With Pesach around the corner, and a lot of people going away, the question comes up whether a home needs to be checked for chametz. Can't I just "sell" my house and everything in it?
Here are the rules simply summarized:
0. If you are home for Pesach, Bedikat Chametz takes place in your home during the evening, on the night before Seder-night.
1. If you will be out of the house more than 30 days prior to Pesach, you do not need to do a bedikah.
2. If you are still in the house within 30 days of the holiday, do a bedikah before you leave, unless...
3. If someone is staying in your house, AND they have access to the house before the 14th of Nissan (the night of bedikat chametz), THEY must do the bedikah. In this case, you should have the house cleaned (which is hopefully obvious), but the obligation of bedikah is upon those who will be in the house for 14 Nissan.
4. If your home will be available to others for chol hamoed or later, you (the homeowner) must do the bedikah.
Remember that Bedikat Chametz does not have to drive you crazy. If you've cleaned your house (an ordinary cleaning), and you've looked in places you might have placed chametz and know they are clean, you do not need to "check them." [Having little kids who don't follow house rules can put a slight damper on this.] As long as you haven't been carrying chametz around the house, bedikat chametz need only take place in rooms where you know food was brought since the cleaning.
If you are selling your chametz, the chametz should be placed in boxes or cabinets that are sealed and/or covered.
Good luck. And chag kasher v'sameach!
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