Knowing that your unoccupied home is secure affords homeowners great peace of mind. House Watchers provides you peace of mind knowing that we are “your eyes and ears” when you can’t be there. Consult the list below for interior and exterior home watch services offered.
Exterior Home Watching Services:
We conduct a complete walk around the exterior of your home on every visit looking for any damage or signs of a forced entry or break-in.
Uncollected Materials: Uncollected mailings, deliveries, newspapers, etc. are obvious signs of a vacant home. House Watchers will contact you immediately and bring any uncollected materials into your home (or dispose of them as requested).
Outdoor Faucets: Poorly-working faucets or faucets that are left on can result in higher utility bills and water damage. House Watchers will shut off any running faucets during the home watch visit.
Ground level visual observation: Storm damage, broken windows, vandalism and other issues are definite signs of the home being vacant. If The House Watchers find this during a home watch visit, the home watching experts will contact you ASAP and coordinate immediate action.
Lawn, Landscaping and Snowplow Service Monitoring: If you have any of these services, House Watchers can schedule our weekly home watch visit to your home two days after such service is scheduled. If they have not shown up, we will notify you. In the summer, a home that is not manicured and left overgrown is a sure sign that the owners are not present, drawing the attention of burglars casing the area and attracting criminal activity. Should there be a problem and you do not have a contractor, we can help supply one. During the winter, we can ensure that your driveway has been plowed and your sidewalks have been shoveled.
Interior Home Watching Services:
House Watchers will check every room, the basement, attic, garage and all windows and entrance points during the home watch visits as part of the interior home watch service.
Entrance Ways/Windows: In the event of theft, vandalism and/or forced entry, House Watchers will alert the authorities and contact you ASAP. Providing peace of mind for your home or property with experienced home watch services when you are cannot be physically there.
Interior Water Leaks: We will check every toilet, sink and faucet for possible water damage.
Refrigerators/Freezers: In the event of food spoilage, mildew accumulation or mechanical failure, we will contact you to determine how you want to handle and coordinate remediation steps.
Furnace/AC: House Watchers checks thermostats for current temperature. In the event of mechanical failures, extensive water damage, frozen pipes, or any other issues, we will contact you. The House Watchers provide these vital checks of your home during a home visit to help notify you of any damage that occurs while you before it has time to become an expensive disaster.
Water Heater: In the event that your water heater is not working, there is no hot water, there is gas accumulation, leakage and/or pilot light issues, House Watchers will contact you to determine steps to repair and prevent damage.
Electrical Service Panel: In the event of a power failure, tripped GFI, tripped breakers, blown fuses or any other electrical issues, House Watchers will contact you, reset any breakers and replace fuses and, if needed, coordinate contractor activity.
Faucets/Toilets/Plumbing: We will check every toilet, sink and faucet. In the event of overflows, odors, running water, water damage, exposed plumbing, cracks/leakages or any other plumbing issues, we will contact you and coordinate any actions directed by you.
Security Lamps/Timers: During a home watch visit The House Watchers will check any security lamps and any lamps/lights that are on timers to ensure the bulbs are working and replace if necessary. In the event that there is a power outage, we will check the refrigerator and freezer for any spoiled food and remove if necessary.
Pest/Rodent Activity: House Watchers will check exterior foundation and likely interior locations for any signs of active infestation. In the event that we observe any bug, pest or rodent activity, House Watchers will contact you.
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors: House Watchers will make sure the smoke detectors are operational. We will replace any batteries as required. If we discover that the current detectors are out of date, in the wrong location, or the wrong type we will provide a recommendation and a cost estimate to correct the situation which will bring the home up to code.
As a matter of protocol, House Watchers immediately photographs such circumstances during a home watch visit and contacts the homeowner or other designated contact person to determine a proper course of action. The House Watchers, based in Winchester MA, understand New England weather and seasons, as well as the Massachusetts’ landscape, offering a certified local expert “eye” to keep your home and property safeguarded and keep you notified when you cannot be there.