The pack that decides how the first emergency goes

An owner abroad is judged by one thing on the day a pipe bursts: whether the person at the property already had what they needed.

Most problems in remotely owned Indian rentals are not caused by distance. They are caused by an incomplete handover, which distance then makes expensive. The fix is a single pack, assembled once, updated when something changes, and held by both sides.

Access, and who has it

• Every key and duplicate, counted, labelled and listed by holder — not a drawer of unmarked keys.
• Codes for the main door, the safe and the gate, with a note of when each was last changed.
• The society or building office contact, and the names they have on file as authorised to enter.
• Parking allocation and any sticker or pass the society issues.

The house, in numbers

Photograph and record meter numbers and current readings for electricity and water, the consumer numbers on each utility account, the gas connection details, the internet account and its billing date, and the make, model and warranty status of every appliance. This is dull to compile and invaluable the first time a bill has to be contested or a warranty claimed from another country.

Money, and its limits

Decide in writing what the manager may spend without asking and what needs your approval, and set the first number high enough that a burst inlet pipe does not wait for your working hours. Agree how those payments are reimbursed, on what day of the month, and against what evidence. Ambiguity here is the most common cause of a good manager becoming a slow one.

Documents to leave, and documents not to

The manager needs the ownership papers only if a building office asks for them, the insurance policy with its claim number, and the society’s contact. They do not need your bank instruments or your personal identity papers. Keep originals with you; leave copies in a sealed folder at the property.

People, written down

List the plumber, electrician, carpenter and pest control service you have used before, with numbers, alongside the nearest hospital. A new caretaker will otherwise choose whoever answers first, at whatever price is quoted to someone with no alternative.

Guests and the rules that follow them

State who welcomes arrivals, who keeps the guest book and who checks the home after each departure. Write it down once and update it whenever the person changes.

Keep it alive

A handover pack is only useful while it is true. Review it once a year and after every change of caretaker, agency, code or appliance. For the homes we take over, the pack is rebuilt in the first fortnight and its contents confirmed back to the owner in writing, because the alternative is discovering the gaps during the emergency rather than before it.