1. What Is Home Watch?
Home watch is a visual inspection of a home on a set schedule while nobody is living there, followed by a written report to the owner. It is not cleaning, repairs, or property management. The point is to notice problems early (a leak, a tripped breaker, an overgrown bed, a pile of debris left at the curb) and tell the owner right away so they can decide what to do.
Two groups tend to ask about it:
- Out-of-state owners who spend part of the year up north and leave the Florida home empty for months.
- Adult children of a parent who lives locally, who want a second set of eyes on the house itself (the yard, the roof line, the garage, the hose bibs) between their own visits.
Home watch looks after the house. It is not a substitute for checking on a person's health or safety. If you are worried about an adult who lives alone, the Florida Abuse Hotline takes reports about vulnerable adults, and the Florida Department of Elder Affairs lists local aging services. A recent letter in Villages-News (October 20, 2026) describes how hard it can be for neighbors to get help for an older resident living in an unsafe home, which is a good reminder to have a plan and local contacts in place before there is a crisis.
2. Does Florida Require a License for Home Watch?
We could not find any Florida license category for home watch. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation lists the professions it licenses, and home watch is not one of them (DBPR, Licensing and Regulation, checked October 23, 2026). What does apply:
- Local business tax. Florida law lets counties and cities levy a local business tax on businesses operating in their area (F.S. Chapter 205). Check with the county tax collector and, inside a city, city hall.
- Renting or leasing is different. Florida's definition of a real estate broker includes anyone who, for compensation, rents or leases real property for others or advertises it for rent (F.S. 475.01). A home watch visit does not include finding tenants, showing the home, or collecting rent.
- Repairs are different too. Contractor work such as plumbing, electrical, and roofing is licensed by DBPR. A home watch report flags the issue; the owner chooses a licensed contractor.
Industry sources say the same: there is no state home watch license, and operators register their business and get a local business tax receipt (Homewatch Services Etc.; HouseMatters, Home Watch License Requirements (2026)). Those are private sites, so treat the DBPR list and the statutes as the primary sources.
3. Sample Home Watch Checklist
A typical visit walks the outside first, then the inside, and records anything that changed since the last visit. Every home is different, so the checklist is agreed with the owner in advance.
| Area | What gets checked |
|---|---|
| Exterior | Doors, windows, and garage door secure; no signs of entry; screens, gutters, and roof line from the ground |
| Yard | Grass, beds, and shrubs; dead plants; weeds; standing water; irrigation running and not leaking |
| Curb and driveway | Debris piles, packages, flyers, or anything that signals an empty home |
| Water | Under sinks, around toilets, water heater, and ceilings for leaks or stains |
| Climate | Thermostat at the owner's setting; air handler running; signs of humidity or mildew |
| Power | Breaker panel; refrigerator and freezer running; lights on timers |
| Pests | Droppings, ants, or other signs inside and in the garage |
| Golf cart and garage | Cart charger status as the owner directs, garage clear and dry |
| Mail and notices | Anything taped to the door, including compliance or utility notices, photographed and sent to the owner |
4. Photo Check-In Reports
After each visit the owner gets a dated report with photos of the same spots every time, so changes are easy to see from far away. A report usually includes:
- The date and time of the visit.
- A photo of the front of the house and the yard from the street.
- Close-ups of anything that needs attention, with a short plain-language note.
- A list of items checked and found normal.
- For families, an option to send the report to more than one person, such as siblings in different states.
5. Storm Prep and Post-Storm Checks
Before a storm, the job is to make sure the owner's plan is carried out. After a storm, the job is to document the home quickly. Federal and state guidance recommends knowing your risk, securing loose outdoor items, and having a plan before a storm (Ready.gov, Hurricanes; National Hurricane Center, Get Ready; Florida Division of Emergency Management, Plan and Prepare).
- Before: bring in or secure patio furniture, planters, and decorations; confirm the garage door is closed and the cart is stored as the owner wants; photograph the home's condition for the owner's records.
- After: when it is safe and roads are open, check for roof, screen, and fence damage, water inside, downed limbs, and power status; send photos the same day.
- Storm debris: the districts say they may change their yard waste rules to collect storm debris after a named storm (District Sanitation Services). Watch for official notices rather than assuming normal rules apply.
See our hurricane prep guide for golf cart owners for cart-specific steps.
6. Yard, Debris, and Deed Compliance Checks
In The Villages, an empty home can still get a deed compliance case if the yard slips. Many declarations require owners to keep homesites "neat and clean and the grass cut, irrigated and edged at all times" and to promptly replace dead foliage in some easement areas (Declaration, Villages of Southern Oaks Unit No. 152, Section 2.12 and the easement landscaping provisions). The districts' Community Standards department handles external deed restriction complaints and holds public hearings (Community Standards).
A Villages-News report (October 19, 2026) describes a case involving an out-of-state owner: a complaint about weeds, letters to the owner, a contractor without a finish date, and a hearing that gave seven days to fix the problem before the district would send its own contractor and impose a fine. The lesson is not about any one owner. It is that the notices go to the owner, the owner is far away, and the clock keeps running.
What a home watch visit looks for:
- Dead plants and weeds in beds and around shrubs, photographed so the owner can tell the landscaper exactly what to fix.
- Debris pickup follow-up. District yard waste rules require bundles at the end of the driveway within size and weight limits, bagged clippings, and no contractor-generated waste; non-compliant piles may not be collected and can bring extra charges (District Sanitation Services). A letter in Villages-News (October 21, 2026) describes a debris pile that took a couple of weeks to be picked up. A follow-up visit confirms the pile is gone, or tells the owner it is not.
- Notices on the door photographed and sent the same day, so the owner can contact Community Standards before a hearing date.
Rules differ by unit, so the checklist follows the declaration for the owner's specific home.
Renting the home out for the season too? See our snowbird monthly stays guide for lease minimums, rental taxes, and guest IDs.
7. Questions?
Questions about home watch? This guide is general information only.