a ten-minute fix in October and a ceiling repair in January. The same goes for drains on patios, terraces, and driveways. Water needs somewhere to go that is not your foundation or your neighbor’s retaining wall.

Next, walk the hillside and the landscaping. Many luxury homes in Los Angeles sit on slopes, and drainage, swales, and retaining walls do a lot of quiet work. Dry brush and loose debris can block the paths water is supposed to take. Have a licensed professional look at anything that worries you, especially if your property sits below a burn area or a steep grade.

Then check the systems that run while no one is home. Test the sump or sewer pump if you have one. Confirm irrigation is set sensibly, because overwatering in a wet week is wasted money and sometimes a problem. Know where your main water shutoff is and make sure someone besides you can reach it quickly. A smart leak sensor under a water heater or near a washer costs very little compared to what it can prevent.

Don’t forget eyes on the property. A vacant home benefits from a regular, documented walk-through: interior and exterior, same checklist each time, with photos. Look for stains, odors, pests, and signs that something has changed. You should see those photos, not just hear “everything looks fine.”

Finally, make sure your plan has names and numbers in it. Who is your roofer, your plumber, your landscaper, and who can get to the house at 2 a.m. when an alarm goes off? An emergency list you’ve never tested is not a plan. Review your insurance coverage with your own agent or broker before the season; that’s their expertise, not mine.

None of this is glamorous. All of it is cheaper than the alternative. At Beautiful Home Property Management, our job is to be your eyes, your hands, and your first call, so a rainy week in Los Angeles doesn’t ruin your week in another time zone.

If you own in Los Angeles and want a straight conversation about how your property is set up for the season, reach out. We’ll walk it, document it, and tell you plainly what we see.