Most second-home owners underestimate how quickly an unvisited property can develop a problem. The question of how often to check is not just about peace of mind. It has practical consequences for your insurance, your maintenance costs and the condition of your property when you arrive.
What your insurer actually requires
This is the starting point that most owners miss. The majority of home insurance policies for unoccupied or infrequently occupied properties contain a vacancy clause. These clauses typically require an inspection every 30 days, sometimes less. A property left unchecked for longer than the policy stipulates risks losing cover entirely. If a burst pipe goes undiscovered for six weeks, your insurer may decline the claim on the grounds that the vacancy conditions were not met.
Read your policy wording carefully. The definition of an "inspection" varies. Some policies require evidence of entry and a written note of the property's condition. A drive-past does not qualify.
What Cornwall's climate does to an unvisited property
Cornwall receives among the highest rainfall of any region in England. Atlantic weather systems arrive with little warning and significant force. Between October and March, an unvisited property is exposed to driving rain, sustained wind, salt air and temperature fluctuations that accelerate deterioration in ways that are simply not comparable to properties further inland.
A roof slate dislodged in November can allow water ingress throughout winter. Guttering blocked by autumn leaf fall causes water to back up and track into wall cavities. Condensation in a sealed, unheated property reaches levels that promote mould within weeks, not months. None of these problems announce themselves. They are discovered on arrival, at which point they are invariably worse than they would have been had they been caught early.
The practical recommendation
For a Cornwall second home, a monthly inspection is the minimum that is defensible from both an insurance and a practical property-management perspective. Between October and March, fortnightly checks are a sensible standard for properties in exposed locations, near the coast, or with older roofs, slate or timber construction.
An inspection should include a walk of the exterior, a check of all accessible roof areas and guttering, internal check of each room for damp, mould, condensation or water marks, verification that heating is maintaining a minimum temperature, and a report of the property's condition on the day.
Self-inspection versus professional inspection
If you visit Cornwall regularly and can maintain a genuine monthly inspection schedule, self-inspection is viable. The limitation is documentation. Insurers expect written evidence, and a text message to yourself is unlikely to satisfy a claim handler. A professional inspection service produces a dated, written report with photographs for each visit, creating a clear audit trail.
The more significant limitation of self-inspection is response. Discovering a problem during your own visit, when you may be there for a weekend, creates pressure to manage a contractor engagement on a short timescale. A professional service with an established contractor network can initiate remediation the same day a problem is found, before you are even aware of it.
The cost of leaving it too long
The cost difference between a problem caught at one month and the same problem discovered at three months is rarely proportional. Water damage that costs £800 to address in week four can cost £8,000 once drying, replastering and redecoration are complete. The saving from a professional inspection service is not just the inspection itself. It is the compounding cost of problems caught at the point where they are still minor.