A property management company and a Home Watch professional both provide services related to managing a property—in this case, your home—but deviate on the scope of services and the types of properties they typically manage. Let’s look at the difference between Home Watch and property management.
What is Property Management?
A property management company is a professional service that typically handles all aspects of property management, including marketing the home to prospective tenants, understanding laws and regulations, screening tenants, collecting rent, maintaining the property and dealing with tenant issues. They are usually hired by property owners who own multiple properties, have their home up for rental, or who live far away from their properties.
Related: What does a property manager do?
What is Home Watch?
A Home Watch professional provides periodic inspections of your home to ensure that it is secure and in good condition. Services typically include checking for example: signs of water leaks, electrical problems, HVAC function or potential security breaches. Following each visit, you receive a detailed report of the inspection, are notified if anomalies are present, and given options to remediate any situation.
Concierge services can be provided as needed. Your Home Watch professional may monitor your pool, feed fish in an aquarium, water plants, arrange for lawn maintenance, or even prepare your home for when you return. Just let them know what you’d like.
Homes need regular maintenance too, and your Home Watch professional can help with small tasks like changing filters and light bulbs. Or they can arrange on your behalf for service technicians to provide repairs or inspections, like for the HVAC system or the roof following a storm, or for lawn mowing or grounds clean-up to meet HOA requirements. They understand the workings of a home and can ensure that the repair job is done correctly at a fair price.
If there is ever an issue, like a burst pipe or electrical short, for example, your Home Watch professional will notify you and the correct authorities to help keep the issue from becoming a larger problem.
While a property management company provides comprehensive management services for rental properties, a Home Watch professional provides inspections and maintenance services for properties that are not rented out.
The Biggest Difference Between Home Watch and Property Management
As you can see, although both Home Watch and property management companies watch over your property, they offer entirely different services. Property management is mainly for those wishing to rent out a home, and Home Watch is for those who live in their home presently, but will be absent from the home for an extended period of time and need someone trustworthy to look after it for their own peace of mind and the home’s protection.
Let Golden Rule Home Watch Cover Your Northern Virginia Home
When you need to leave your Northern Virginia home for a vacation or job assignment and want not to worry about it while you’re away, trust Golden Rule Home Watch & Concierge.
We provide high-tech, high-touch regular and comprehensive visual inspections of both the interior and exterior of your home and provide you with a detailed report at the end of each visit. We’ll look for things we think you should know about, and our home specialist resources can even help you with maintenance and small repairs.
Before you pack for your next trip, contact Golden Rule Home Watch for a free consultation. We can be reached at 855-928-2424 or via our convenient online form.