What is a home watch services agreement?
Snowbirds, second-home owners and families caring for an empty house after a move all want the same thing: someone they trust walking through regularly, spotting the slow drip or the broken window before it becomes an insurance claim. Home watch providers want just as much clarity about where their job ends.
This agreement sets the start and end dates, how often you visit and an optional schedule, a default visit checklist you can edit, and extra tasks. It covers labelled, secured keys, alarm company contact, reports after each visit, emergency calls, an optional spending limit for stopping damage when the owner can't be reached, and preferred contractors. It sets out your fee and extras, notes that contractors are paid by the owner, explains that home watch isn't security guarding or an inspection, and covers insurance, notice to end the service and confidentiality about the owner's absence.
- Best for
- Home watch businesses, property caretakers and absentee owners
- Signed by
- The homeowner and the provider, initialled on every page
- Visits
- Weekly, twice weekly, fortnightly, monthly or your own schedule
- Length
- 2 to 3 pages
When to use a home watch services agreement
- Winter visitors leaving a Florida or Arizona home for the summer
- A holiday home checked between rental seasons
- An inherited house waiting to be sold
- Owners working abroad for a year
- Post-storm checks for coastal properties
What you fill in
22 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: homeowner, home watch provider.
1 The parties
- Provider's business name*
- Homeowner's name*
- Homeowner's phone and email while away*
2 The home
- Home address*
- Service starts*
- Service ends
3 Visits
- How often* once a week · twice a week · every two weeks · once a month · on the schedule below
- Visit schedule details (optional)
- What each visit covers*
- Extra tasks (optional)
4 Keys and alarm
- Keys and access given*
- Alarm company (optional)
5 Reporting and emergencies
- Visit reports* a written report with photos by email after each visit · a text message after each visit, and a call if anything is wrong · a report through the provider's app after each visit
- Emergency spending the provider may authorise without asking
- Preferred contractors (optional)
6 Fees
- Currency*
- Fee*
- Fee is charged* per month · per visit · for the whole period
- Charges for extra visits and tasks (optional)
- Payment terms*
- Notice to end the service (days)*
- Governing law*
7 Who signs
- Homeowner signature and date, initials on every page · The owner, or the person responsible for the home while it's empty.
- Home watch provider signature and date, job title, initials on every page
What the home watch services agreement covers
- What home watch is
- Visits
- Keys and alarm
- Reports
- Emergencies
- Fees
- Responsibility and insurance
- Ending the service
- General
Using the home watch services agreement, step by step
1 Owner and home
Your business name fills in from your account. Add the owner, their contact details while away, the address and the service dates.
2 Visits
Choose the frequency and edit the default checklist to match what you really do. List any extras, such as plant watering or opening up the house before the owners return.
3 Keys and emergencies
Record the keys and remotes handed over and the alarm company. Decide how you report, and whether you may spend up to a set amount to stop damage when you can't reach the owner.
4 Fees and signing
Set your fee, extras, payment terms and notice period, then send it. Both of you initial each page and sign online; FileIt keeps the signed copy with the client's file.
Tips before you send it
- Ask the owner to check their insurer's rules for unoccupied homes. Some require visits at set intervals.
- Never tag keys with the address, and keep a signed log of keys in and out.
- Take dated photos on every visit. They protect you and reassure the owner.
- Agree what counts as an emergency before the owner leaves, not during one.
Sign it online in minutes
- Fill in the blanks. Names, dates and amounts go straight into the agreement — the preview shows exactly where.
- Name who signs. Tick “This is me” for your own part. FileIt builds the PDF with every signature, date and initials box on the right line, and you can check or move anything before sending.
- Send it. Each signer gets a secure link and signs from any device — no account needed. The signed PDF, with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion, is filed in your vault and emailed to everyone.
Home watch services agreement: frequently asked questions
Is the provider responsible for anything that goes wrong?
Only for loss caused by their own negligence. The agreement says home watch is a visual check at set times, not a guard service or inspection, so problems that start between visits aren't the provider's fault.
What if there's an emergency and the owner can't be reached?
If you set a spending limit, the provider may arrange urgent work up to that amount. Without one, they can take simple steps like shutting off the water but won't commit the owner to any cost.
Should alarm codes go in the agreement?
No. The agreement says codes are given separately, so the signed PDF never holds them.
Is this the same as a property caretaker agreement?
No. A caretaker usually lives on or looks after the property continuously. Home watch is scheduled visits to an empty home.
Can the owner sign from overseas?
Yes. Signers open a link on any device, with no account, and FileIt attaches an audit trail and Certificate of Completion.