Before you sign with anyone, get five things in writing: proof of insurance and bonding, National Home Watch Association (NHWA) accreditation, a sample time-stamped report, a written emergency protocol, and clear pricing terms. If a provider hesitates on any of these, keep calling. The questions below give you exact wording to use and what a solid answer sounds like.
TL;DR:
- Ensure the provider has current proof of insurance, NHWA accreditation, and a detailed, timestamped report sample before proceeding.
- Verify that their written checklist covers interior and exterior checks, with visit frequency adjusted for your home’s vacancy and risk level.
- Confirm the emergency response protocol includes immediate actions like shutting off water, contacting vetted vendors, and documentation with photos.
- Request references from similar properties and check their online reviews and business registration to avoid unqualified or dishonest providers.
- Be cautious of providers who decline transparency in insurance, reporting, or fail to deliver documentation within 48 hours of request.
Table of Contents
- Questions to Ask Home Watch Companies During Your First Call
- What Insurance and Accreditation Paperwork Should You Demand?
- What Should a Home Watch Visit Actually Cover?
- What Kind of Reports Should You Expect After Every Visit?
- How Do You Test a Provider’s Emergency Response Plan?
- What Contract Terms Protect You Long-Term?
- What Are the Absolute Deal-Breakers?
- How Vanguard Home Watch Answers These Same Questions
- What Should You Do Right Now?
- Why Request a Sample Report Before You Commit?
- Sources
- FAQ
Questions to Ask Home Watch Companies During Your First Call
A short phone screen tells you almost everything you need to know. Ask these questions in order, and listen for confidence, not just correct answers.
Credentials
- Are you accredited by the NHWA, and can you show me your membership status?
- Do you carry general liability and fidelity/crime coverage, and can you email a current certificate?
Visit scope and frequency
3. What’s on your written checklist for interior and exterior checks?
4. How often do you visit an unoccupied home, and can the frequency adjust during hurricane season?
Reporting
5. Can you send an anonymized sample report from a recent visit?
6. Do you use a client portal, or do reports arrive by email?
Emergency response
7. What happens if you find a water leak? Who shuts off the water, and who do you call?
8. Do you have vetted plumbers, electricians, and HVAC techs you can dispatch same-day?
Business practices
9. Who actually performs the visits, and are they background-checked employees or subcontractors?
10. How do you handle house keys and alarm codes between visits?
Pricing and contracts
11. What’s included in the base rate, and what triggers an extra charge?
12. What’s your cancellation policy, and is there a minimum contract term?
References
13. Can you give me two references with vacant or seasonal homes similar to mine?
A good verification follow-up sounds like this: “Can you email me an anonymized sample report and your current certificate of insurance before our next call?” If the answer is yes within a day or two, that’s a strong signal. If it takes a week or never arrives, move on.
What Insurance and Accreditation Paperwork Should You Demand?
Ask for a current certificate of insurance (COI) showing general liability coverage and, ideally, fidelity or crime bond coverage that protects against employee theft. Verbal assurance isn’t proof. A reliable questions-to-ask guide recommends requesting the actual document, not a summary, because policy numbers and coverage limits should be printed and verifiable.
Home watch isn’t a state-licensed profession in most places, which means NHWA accreditation functions as one of the few third-party quality signals available to owners. Confirm membership directly on the association’s site rather than taking a provider’s word for it.
Watch for these red flags on any document:
- Expired dates or coverage periods that don’t match the current year
- Missing or blacked-out policy numbers
- A provider who claims to be “licensed” for home watch, since no such state license typically exists
Pro Tip: If a provider says “we’re fully insured” but won’t put a COI in your inbox within 48 hours, treat that delay as your answer.
What Should a Home Watch Visit Actually Cover?
A written checklist is non-negotiable. Compare any candidate’s list against what should be checked inside and outside the home.
Interior:
- Water sources under sinks, water heaters, and washing machines
- HVAC operation and thermostat settings
- Humidity levels, since South Florida homes can develop mold within days of AC failure
- Appliance function and signs of pest activity
Exterior:
- Roof, gutters, and drainage after any storm
- Pool equipment and water chemistry
- Landscaping condition and visible storm damage
Visit frequency should scale with risk. A home vacant through hurricane season needs more frequent checks than a lightly used seasonal property, and providers following documented visit checklist standards will happily explain how they adjust cadence. Ask whether the checklist can be customized to your home’s specific systems, like a whole-house generator or a smart irrigation system.
What Kind of Reports Should You Expect After Every Visit?
Request an anonymized sample report before you sign anything. Look at photo quality, whether images carry visible timestamps, and whether captions explain what you’re looking at rather than just showing a hallway.
The industry standard now includes time-stamped, geo-tagged photos delivered through a client portal with an archived visit history you can pull up anytime. That documentation matters for more than peace of mind: insurers reviewing a vacancy claim often want proof that someone checked the property regularly, and a folder of dated photos does that job.
- No photos, vague notes like “everything looked fine”
- Reports that arrive days after the visit instead of same-day
- No way to access past reports once they’re sent
Pro Tip: Ask specifically for a sample report with a follow-up action item, like “noted small drip under kitchen sink, recommend plumber visit.” That shows the provider catches problems, not just photographs rooms.
How Do You Test a Provider’s Emergency Response Plan?
Walk through a scenario out loud: “You arrive and find water pooling in the kitchen. What do you do?” A provider with a real protocol should answer without hesitation. Following an established emergency-response framework, the correct sequence is to shut off the water main, call a vetted plumber, document the scene with photos, and notify you immediately.
Ask these follow-up questions to confirm the network behind that answer:
- Can you name two or three vendors you’ve worked with for plumbing, electrical, or HVAC emergencies?
- What’s your typical response time for getting a vendor on-site?
- What dollar amount can you authorize for repairs without calling me first?
If you’re not sure what shutting off your own water main involves, our guide on preparing for extended absences walks through it in plain terms.
What Contract Terms Protect You Long-Term?
Key control matters as much as insurance. Ask for a written procedure showing how keys and alarm codes are logged, stored, and tied to each visit report.
- Confirm who performs visits: named, background-checked staff or unpredictable subcontractors
- Ask about billing structure and common add-on fees for storm prep or post-storm assessments
- Request a trial period, often one or two months, before committing to a longer contract
- For luxury or seasonal homes, ask whether the contract includes an addendum covering pool equipment, generators, or wine storage systems
A reliable vendor network behind the provider is often what separates a smooth repair from a drawn-out one.
What Are the Absolute Deal-Breakers?
Walk away immediately if any of these apply:
- No certificate of insurance, or refusal to provide one in writing
- No written checklist or emergency response protocol
- Pricing dramatically below every other quote you’ve received, often a sign of no insurance or no real staff
- No references, or references you can’t actually reach
- No NHWA membership and no explanation for its absence
Run a 10 to 15 minute verification pass before signing anything: call two references from similar vacant or seasonal properties, confirm NHWA status directly, request the COI and sample report, and check business registration and recent online reviews. If anything feels off, pause and consult your homeowner’s insurer before proceeding.
How Vanguard Home Watch Answers These Same Questions
One company was built around this exact checklist, not around marketing claims. The company runs weekly visual inspections for absentee and seasonal homeowners across Naples, North Naples, and Ave Maria, Florida.
- Fully insured, bonded, and background-checked, with accreditation standards verified through NHWA membership
- Photo-documented digital reports delivered after visits
- A named, consistent team rather than rotating subcontractors
Ask Vanguard for the same anonymized sample report, current COI, and vendor list you’d request from any provider. Comparing paperwork side by side is the fastest way to see the difference.
What Should You Do Right Now?
Call three providers this week using the script above. Request the COI and sample report before your second conversation with any of them, and push for a two-month trial period instead of a long-term contract upfront. Save every report you receive. Those photos and timestamps could matter later for an insurance claim, not just your own peace of mind.
— Joseph
Why Request a Sample Report Before You Commit?
If you’re comparing providers right now, the fastest path to confidence is comparing paperwork, not sales pitches. Vanguard Home Watch LLC is the alternative to guessing based on a phone call: request our anonymized sample report and current certificate of insurance, and you’ll see exactly what a documented visit looks like before you owe us a dollar.
Every visit includes time-stamped photos, a written checklist tailored to your home’s systems, and NHWA-backed accreditation standards, all delivered through a client portal you can revisit anytime. We serve Naples, North Naples, and Ave Maria, and we built this business specifically for owners who can’t be there to check things themselves. If you want to see how visit frequency should match your home’s vacancy risk, our service frequency guide breaks down the options. Ready to compare? Request your free sample report and quote today.
Sources
- National Home Watch Association — membership and accreditation
- Home Watch Alliance — Home watch interview guide
- Elite Concierge AZ — choosing a home watch company (credentials checklist)
- Snowbird Home Watch — questions to ask (insurance/COI advice)
FAQ
What does a home watch person actually do?
A home watch professional performs scheduled visual inspections of an unoccupied home, checking interior systems like water and HVAC alongside exterior conditions, then documents each visit with a photo report.
What questions should I ask before hiring a home watch company?
Prioritize proof of insurance and NHWA accreditation, a sample time-stamped report, a written emergency protocol, and clear pricing and cancellation terms before anything else.
Is home watch different from house sitting?
Yes. Home watch involves scheduled, documented inspections without anyone living in the home, while house sitting typically means a person stays on-site.
How often should a home watch provider visit my property?
Frequency depends on vacancy length and season. Visits often increase during hurricane season or after severe weather for seasonal homes.
What’s the biggest red flag when vetting a provider?
Refusal to produce a certificate of insurance or a sample report is the clearest disqualifier. Legitimate providers, including Vanguard Home Watch LLC, share this documentation before you sign anything.
