Home watch 101

Home Watch Basics

Home Watch is known by many names: house watch, house check, home concierge, caretaker, absentee home service, snowbird services, and so on. Regardless of the name, a Home Watch professional service performs scheduled thorough walkthroughs of unoccupied properties while the owner is away. These checks include a basic check of plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems, as well as the overall condition of the home and property. Home Watch professionals look at the house or condominium with a trained eye, making sure that everything is satisfactory. They look for vandalism, attempted break-ins, damage, leaks, pests or insect infestations, and microbial growth, all of which can be present in homes left alone for even the shortest interval.

Home Watch Sample Checklist

Upon Arrival
- Exterior check of grounds, landscape, pests, lawn, and sprinklers
- Remove newspapers, flyers, check the mailbox
- Visual check of outdoor light fixtures
- Visual exterior check including roof (from the ground), screens, windows, AC units, fence
- Turn water ON – "gingerly"
- Enter the home, disarm the security system, if appropriate

Interior Check
- Check all windows and doors for damage and ensure they are locked
- Visual check for signs of water damage, microbial growth, and mildew
- Cycle the water: brush and flush toilets, run water in sinks (including garbage disposal), tubs, and showers
- Short cycle dishwasher and washer
- Check the water heater – it should be turned OFF at the circuit breaker or on Vacation Mode when the water main is OFF. If there is a Recirculation Pump, that should be OFF. The procedure varies by type of equipment
- Check for signs of insects, pests, and rodents
- Check closets, pantry, and storage cabinets
- Verify AC and humidistat settings; adjust as necessary
- Check refrigerator, freezers, and wine coolers for proper temperature and operation
- Reset clocks after a power outage
- Check circuit breaker panels
- Check garage (including trash) and make sure the door to the garage is locked

Pool Area
- Check water level and condition of water
- Check equipment operation and check for any leaks
- Check screen door, screening, and cage structure

Departure
- Final departure: "Look. Listen. Lock."
- Enable security system, lock doors
- Turn OFF water supply

This is a very general Home Watch Checklist intended for illustration purposes only.

Each checklist is customizable for the property and homeowner's requests.

A Snowbird’s Guide to Home Watch Service

Why should you hire a home watch service?

There are many good reasons to engage a home watch service, as they can perform many useful functions that fulfill a variety of needs, including:

Meeting Home Insurance Requirements: Your home insurance policy will usually have a requirement that someone check on your home while you are away. These requirements can be quite specific and include everything from requiring specified number of service checks or limiting the number of days to report a claim. Your policy may also require that certain utilities and appliances like water and water heaters be turned off.
If you don’t comply with these requirements, your insurance provided may deny your claim if there is damage to your home or its contents.
Avoiding and Minimizing Damage: Regular thorough checks can help prevent damage from occurring by spotting issues before they happen. They can also help minimize damage by dealing earlier with issues like high humidity, burst pipes and flooding.
Reducing the Likelihood of Vandalism and Break-ins: Having someone check on your property regularly can dissuade people from vandalizing or breaking into your property and make it less obvious that you’re away for a long time by removing mail and flyers, turning on lights from time to time, and maintaining the exterior of your home.
Performing Maintenance: Your home requires maintenance, both inside and outside, home watch companies can provide a number of these services, such as changing furnace filters, watering plants, changing light bulbs, changing appliance filters, driving your car, etc…

Seasonal Resident Basics

A sample checklist before heading north from SWFL

Remove all furniture, cushions, plants, grills, hoses and loose decorative items from lanai/patio and store either in garage or inside home.
Bring all doormats inside.
Set thermostat to between 75-78 degrees to keep humidity around 50% and if you choose to use a humidistat, set it to desired setting. Have home watch company check.
Empty icemaker and turn “off.”
Turn refrigerator to lowest setting and remove all perishable and canned food; toss out any previously opened condiments.
Dispose of any bottled and/or canned carbonated drinks as these could explode.
Close water valves leading to hot water heater; turn “off” on circuit breaker as well.
Shut off washing machine valves.
Drain all water lines by leaving faucets open after water main is shut off; once drained, close faucets.
Home watch company cycles water through every drain as well as brush and flush toilets.
Take photographs of everything you leave in the closets. This way, if you’re up north and can’t find your favorite black dress or blazer, you can look at the photos to see if you left it here by accident.
If you live in a gated community, notify security with the name of the home watch company you use.
Leave name and contact information of local person who will know how to reach you in case of an emergency.
Have alarm system checked before you leave; change batteries if needed.
Unplug washer, dryer, television, cable, toaster, coffee maker, computer/printer and other small appliances.
Two weeks before departure, forward all mail and periodicals to northern address; notify post office at alternate location to hold incoming mail.
Stop newspaper delivery.
Remove batteries from telephones and all remote controls, including garage door opener.
Change A/C filter and have HVAC drain line cleaned.
Leave extra A/C filters for home watch service to change once a month.
Leave copy of homeowners insurance and agent’s name/telephone numbers in conspicuous place.
Don’t forget to take all medications, prescriptions and eyeglasses with you when you leave.
Discontinue service on phone, cable and Internet services. If available, put on “seasonal” hold. (Reinstate all services at alternate location.)
Call credit card companies and banks with alternate address and expected length of stay.
Leave at least one ceiling fans “on” to increase circulation inside home.
Pull all shades down, leaving 1-inch clearance.
Leave all interior doors, especially closet doors, as well as all cabinet doors, open.
Remove plastic dry-cleaning bags and foam rubber “stays” from all dry cleaned items.
If you chose to use timers on one or more lamps, be sure to check the settings in advance to ensure the timers are working.
If your home or condo has hurricane shutters, have them inspected and lubricated before departing. Some people chose to close and lock (or install) their shutters before departing, it is better to leave this task to the home watch service since mold breeds in dark places.
Lock garage door from the inside and/or disable electric access.
If you leave a car here, disconnect car battery; (If you have a separate dehumidifier for the garage, turn it on.)
If you ship your car back up north and have a removable SunPass, remove it and put in the protective case so you don’t get charged each time the car carrier goes through a toll booth.
Lock all windows, doors and sliding glass doors before departing.
If you own a house and are responsible for your own lawn maintenance, be sure to have the shrubs and trees trimmed before you leave, including the removal of any loose palm fronds and coconuts.
And finally, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, and again, and again; if you’re going back up north for longer than a month, the smartest thing you can do is to hire a reputable home-watch service (trained, insured and bonded) to walkthrough your home a minimum of twice a month.
If your hot water heater bursts or a power surge blows the circuits on your HVAC, he or she will be able to take action before it’s too late. An unoccupied home is a vulnerable one. Professional home watch services can be the difference between possible damage or disaster.