What Is Home Watch? A Plain-English Guide for Naples Owners

What does home watch mean?

The National Home Watch Association defines home watch as "a visual inspection of a home or property, looking for obvious issues." In plain terms, a trained person visits your empty home on a schedule, walks it inside and out, looks for anything wrong, and tells you what they found.

The idea is simple. Water, heat and humidity do their damage quietly. A dripping supply line, a tripped AC breaker or a roof leak after an afternoon storm can run for weeks in an empty house. A regular visit shortens that window from months to days.

What happens during a home watch visit?

Every company has its own checklist, but a thorough visit in a Florida home usually covers:

• Outside: doors, windows, roof line and gutters from the ground, landscaping and irrigation, signs of entry, storm debris, and the lanai or pool cage.
• Water: under sinks, around toilets and the water heater, ceilings and walls for stains, and running fixtures briefly so drain traps do not dry out.
• Air: that the AC is running, the thermostat setting and indoor humidity reading, and any musty smell.
• Appliances: refrigerator and freezer running, no leaks at the ice maker or washer.
• Pests and mold: droppings, insects, webs, or visible growth on walls, closets or vents.
• Security: locks, windows, alarm panel status and anything that looks disturbed.

Visits also cover anything specific to your home that you agree on in advance, such as checking a wine fridge, starting a car or confirming a pool pump is running.

What home watch is not

Clear boundaries prevent unpleasant surprises. Home watch does not include:

• Repairs. A home watch reporter finds and documents the problem and recommends next steps. Plumbers, HVAC contractors and roofers fix it.
• Property management. Home watch does not find tenants, collect rent or manage guests. Our comparison of home watch vs. property management explains the difference.
• Security monitoring. It is not a guard service or alarm monitoring, and visits are scheduled, not constant.
• A home inspection. It is a visual check for obvious issues, not a licensed inspection of the structure or systems.
• Cleaning. Some companies, including ours, offer both, but they are separate services.

Who needs home watch in Naples and Marco Island?

• Seasonal residents who leave in the spring and return in the fall, leaving the home empty through the most humid months and the heart of hurricane season.
• Second-home owners who visit a few times a year.
• Condo owners whose leaks can affect the unit below, and whose associations may have their own requirements for absent owners.
• Owners of homes for sale that are empty between showings.
• Full-time residents who travel for weeks at a time.

Some insurance policies also include vacancy or unoccupancy conditions. Read your policy and ask your agent what applies to your home; do not assume.

Why home watch matters more in Southwest Florida

An empty house in Ohio in July mostly sits there. An empty house in Naples in July is working hard. The AC runs almost constantly to hold temperature and humidity down, and if it stops, moisture can build quickly in closets, furniture and drywall.

• Humidity. Summer air is warm and wet, so a failed AC or a clogged condensate line is the most common reason a closed home starts to smell musty.
• Afternoon storms. Heavy summer rain finds weak spots in roofs, windows and sliders, often while owners are away.
• Hurricane season. It runs June 1 to November 30, overlapping almost exactly with the months seasonal residents are gone.
• Salt air and pests. Coastal homes see corrosion on outdoor fixtures, and insects move in quickly when a home is quiet.

We also offer concierge help for home watch clients, including storm preparation, so someone local can act when a storm is forecast and you are out of state.

How do home watch reports work?

The report is the product. A visit you cannot see is just a promise. A good report shows the date and time, who visited, what was checked, readings such as thermostat temperature and humidity, photos of each area, and any issues with recommendations.

Our home watch reporters send a GPS-enabled, time-stamped photo report after every visit, and we report problems right away with recommendations, rather than waiting for the next scheduled check. See what a good home watch report should include for a full outline.

How often does home watch visit?

Most Naples and Marco Island owners choose weekly or every-two-weeks visits. The right frequency depends on the home's age and systems, whether there is a pool, the time of year, and your insurance policy's conditions. Many owners add visits before and after storms.

Our guide to how often home watch should visit walks through the trade-offs.

How to start home watch service

1. Schedule a walk-through with the company while you are still in town, so they see the home in normal condition.
2. Agree on a written scope: visit frequency, what is checked, how reports arrive, and what happens when something is found.
3. Hand over access: keys, gate and alarm codes, and condo front-desk authorization.
4. Share your contacts: preferred plumber, AC company, pool service, insurance agent and association manager.
5. Set your thermostat and humidity settings before you leave, and note them for the first visit.

Before you sign, ask the questions in our list of questions to ask a home watch company. Holiday Home Services is family-owned, has served Naples and Marco Island for more than 25 years, and is professionally trained, registered, bonded and insured. Our owners are graduates of a Home Watch Training Program and members of Home Watch Network. If you would like a walk-through, see our home watch service.