Looking after a Scarborough home when you're not there

Scarborough is a conservation village at the far end of the Peninsula: the southernmost settlement on the Atlantic side, with a few hundred houses on the steep slopes of Slangkop and Red Hill and the Cape Point Nature Reserve on its doorstep. Many of those houses are holiday homes. That's part of the village's charm, and it also brings a particular risk. A leak or a burst geyser in an empty house can run for days before anyone notices.

Before you lock up and leave

• Switch the geyser off at the distribution board if the house will be empty for more than a few days. It saves electricity, and a failing geyser can't keep heating and building pressure.
• Close the water at the main supply, or the valve into the geyser, while you're away. If the water has to stay on for the garden or a house-sitter, make sure someone checks inside the house.
• Know where your stopcock and geyser isolators are, and show your house-sitter or neighbour.
• Check the meter before you leave and when you're back. With every tap closed, it shouldn't move.

If something bursts: the first ten minutes

Scarborough is a longer drive than most of our areas, so what happens before help arrives matters even more. Close the cold water valve into the geyser or the main supply at the meter first, then switch off the geyser at the distribution board, open a hot tap to relieve the pressure, and move what you can out of the way. Our burst geyser guide goes through each step.

Then call us. Emergencies carry no after-hours charge, and we'll be on site within 3 hours, or 4 over the December–January and Easter holidays.

Wind and salt on the Atlantic side

Facing the open Atlantic, Scarborough homes take the full force of the wind and the salt air. Roof-space geysers, solar geysers and outdoor fittings need corrosion-resistant fixings and a regular check.

If you're not in Cape Town

Many Scarborough owners aren't nearby when something goes wrong. We can arrange access with your caretaker, agent or neighbour, and send you a photographed report, recorded on site in our own app, with an itemised quote before any work starts, so you can approve it from wherever you are. If the house is let through an agent, here's how we work with rental agents.

We cover Scarborough, Kommetjie, Noordhoek and the rest of the South Peninsula, all on one flat call-out rate.

Common questions

Should I switch my geyser off when I go away?

If the house will be empty for more than a few days, yes. It saves electricity and reduces the risk. If you also close the water to the geyser, the power must be off.

How quickly can you get to Scarborough in an emergency?

We'll be on site within 3 hours for emergencies, or 4 hours over the December–January and Easter holidays, with no after-hours charge.

Can you deal with my caretaker if I'm not in Cape Town?

Yes. We arrange access with whoever you nominate, and send you the report and quote before any work starts.