A home watch service is a scheduled visual check of your Arizona home while you are out of state. A person walks the property, looks for obvious problems like leaks or power issues, and tells you what they found. You then decide what to fix and who to call.
Home watch for snowbirds at a glance
- What it is: scheduled visual inspections of an empty or seasonal home, with a report to you
- What it is not: property management, rental handling or a guarantee nothing goes wrong
- Ask about: liability insurance, bonding, any license that applies, written reports and key handling
- Arizona note: the Arizona Commerce Authority says home watch businesses may fall under Department of Public Safety security guard licensing
- HOA fit: check your CC&Rs and rules on vendors, gate access and parking
- This page names no companies and quotes no prices
I am Terry Day, REALTOR with DeLex Realty. Many of the people I help buy and sell in the Phoenix area spend summers somewhere else. This page explains the job in plain terms and gives you the questions to ask. I do not recommend any company and I do not quote prices.
What a home watch service does
The National Home Watch Association, a trade group for the industry, describes home watch as a visual inspection of a home or property, looking for obvious issues. If the watcher finds a problem, they alert you, and you decide how to proceed. That last part matters. A watcher reports. Repairs are a separate decision.
What happens on a visit depends on the written agreement. Items owners often ask to have in the scope include:
- Walking the yard and the exterior, including doors, windows and the roof line as seen from the ground
- Entering the home to look for water on floors, under sinks and around the water heater
- Checking that the power is on and the thermostat is where you left it
- Running water in seldom-used fixtures and flushing toilets, if you ask for it
- Looking at the pool equipment area, if you have a private pool
- Noting signs of pests, and picking up flyers or packages left at the door
Put every item you want in writing. If it is not in the agreement, do not assume it happens. Home watch is also not property management, not permission for anyone to stay in the home, and not a promise that nothing goes wrong between visits.
If you only need someone to bring in a stray package, a trusted neighbor may be enough. If you want dated photos of the water heater closet and the AC closet on a set schedule, that is what a written home watch agreement is for. Either way, start with my checklist for closing up your Arizona home for summer, so the watcher is checking a house that was shut down the way you intended.
Questions to ask before you hand over a key
Ask every provider the same questions and get the answers in writing. If the answers stay verbal, keep looking.
Insurance, bonding and licensing
- What liability insurance do you carry, and will you send a certificate of insurance?
- Are you bonded?
- Have the people who will enter my home had background checks?
- What license, if any, applies to your business in Arizona, and can I see it?
- Are you a member of a trade association, and if so, can I check that on the association's site?
- What happens if you miss a scheduled visit?
On licensing, the Arizona Commerce Authority says home watch businesses may be subject to security guard or security guard agency licensing with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Whether that applies depends on the business, so ask the provider directly. A city business license may also apply depending on where the company operates.
On associations, the National Home Watch Association offers accreditation. Its site lists requirements that include criminal background checks on company principals, general and professional liability insurance and proper bonding. Membership is voluntary, so a company without it is not automatically a problem. Just ask and verify the answer yourself.
The visit itself
- How often will you come, and does the schedule change during monsoon season?
- Do you go inside every time, or only check the outside?
- Will I get a written report with photos after every visit?
- Will you run water, flush toilets and look at supply lines if I ask?
- Will you check the thermostat and look for water around the AC?
- If I have a pool, what do you look at, and what is left to my pool service?
Keys, codes and access
- How are keys, garage remotes, fobs and gate codes stored and labeled?
- Who besides my assigned watcher can use them?
- What happens to access if a worker leaves the company?
- Will you let a repair vendor in, and how is that recorded in the report?
- How do I get my keys back if I end the agreement?
How it fits HOA rules
Age-restricted (55+) communities and many all-ages HOAs have rules on vendors, gate access, parking and who may be on the property when the owner is away. The age rules and the rest live in each community's CC&Rs and rules. Before you hire anyone:
- Read the sections on access, contractors and business activity
- Ask the management office whether vendors who come regularly must register or show proof of insurance
- Find out how gate codes or vendor passes work, rather than assuming you can share your own code
- Give the office your watcher's contact information in case of a leak or alarm while you are gone
- Check whether your recreation or amenity card can be used by anyone else before assuming it can
Your watcher should know the parking and notice rules before the first visit.
How it ties to buying or selling
If you are buying a lock-and-leave condo, patio home or single-family home, ask the seller how the home was looked after during past summers. Gaps in that story can show up later as a water stain or a stopped irrigation timer. My post on lock-and-leave condos covers more on homes that are easy to close up.
If you are selling while away, a clean history of visit reports does not replace your disclosures, but it helps everyone know the home has been checked. I can coordinate showings around your watcher's schedule.
Home watch tends to make the most sense when a home will sit empty for months, has a private pool, has older supply lines, or has a lot of irrigation. A short trip with a neighbor checking in may not need it. A home that will be rented needs property management, which is a different service.
When you come back in the fall, my checklist for opening your Arizona home for winter picks up where the watcher left off.
Common questions
Does Terry recommend a home watch company?
No. I explain what the job usually covers and which questions to ask. You choose the provider, and you compare their written answers yourself.
Is home watch the same as alarm monitoring?
No. Alarm monitoring responds to a sensor signal. A home watch visit is a person walking the property on a schedule and reporting what they see. Some owners use both.
Does a home watch business need a license in Arizona?
The Arizona Commerce Authority says home watch businesses may be subject to security guard or security guard agency licensing with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Ask each provider what applies to them and to see it.
Do I have to tell my HOA?
Many associations have rules on vendors, gate access and parking. Read your CC&Rs and rules, and ask the management office before the first visit.
What should be in a visit report?
Date and time, areas checked, anything found, photos and any vendor let in. Write the list into the agreement so every report covers the same items.
Can Terry coordinate showings while I am away?
Yes. If you are selling, I can work showings around your watcher's schedule. Call 602-483-4665 and tell me who holds the key.
If you are buying or selling a seasonal home in the Phoenix area and want to talk through the plan, call me, Terry Day with DeLex Realty.