Frequently Asked Questions

 Home Watch is a service providing scheduled, comprehensive inspections of your unoccupied property, both inside and out. The primary goal is to ensure your home's security and proactively identify any potential issues, such as vandalism, water leaks, pest infestations, storm damage, or problems with plumbing, electrical systems, HVAC, or possible microbial growth or blooms. We act as your local representatives, observing and reporting our findings to you, the homeowner, for peace of mind while you are away. 

 While having a neighbor or friend look after your home may seem convenient and cost-effective, a professional home watch service offers significant advantages. Here is why relying on a professional is often a better choice:

• Expertise and Thoroughness: Neighbors typically lack the specialized training and extensive checklists used by home watch professionals. A friend might simply collect mail and glance around, whereas a professional conducts a rigorous visual observation—from subtle water leaks to pest infestations and HVAC problems—before they escalate into major, costly repairs.
• Availability and Reliability: A neighbor might go on vacation, have an emergency, or simply forget to check on your property consistently. Professional home watch services guarantee scheduled inspections, ensuring consistent coverage for your most valuable asset.
• Professionalism and Accountability: We have been Professionally Trained, Certified, Bonded, and Insured, offering you peace of mind and accountability. Our fees are a small investment in knowing that experienced professionals are diligently monitoring your home, documented by a clear service agreement and detailed reports.

  The most common reasons for property insurance claims on unoccupied homes in Florida can be grouped into two main categories: those related to undetected issues and those related to malicious acts. The absence of an occupant means that small problems can escalate into major, costly damage before being discovered. Undetected Damage and Maintenance Issues 

• Water Damage: This is one of the most frequent reasons for claims. Undetected leaks from pipes, a failed water heater, or a leaky roof can run for days or weeks, leading to extensive water damage, severe mold growth, and structural issues.
• Weather-Related Damage: Florida's climate makes homes vulnerable to damage from wind, hail, and hurricanes. A minor breach in the roof or a broken window from wind-driven debris might go unnoticed, allowing further damage from subsequent rain

  Malicious Acts and Liability

• Theft and Burglary: Unoccupied homes are prime targets for thieves and burglars, who can take their time to case the property and steal appliances, fixtures, copper wiring, and other valuables.
• Vandalism and Arson: Empty properties are susceptible to intentional damage, including broken windows, graffiti, and in severe cases, arson.
• Liability Issues: Even if a person is trespassing, the homeowner can be held liable for injuries that occur on their property (e.g., a slip and fall on an unkempt property or an accident involving an "attractive nuisance" like a pond). 

These heightened risks are why standard homeowners' insurance policies typically limit or exclude coverage for certain perils after a home has been unoccupied for 30-60 days, necessitating a specialized vacant or unoccupied home insurance policy.  

 Determining the ideal frequency for home watch visits is a dual decision involving both personal preference and insurance requirements. While it is always best to identify issues as quickly as possible—making Weekly visits the most secure option—many homeowners find that a Tri-Weekly or Bi-weekly inspection schedule provides sufficient peace of mind. We advise against less frequent inspections, as they often do not provide the necessary level of security to ensure proper care for your unoccupied home. It is also crucial to contact your insurance provider before deciding on a schedule, as many policies mandate inspections at least once or twice a month for coverage to remain valid and may eliminate a denied claim.

 Our key holding service provides essential, secure key management for your property while you are away. Keys are stored in a secure, coded system, never linking your information directly with you or your address, including being safely stored within your customer portal, and are handled exclusively by our accredited company that is fully bonded, insured, and background checked employees, ensuring peace of mind. This convenient service offers on-demand access for family, contractors, and can manage deliveries and storm-related needs. Furthermore, every entry is documented with GPS-tracked reporting and QR coding so you are always informed that a professional is securely managing access to your home. 

No. You can cancel anytime, with a 30 day written notice on your customer portal. We DO require you to sign an agreement to get your authorization to enter your home for weekly visits while you’re away. 

We accept all major credit cards or personal checks, paid through your invoice online. Invoices are paid in advance or monthly. You may pay annually or semi-annually, as well.

Yes, we would be happy to provide you with proof of our bond and insurance coverage, as well as client references upon request.

This is considered our Wait and/or Vendor Key-In Service. Headed South, will provide Key-In access and remain on-site for an hourly charge. We ask for at least a 24 to 48-hour notification to schedule our personnel, unless it's an emergency. We can act as your liaison with the contractor or vendor, and in this instance, we strictly follow your instructions, and we do not make decisions on your behalf. 

•  If the weather service determines that a tropical storm or hurricane is coming and has named a storm, we will visit your home to make sure there isn’t anything left outside that could become a projectile and cause damage to your home or a neighbor’s home.
• If your hurricane panels need to be installed, we can help you find a reputable company that handles the installation and removal of your hurricane panels. This is an additional add-on service, but well worth it at your request.  If you have hurricane shutters already installed and are automated or accordion type, they only need to be closed and are not on a 2-story home (unless automated), then yes, we can take care of that for you.
• After a tropical storm or hurricane, we will visit your home as soon as the roads are available for us to drive on. We will check your home and look for any visual damage that may have happened as a result of the storm. We will call you as soon as we have finished our assessment to provide you with a verbal report. 

We do not offer pet sitting as part of our home watch services.

If there is a problem at your home, the first thing we will do is call you to make you aware of it. If we agree that the issue needs to be looked at or repaired by a trusted local service provider or vendor, we will schedule a Vendor Key-In and Wait Service to meet them at your home, with your approval. Once the problem has been identified and a solution given, we will contact you to discuss moving forward to have the problem resolved. 

No, we are not home inspectors. Headed South Snowbird Home Services provides strictly an observe-and-report service, acting as your local eyes and ears while you are away. Our role is to conduct thorough visual inspections to ensure your home remains secure and free from unexpected maintenance issues or leaks, etc. We promptly document and report our findings, giving you peace of mind that your property is being diligently monitored. We can coordinate any Vendor or Service Provider access for maintenance or issues that may arise.