Home Watch FAQ: straight answers before you hand over a key

Home watch is a scheduled visit to a home while the owner is away. We walk the inside and outside on a checklist you approve, look for the problems that grow when nobody is home (a leak, an A/C that quit, rising humidity, pests, storm damage, a door that didn't latch) and send you a report with photos after every visit.

It is a visual check. It is not a repair service and it is not a home inspection. When we find something, we tell you right away and help you get it handled.

In Southwest Florida it is almost always water: a supply line under a sink, a water heater, an A/C condensate line that clogs and backs up, or humidity that climbs when the A/C stops in August. A closed-up house doesn't give mold much time.

We aim to keep indoor humidity between 45 and 55 percent. We check that the A/C is running properly and confirm the readings with a hygrometer and a laser thermometer, then look at walls, ceilings, baseboards, windows and under every sink, the places water shows up first.

No. A house sitter stays in the home. We make scheduled visits, follow a checklist you've agreed to and customized, and make sure the house is exactly as you left it when you come back.

You don't have to, and plenty of neighbors do a good job. Before you rely on one, ask yourself whether you'd send them the bill if they missed a leak. Then consider the rest:

• Most neighbors aren't trained to spot early signs of trouble.
• They aren't insured or bonded.
• They can't give your insurance company dated reports and photos if you need to file a claim.
• They get sick, get busy, forget, or leave town themselves.
• If something goes wrong on their watch, it can strain the friendship.

Cameras tell you something happened. They can't do anything about it. If a camera shows a broken slider at 2 a.m., the police will come and go, and the house is still open. With Trident you have someone local who can secure it, get it boarded up and start the repair while you're still deciding whether to book a flight.

Cameras also can't see a slow leak behind a vanity or smell a wet carpet. And a house with people coming and going on a schedule is a less appealing target.

It may. Many policies have a vacancy or unoccupancy clause, and some insurers expect an empty home to be checked on a regular schedule or to have the water shut off. The terms vary by company and by policy, so read yours or ask your agent how often the home needs to be checked while you're away.

Whatever the requirement, our dated reports with photos give you a record of every visit if you ever need to file a claim.

A home watch and concierge company based at 1506 NW 21st Street in Cape Coral, serving Cape Coral, Fort Myers and the surrounding area. We check vacant and seasonal homes, find problems early and act on them when the owner can't. An alarm company can call you. We can go.

Florida does not issue a home watch license. We hold business tax receipts from the City of Cape Coral (002934-2023) and Lee County (1084799).

We carry $1,000,000/$2,000,000 general liability insurance, Errors & Omissions insurance and a $20,000 Florida surety bond. Any client can ask for a copy of our Certificate of Insurance.

Yes. Everyone who works in your home has passed a fingerprint-based background check and a drug test. We won't send anyone into your home that we wouldn't let into ours.

We are an Accredited Member of the National Home Watch Association and follow its code of conduct and code of ethics. Our team holds the InterNACHI Certified Professional Inspector credential (NACHI 18080219), and we are licensed drone operators, which lets us document roof and storm damage without a ladder.

No. In Florida, home inspections are done by state-licensed home inspectors, usually when a house is being bought or sold, and they cover the structure, roof, plumbing, electrical and A/C in detail. We are not Florida-licensed home inspectors.

Our InterNACHI training makes us better at spotting trouble on a home watch visit, but a home watch visit is not a home inspection. If you're buying a home, hire a licensed home inspector.

We'll never speak badly of a competitor, but here is what we bring:

• Experience in property management and real estate since 1997.
• Inspection training through InterNACHI, plus moisture meters and infrared cameras to find water you can't see.
• Storm shutter installation, and after Irma, Ian and Nicole, more than 50 roofs tarped for our clients, often months before roofers or insurance adjusters arrived.
• Licensed drone operators who can document damage from above.
• Unmarked vehicles, so your house isn't advertised as empty.
• 24/7 emergency response and keyholder service.

Not from us. Our vehicles are unmarked and carry no magnets or lettering, so a Trident truck in your driveway doesn't tell anyone the house is empty. Our team wears a logo polo and carries company ID and credentials, and we try never to draw attention to ourselves.

We've been in property management and real estate since 1997, and for years we were absentee owners ourselves. Finding someone reliable to look after our rentals when we couldn't be there was a constant struggle. After we moved to Florida, we built the company we had wished we could hire.

Our plans include one, two or four visits a month. Most seasonal owners choose two or four. If your insurance policy requires a certain frequency, we'll set the schedule to meet it.

Every home gets a checklist built around it. A standard visit covers the outside (roof from the ground, windows, screens, A/C units, landscaping, sprinklers, the pool and lanai) and the inside (doors and windows, signs of water or mold, pests, A/C and humidity settings, refrigerators and freezers, breaker panels and the garage).

We run the faucets, flush the toilets and short-cycle the dishwasher and washer so seals don't dry out. The full sample checklist is on our Home Watch page.

After every visit you get an emailed report covering the inside and outside of the home, with photos of anything that needs attention. We include the small things too: the storm that blew through on Tuesday, what's going on in the neighborhood, the orchid on the lanai that finally bloomed.

Anything we find goes in the report with photos and details. If it needs immediate action to stop further damage, such as shutting off the water, we take it and call you right away to talk through what happened and what the repair should be. Nothing beyond that emergency step gets done without your approval.

Our plans are published:

• Silver, $65 a month: one home check with a report.
• Gold, $109 a month: two home checks with reports, plus mail scanning.
• Platinum, $179 a month: four home checks with reports, mail scanning and package receipts.

Concierge, keyholder, handyman and storm services are priced separately. See the plans on our Home Watch page, or ask for a free quote.

No. You can cancel at any time. We do ask you to sign an agreement authorizing us to enter your home for the visits on your plan, and that's it.

Yes. Quotes and consultations are free and carry no obligation. We'll walk the home with you, learn where the shut-offs are and build the checklist together.

You can pay online through our secure Square payment page.

Yes. For an emergency at a home we look after, call 239-356-6600 any time, day or night.

Before a storm we can install your storm shutters and get the property ready. Afterward we check the home as soon as it's safe, photograph any damage for your insurance company and arrange emergency tarping or board-up with your approval. Details are on our Storm Services page.

Yes. After Irma, Ian and Nicole we tarped more than 50 roofs for our clients. We charge for tarping, but our pricing is well below what roofing companies charge, and we're usually on site within hours while everyone else is waiting in line for a roofer or a restoration company.

Yes, and you don't need a home watch plan for it. We hold a key, learn your alarm panel and shut-offs, and respond in person when your alarm company or the police can't reach you. Keyholder service is $75 per response, plus $25 after hours, and every response comes with a written report and photos. We can also be listed on your Cape Coral alarm registration. See Keyholder Services.

Services our clients ask for most:

• Opening the home before the season and closing it after
• Storm shutter installation and hurricane preparation
• Meeting contractors, repair people, delivery companies and guests
• Grocery shopping and letting in grocery deliveries
• Starting and running cars that sit while you're away
• Emergency response

See Concierge Services for the full list.

Yes. We'll let your contractor in, stay on site until the work is done, lock up and tell you what was done. This is billed hourly, and we ask for at least 48 hours' notice so we can schedule it.

Yes, from UPS, FedEx and Amazon (not USPS). Ship to us instead of an empty porch. For home watch clients, we can have everything placed inside the house before you arrive. See Package Receiving & Holding.

Yes: new locks and keypad deadbolts, key lockboxes, battery cameras and doorbells, leak sensors, softener salt, A/C filters and other small jobs, quoted first and done while you're away. Work that requires a licensed contractor, we refer out and can supervise. See Handyman Services.

Yes. See Boat Watch for what we check and how it works.

Yes. We work with VRBO and Airbnb owners to check homes between guests and to find and document damage. See VRBO Services.

Not ourselves, but we work with a network of trusted providers, including a cleaning company we use nearly every day. They don't price-gouge and they stand behind their work. Ask us for a referral.

Read our free Seasonal Owner's Guide. It covers closing and opening the house, A/C and humidity, water, security, hurricane season and the local rules seasonal owners tend to miss.

Cape Coral (including Cape Harbour and Tarpon Point), Fort Myers (including the McGregor corridor and The Landings), North Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, Pine Island, St. James City, Bokeelia, Burnt Store Marina and Punta Gorda.

Not sure if you're covered? Call 239-356-6600 and ask.

Not at this time. We don't currently serve boat-access islands such as Useppa or North Captiva.