The free pre-winter audit: what we go over in 20 minutes

Fall is settling over the Eastern Townships, and with it comes the same mental list every year: water, heat, snow clearing, insurance. The free pre-winter audit is there to sort that list out in 20 minutes, with zero strings — whether or not you ever become a client.

How to get the most out of it

1. Book before the first frost

The audit is most useful when there’s still time to act: bring in a plumber, sort out a snow-clearing contract, talk to your broker. Book it on the Free audit page, by phone or through the form. You’ll hear back within 24 hours.

2. Gather three things

• Your home insurance policy for the cottage. If you bring it, we’ll look together at the conditions that apply when the house sits empty.
• Your suppliers’ names: snow clearing, propane or oil delivery, plumber, electrician.
• Your winter calendar: when you plan to come up, and the stretches when nobody will be around.

3. Write down what’s bugging you

The ceiling stain you’ve been watching since summer, the sump pump that sounds louder than it used to, the shut-off valve you’ve never actually found: write them down. Twenty minutes goes quickly, and those small questions are often the ones that matter.

4. Leave with a list

The audit ends with a clear list of what needs attention before winter. What you do with it is up to you: handle it yourself, bring in a contractor, or leave things as they are knowing where you stand.

What we go over in 20 minutes

Water

Where’s the main shut-off, is it labelled, and what do you want done with it while the house is empty? If the cottage is on a well, we also talk about the pump and what happens during an outage. We confirm with you that the outdoor taps will be drained.

Heat

What’s the heat source, what does it depend on, and what happens if the power goes out? If the heat runs on propane or oil, we talk about the gauge, the delivery schedule and whether the truck can get up in winter. We work out with you which room is coldest, where a thermometer should go.

Basement and sump pump

Is there a sump pump? Is it plugged in, and does the float move freely? Are there old water marks at the bottom of the walls? Those questions help tell whether spring might have a surprise in store.

Roof and gutters, seen from the ground

Gutters in place, downspouts clear, water directed away from the foundation. We don’t climb onto the roof: we look at what can be seen from the ground and tell you whether a roofer should come by.

Exterior and access

Is the driveway cleared right up to the door, and by whom? Are branches hanging over the electrical service wire? On the steep roads of Sutton or Potton, winter access decides whether a delivery or a contractor can get up when needed.

Your policy and your instructions

If you brought your policy, we look together at what it says about an unoccupied home. We don’t replace your broker: conditions vary from one insurer to the next, and your broker confirms what applies. Finally, we note your instructions: who to call, and how far we can go if you can’t be reached.

Why fall is the right time

Winter problems are set up in the fall. A poorly protected pipe, a loose gutter, a low propane tank ahead of a closed road: they’re easy to fix in October and hard to fix in January.

Tradespeople are easier to reach before the season. After the first storm, local plumbers and roofers often have calendars full of emergencies.

Townships realities. Three-season cottages that were added onto, outages on the mountain, freezing rain, mid-winter thaws: every cottage in Brome-Missisquoi has its own mix of risks. The audit is there to name yours.

What you can do, and what belongs to the pros

What an owner can do after the audit:

• Label the main shut-off clearly and check that it turns.
• Shut off and drain outdoor taps before the first frost.
• Confirm the snow-clearing contract and fuel-delivery schedule in writing.
• Replace alarm batteries and leave a thermometer in the coldest room.
• Take the questions noted during the audit to your broker.

What belongs to an RBQ-licensed contractor:

• Repairing a gutter, flashing or a section of roof.
• Protecting or rerouting a pipe exposed to cold, installing frost-free outdoor taps.
• Replacing a sump pump or adding a high-water alarm.

For a branch over the electrical service wire, never touch it yourself: check with Hydro-Québec before bringing in a tree service.

In an empty house, how long before anyone notices?

The audit doesn’t replace visits: it gets the house ready to be left alone. Once winter sets in, how often someone stops by decides how long a problem can go unseen. The audit helps you pick that frequency knowing your cottage’s weak points — and decide whether visits are needed at all.

What we look at afterwards on a visit

If you choose a plan, the points raised in the audit become findings we follow every visit: the main shut-off position per your instructions, the propane or oil gauge, the sump pump and the water level in the pit, the gutters and downspouts, driveway access and the trees over the service wire. Every finding is photographed and time-stamped in the report.

If something’s off, we call you the same day, with photos. If needed, we meet an RBQ-licensed contractor on site and document the work.