Scorpions, humidity and CFE: the three problems every closed house in Ajijic gets

1. Scorpions and other tenants

Lakeside has scorpions. In a lived-in house they are an occasional visitor; in a closed one they move in, along with ants, roaches, geckos and the odd mouse. They come in under doors, through the gap around pipes, and up drains that have dried out. A house that has been shut since May has a colony by August.

The sting of the local scorpion is painful and, for children, the elderly and pets, dangerous enough to need a hospital. It is not a reason to live in fear, but it is a reason to close the gaps before you leave and to have someone check the house with a flashlight before you sleep in it again.

• Seal under doors with a sweep and fill gaps around pipes with foam or steel wool.
• Keep drains wet: a cup of water in every unused drain on every visit.
• Fumigate before you leave and again mid-season. Ask for a treatment that covers scorpions, not just insects.
• Shake out shoes, towels and bedding when you return. Check behind curtains and under sinks with a UV flashlight; scorpions glow.

2. Humidity and mold

The lake and the rains keep the air damp from June to October, and a closed house cannot dry out. Mold grows on leather, on the back of wooden furniture, inside closets and on the underside of mattresses. It also grows behind the wall where a small leak is dripping, which is how a stain the size of a hand becomes a ceiling repair.

• Have the house opened and aired on every visit; there is no substitute for moving air.
• Leave closets and drawers ajar, mattresses covered or upright, leather in breathable bags.
• Moisture absorbers in every closet and bathroom, replaced monthly.
• Any stain that appears during the rains gets photographed and traced to its source the same week.

3. The CFE bill

CFE bills every two months and cuts service a few weeks after a missed payment. It does not send an email. A house with the power cut has no pump, no alarm, no timers, and a fridge full of whatever you forgot in it. Reconnection takes days and a visit to the office.

The same applies to water and, once a year, to property tax, which is due in the first months of the year and gets a discount for paying early.

• Set up automatic payment through your Mexican bank, or leave the bill with someone who pays it in person and sends you the receipt.
• Keep the account numbers for CFE, water and predial somewhere you and that person can find them.
• Check the electrical panel on every visit; a tripped breaker looks like a cut from outside.

The fix for all three

Regular visits. Not a drive past, but someone going in, opening the house, running the water, looking in the closets, checking the panel, and paying what needs paying. Twice a month in the dry season, weekly in the rains, with photos to you after every visit. That is the whole job, and it costs a fraction of one ceiling repair.