A home watch inspection checklist that actually holds up

What to check on a home watch visit, why each item is on the list, and the difference between a checklist that protects you and one that only looks thorough.

A checklist does two jobs. It stops you forgetting something on a hot afternoon at the fourth house of the day, and it is the evidence that you looked. Both matter; the second one matters more than new operators expect.

Exterior

Walk the perimeter. Doors and windows secure and undamaged. No forced entry marks. Roof and gutters as far as you can see them from the ground. Irrigation running or off as agreed. Landscaping not overgrown to the point it signals an empty house. Storm debris cleared. Any vehicle in the drive where it should be.

Getting in

Alarm disarmed and rearmed, and note the time. If the alarm was already off when you arrived, that is a finding, not an inconvenience — write it down and tell the owner the same day.

Interior

Water is what ruins houses. Under every sink, around the water heater, behind the washing machine, around toilets, and the ceiling under any upstairs bathroom. You are looking for staining, warping and smell as much as for standing water.

Air conditioning running and the thermostat where the owner left it. In a humid climate this is not comfort, it is mould prevention, and a failed unit found three weeks late is a five-figure problem.

Refrigerator and freezer running. Power on generally — a tripped breaker can go unnoticed for a month. Pests and droppings. Windows and sliders locked. Nothing obviously moved or missing.

Pool and outbuildings

Water level, pump running, surface clear, gate latching. A pool that drops below the skimmer burns out a pump, and that is an avoidable bill the owner will remember you for.

Mail and appearance

Collect mail and packages, or confirm the hold is still running. A full mailbox is an advertisement that nobody is home.

The part people leave out

Photographs. Not one of the front of the house — the things you actually checked, including the ones that were fine. A report saying “all clear” is a claim. A report with a photograph of the dry water heater and the thermostat reading 78 is proof. When a dispute comes, and eventually one will, the photographs are what settle it.

Adapt it per property

A standard list is the starting point. A house with a boat lift, a wine cellar, a well pump or an elderly cat needs its own items, and the owner will tell you what worries them if you ask on day one.