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What Are Home Check Services?

 

 

Home check services are specific point by point inspections or checks done on a property, to make sure it’s safe and secure. 

 

It’s a service designed for people who own one or more properties.

 

If you own any number of properties, you obviously want them to be taken care of because they’re expensive investments.

 

If you happen to travel a lot or, if you spend time in summer homes and then move as the seasons change, then you probably want the vacant property to be taken care of in your absence.

 

That is what home check services are for.  We are people who look after properties while you’re away.

 

 

What is a Home Check?

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A home check, is a point by point check of important areas of the home. 

It includes important services and things that need to be in place for the home to remain secure and structurally sound.

 

Let’s go into further detail shall we.

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Seasonal Work - Summer

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From May to October its Summer weather in Florida, which can be extreme.  At this time of year, there’s a lot of rain and strong wind.

 

It’s Hurricane Season!

 

With the high humidity levels come threats to your home, especially all the wooden bits.

 

The extra water and warmth in the atmosphere is the perfect breeding condition for mold, mildew and wood rot.

 

The added humidity and warmth means that weeds and other plants have explosive growth spurts.

 

More vegetation, means more insects, bugs and other pests that are unwelcome at this time of year.

 

 

Our Main Duties in Summer

 

In Summer, we’re quite busy because of storms, wind and of course other pests.

 

Our focus points at this time of year are:

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  • Checking for mold

  • Checking for insect infestations

  • Checking the roof for loose tiles, etc

  • Checking for proper drainage

  • Checking window and door seals

  • Checking for water damage

  • Ensuring the interior of the home is watertight

  • Checks for overgrown vegetation

  • Working with landscapers

  • Working with Building maintenance contractors

 

 

These are some of the important points we focus on at this time of the year. 

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As the season progresses, the insects become less, but mold continues.

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We stay vigilant and always keep track of any incoming storms so that we can prepare any properties if necessary.

 

As a bonus for the summer season, criminals are more active, which means the chances of burglaries are up too.

 

We work in tandem with security teams to monitor your home and always respond if the alarm activates or we spot any suspicious activity on surveillance cameras.

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Winter Checks

 

From November to April, things tend to wind down and the winter months tend to be rather mild in Florida when comparing to other areas of the USA.

 

In Winter, we do most of our preventative maintenance in preparation for the coming Summer months.

 

 

What checks do we focus on in Winter?

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As we said, we aim to do preventative maintenance at this time of year, so we’ll look for:

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  • Mold

  • Water Leaks

  • Water Damage

  • Loose Roof Tiles

  • Seals round doors and windows

  • Where paint is needed

  • Where drainage needs to be improved

  • Getting new boards and protective barriers

  • Improving ventilation

 

 

We’ll take a holistic look at your property, see where things went awry in Summer and take remedial action to ensure repairs are made.

 

It’s always better to be prepared or take action early on, than wait for things to get really bad before repairing them. 

 

The longer you leave a problem, the more expensive the final repair will be.

 

We work with a group of home repair contractors who offered us a number of discounts for referring new business.

 

We’ve checked their work and found them to be proficient, their quality of work is great and they communicate in a professional manner.

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Equipment and Machinery Checks

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As an optional service, we ensure that all equipment and machines are run or are active for a certain amount of time every week for them to remain in working condition and of course to avoid “nasty surprises”.

 

What we do is make sure these things are left to run for a specific period of time every week:

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  • Taps or faucets

  • Garbage disposal units

  • Fans

  • Air conditioners

  • Toilets

  • Cars

  • Golf Carts

  • Pool Pumps

  • Washing machine

  • Tumble dryer

  • Dishwashers

 

 

Without these items being used for extended periods of time, there could be a number of problems that develop.

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You could expect anything from cracked rubber seals, to cracking water pipes, flat batteries or complete equipment failure if they’re not used.

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That’s why we make this an additional service that you can choose.

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Close Up - Home Check

 

 

A very important part of your departure is ensuring that you leave your home in a state that you want to find it in when you return.

 

What we often do for our customer is pop round and go through our handy checklist.

 

Some of the things we make sure of are:

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  • Windows latched and secure

  • Doors secure

  • A/C or humidistat reset

  • Security system active

  • Water faucets properly closed

  • Water heater off

  • Garbage removed

  • Newspapers stopped

  • Postage forwarded or put on hold

 

 

If you don’t want the hassle of stopping your mail or newspapers arriving.  We can remove them from the postbox for you on our regular home visits.

 

We’ll also do regular inspections of your home to make sure it’s still in the same condition that you left it in.

 

 

Owner Return - Home Check

 

 

When you return home (from wherever), you don’t want any nasty surprises, so we make sure that everything is in order before you arrive.

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We can:

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  • Arrange for cleaning services

  • Check that your heating systems are active

  • Check your ventilation systems are functioning

  • Check your refrigerator is running

  • We get water running

  • Ensure toilets are in order

  • Ensure water heaters are on

  • We can even organize fresh food deliveries

  • We can unpack and store everything too

  • Whatever you need, talk to us

 

 

There’s probably more we could add to the list above, but it’s just easier if you tell us what you want.

If we can or can’t offer a service, we’ll let you know.

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Burglary or Vandals

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If any property is left unattended and there isn’t much movement around the premises, it’s highly likely that may be seen as an easy target for criminals and vandals.

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In the rare case of a break in or a vandalism event, we’ll work together with the responding security Company to assist in whatever way we can.

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Why would I need a Home Check Service as a part-time Florida Resident or Property Investor?

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Having a home check service in place isn’t a necessity, but it can make your life a whole lot easier.

 

Often you cannot rely on friends or family to look after your home, so an outside service is the best option.

 

Obviously you will want to make sure they’re registered with regulatory authorities and you’re not leaving your home in the hands of a criminal. 

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So, do your due diligence.

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Benefits of a Home Watch Service

 

Although you may be apprehensive about using a home watch service, the risks are minimal, compared to the problems you could face without them.

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We’ve often found that home owners who solely rely on a home security system have vagrants moving into the yard and squatting on the premises.

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What about pets? 

 

Some places don’t allow pets and sometimes travelling with them isn’t an option either.

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We can look after them, or have a pet sitter to the work of looking after and feeding your pets.

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Leave them in our care, they will be well looked after and walked every day if necessary.

 

 

Benefits:

 

  • Squatter assessments

  • Intruder checks

  • Regularly scheduled visits

  • Security system installations

  • Property maintenance

  • Emergency repair

  • Utility call out supervision

  • Insurance management

  • Home management

  • Mail management

  • Cleaning

  • Pet Care

 

 

Apart from the above list, we can tailor a service package to suit your every need. 

 

Let’s meet, chat and discuss what you need and take it from there.

 

Now that you know what home check services are, get in touch and let us help you.

 

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