Somebody checks the house while you are north.
The question every snowbird actually asks is not what it costs. It is how do I know you went. So the answer is on this page before the price is: a timestamped report with photographs, after every visit, in the exact format below.
Faithfully Kept while you are not there. Cleaning is the main work here and this is the service beside it, so one arrangement handles both: the checks while you are away, and the clean before you come back.
What you get after every visit
Sample report. This is the exact format you receive after every visit.
It is a blank of the real thing, not a record of a job. Nobody has been sent yet, so there is no completed visit to show you, and a made-up one would be worth nothing to you anyway.
Outside
- Doors, windows and garageSecure or not, and what was foundPhoto attached
- Roof line, soffits and gutters from the groundVisible damage or debrisPhoto attached
- Yard, driveway and mailDeliveries removed, flyers clearedPhoto attached
- Pool or spa water level and clarityLevel, color, pump runningPhoto attached
- Storm shutters and loose itemsPosition, and anything moved to safetyPhoto attached
Inside
- Air conditioning and thermostatSetting, and whether it is runningPhoto attached
- Interior humidityThe reading on the dayPhoto attached
- Ceilings, walls and under every sinkAny sign of water where it should not bePhoto attached
- Toilets, faucets and the water heaterRun, flushed, and anything leakingPhoto attached
- Refrigerator and freezerRunning, and the temperaturePhoto attached
- Pests and droppingsAnything seen, and wherePhoto attached
- Breaker panel and smoke alarmsTripped breakers, chirping alarmsNoted in writing
Closing out the visit
- Time in and time outBoth, from the visit recordNoted in writing
- Anything that needs a decisionWhat it is, and what we suggestPhoto attached
- Who to callThe person who did the visitNoted in writing
What a home watch service costs
Per visit, by the size of the home. Zero of the six home watch operators working this stretch of coast publish a rate at all, so there is nothing local to compare these against.
| Home | Per visit |
|---|---|
| Condo or villa, up to 1,500 sq ft | $69 a visit |
| Home, 1,501 to 2,500 sq ft | $85 a visit |
| Home, 2,501 to 3,500 sq ft | $99 a visit |
| Home, 3,501 to 5,000 sq ft | $119 a visit |
| Over 5,000 sq ft | Quoted after a walkthrough. |
What moves the price: square footage, visit frequency, pool or spa, hurricane shutters, mail and package handling, contractor access coordination.
What a whole season comes to
A home, 1,501 to 2,500 sq ft checked every week through a six month absence is 26 visits at $85 each. That is $2,210 for the season.
Across the whole year you own the house it works out at $6.05 a day. Counted only against the days you are away it is $12.14 a day. Two different numbers, both true, and you would have worked that out yourself in a minute. The national band for a five to seven month absence is $7 to $11 (SPEC 4) a day across the year.
What we do, and what we will not
We do
- Inspect the home inside and out on the schedule you set
- Monitor humidity, air conditioning, water and the things that fail quietly
- Report every visit in writing with photographs, the same day
- Notify you immediately when something needs a decision
- Coordinate access for a contractor you have chosen, and confirm when they left
- Check the house before and after a named storm
We do not
- Act as your agent, or handle money that belongs to anyone but us
- Authorize repairs or hire a trade on your behalf
- Advertise the home, show it to anyone, or arrange stays in it
- Maintain the pool or the yard. We tell you when they need attention
- Hold anything of yours other than the access you give us in writing
The first three are not preferences. Under Florida law that work needs a real estate license, and this is deliberately a different business.
Why the two services fit together
Cleaning is the main work here. Home watch is what fills the other half of the calendar, and the two are opposites through the year: the months a home needs checking are the months nobody is in it to make it dirty, and the week you land is the week it wants cleaning. The cleaning rates are published on the same terms as these, and an opening clean can be booked for the day before you arrive.
Hurricane season runs from the first of June to the end of November, which sits entirely inside the months most snowbirds are away. That is the whole reason this service exists here and not in most of the country.
| When | What is happening | Which service |
|---|---|---|
| April and May | Closing up, before you fly north | Home watch |
| June to November | Hurricane season, and a check after a storm | Home watch |
| September and October | Opening up, and a clean before you land | Cleaning |
| October to April | Recurring cleaning while you are in the house | Cleaning |
| All year | Turnover between guests | Rental turnover |
Where we do this
- Home watch in East Lake
East Lake, Pinellas County. ZIP 34688.
- Home watch in Palm Harbor
Palm Harbor, Pinellas County. ZIP 34681, 34683, 34684, 34685.
- Home watch in Tarpon Springs
Tarpon Springs, Pinellas County. ZIP 34689.
- Home watch in Trinity
Trinity, Pasco County. ZIP 34655.
- Home watch in Oldsmar
Oldsmar, Pinellas County. ZIP 34677.
- Home watch in Dunedin
Dunedin, Pinellas County. ZIP 34698.
- Home watch in Clearwater
Clearwater, Pinellas County. ZIP 33755, 33759, 33761, 33763, 33765.
Questions people ask
- How do I know you actually went?
- Because you get a timestamped report with photographs after every single visit, in the format shown on this page. That is the entire reason the report exists. It is also why we publish the format before you have paid us anything.
- What happens if you find something wrong?
- We notify you the same day with photographs, tell you what we think it is, and wait for your decision. If you want a plumber or a roofer in, we coordinate access and confirm when they came and went. We do not authorize work or spend your money.
- How much does a home watch service cost?
- Ours is priced per visit, by the size of the home, and the full rate card is on this page above. What moves it is the size of the house, how often it is checked, and any extras like a pool or a hot tub. A weekly check through a six month absence is the usual shape, and the season total and the cost per day are both worked out on this page so you do not have to. Zero of the six home watch operators working this stretch of coast publish a rate at all, so there is nothing local to compare it against, which is exactly why ours is published.
- How often should the house be checked?
- Most insurers and most Florida homeowners settle on every week or every two weeks while the house is empty. Weekly is the common choice through hurricane season, because that is when a small problem becomes an expensive one fastest.
- Is this the same as hiring a letting agent?
- No, and the difference matters legally. We inspect, check, monitor, report, coordinate access and notify you. We never advertise the home, arrange stays in it, or handle deposits or rent. That work needs a Florida real estate license, and this is deliberately a different business.
- What do you do during a hurricane watch?
- Before the storm we check that shutters are in position and loose items outside are put away, and we send you photographs of both. After it passes we get to the house as soon as the roads allow and send a full report whether or not there is damage.
Book the first check before you fly
Send the size of the home, the dates you are away and how often you want it checked. You get the per-visit rate and the season total in writing the same day, and a sample report for your own house after the first visit.
Monday to Saturday, 09:00 to 18:00. Email gets answered the same day.