Can a police department’s “Away from Home” program replace a professional home watch service? The simple answer is no. The primary purpose of the Away from Home
Program is to offer vacationing and seasonal residents the added assurance that someone is periodically watching their home for suspicious activity or other unusual
events. While exterior home checks offered by local police can provide a sense of security, they can never replace the more thorough and preventative services of a trustworthy home watch company.
In addition to monitoring the home’s exterior like the police programs, a home watch company methodically inspects the home’s interior and vital systems, including appliances, HVAC system, and plumbing to recognize and report obvious issues that could damage the property. Did you know that a cracked 1/8-inch pipe can leak at a rate of over 250 gallons of water per day into the interior of a home? This can quickly result in thousands of dollars of damage and cause long-lasting issues including unhealthy mold, mildew, and other problems.
Whether your Florida home is a single-family residence, a townhome, or a condo, it is a major investment with both financial and sentimental value. As you leave it for the summer, or for vacation or business travel, how do you know it will be in good hands? After all, nothing ruins your return to paradise more than discovering your home has been damaged or in need of mold remediation that could have been avoided. Merely hoping nothing will happen is a dangerous chance to take. Instead, homeowners who retain home watch services realize true peace of mind knowing their investment is in good hands while they are away.
Home watch visits are commonly conducted every week, or every other week based on the homeowner’s preference. They are also available “on-call” should an emergency or unexpected event take place. A preferred home watch company meets with you prior to your departure to develop a personalized plan for the care of your home. At that time, your specific preferences for thermostat settings and other expectations are made part of your customized home watch checklist.
Some homeowners rely on “smart-home” features to help them monitor front door activity and conditions like temperature inside the home. But these features depend heavily on other systems that can periodically fail, such as batteries, or internet and electrical services which are often interrupted by lightning storms and other factors. Cameras offer limited information to the homeowner and are simply not designed to capture serious issues such as water leaks and insect infestations, just to name a few.
Still other homeowners trust their investment to a neighbor while they are away. Unfortunately, neighbors tend to be less consistent in their checks and their reporting than a professional service. What about the neighbor who decides to go on their own vacation even though they promised to watch your home? Sadly, there is also the neighbor whose idea of “watching” your home is driving by or looking out their own window once in a while and saying to themselves: “Yup, the house is still there!”
More importantly, most neighbors are not bonded and insured like a professional home watch service. What if your neighbor damages an item in your home? Your recourse is to suffer the unfortunate loss or attempt to seek reimbursement from someone you regard as a friend. Even worse, what if your neighbor is injured on your property? Did you know they are legally entitled to sue you for payment of their medical bills? Sounds ridiculous, right? You only need to hear these stories a few times before you realize that relying on a neighbor could cost you much more in the long run than hiring a home watch professional who is insured and bonded.
GMan Home Watch of Punta Gorda is a reliable and trustworthy home watch service that is insured, bonded, and compliant with the code of ethics of the National Home Watch Association. We are a family owned, husband and wife team of retired FBI Agents with over 60 years of honest and dedicated service. We provide our clients with GPS embedded electronic reports, which include photographs, after each visit. Give us a call at (941) 621-5254 or visit our website at gmanhomewatch.com to learn more about what we can do for you.
While you are away, let GMan Home Watch be your Most Trusted Neighbor to serve as your advocate and protect your piece of paradise from damage and unforeseen events.