Front double doors of a home with wreaths and potted plants

Home Check Visits for Neighbors Who Travel: A Careful Side Service

ByFrank Delgado

Winter is when many neighbors head south, visit family for the holidays, or take a long trip. They leave behind an empty house, and many of them would love a trustworthy person to look in on it. If you are reliable, observant and live nearby, a home check service could be a gentle way to earn. A few regular clients might help cover a bill, such as a $40 monthly internet plan.

This guide explains what a home check is, what to look for, how people price the service, and how to stay safe and fair to your neighbors. It is general information, so check the rules where you live.

What a home check visit is

A home check, sometimes called a home watch, is a short visit to an empty home while the owners are away. You are not cleaning or repairing. You are looking for problems and reporting them before they grow.

Home watch businesses describe typical visits this way: checking doors and windows, looking for leaks, mold or signs of pests, checking the thermostat, running a faucet or flushing a toilet, glancing at the electrical panel for tripped breakers, walking through the garage and outside, and writing a short report. Some also accept deliveries or let in a repairman the owner has arranged.

This is different from house-sitting, where someone stays overnight. If that interests you, read our guide to house-sitting for neighbors.

Why a neighbor’s visit matters

A burst pipe in a cold house can cause a great deal of damage, and a leak that runs for days is worse. Kiplinger advises that for an absence of a month or longer, owners should ask a neighbor or friend to check in about once a week. It also warns that if a pipe bursts and goes unnoticed for a long time, an insurance claim could be denied.

The Texas Office of Public Insurance Counsel notes that most homeowners policies have an absence exclusion. Its example is a policy that may not cover theft or vandalism after 60 days away. Owners should talk to their insurer before a long trip. That is the owner’s job, not yours, but it is worth knowing why your visits matter.

What you would actually do on a visit

Keep it simple and do the same steps every time. A short checklist on a clipboard helps.

  1. Look at the outside first. Are the doors and windows closed? Is anything broken or out of place? Is there mail or a package piled up?
  2. Unlock the door and step inside. Does anything smell musty, smoky or like gas?
  3. Look at the ceilings and floors under sinks and near the water heater for damp spots or stains.
  4. Check the thermostat. Owners often leave it at a set temperature. Kiplinger suggests roughly 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit for an empty house in cold weather. Always follow what the owner asked.
  5. Run each faucet for a few seconds and flush each toilet once, if the owner wants this.
  6. Turn lights on and off to make sure the power is working.
  7. Note anything unusual, take a few photos, and lock up.
  8. Send the owner a short text or email the same day.

Never do repairs or move valuables unless you and the owner have agreed on it in writing.

Mail and packages

Many owners will ask you to bring in mail. The Postal Service offers a free Hold Mail service. USPS says a hold lasts from 3 days to 30 days, and for longer absences it points to mail forwarding. So a neighbor who is away for months may still need someone to collect mail. Ask each owner how they have arranged it so you are not guessing.

Finding your first customers

Start with people you already know: neighbors, friends from church or a club, and relatives of friends. Our guide to finding your first local customers covers bulletin boards, Nextdoor and word of mouth.

One more idea: some local police departments run free vacation house check programs. These typically ask owners to name a key holder, someone who can get into the house if needed. For example, Cape Coral, Florida, says the owner must designate someone who can access the home. A neighbor you trust could be that person. These programs are exterior checks and are not a substitute for your visits. Talent, Oregon, says plainly that residents should not rely on the service as their only security.

Setting a price

Prices vary by area and by how much you do. One pricing article, updated October 2026, reports about $25 to $75 per visit for a standard house or condo, with large estates over $100. It also reports monthly plans of roughly $60 to $160 for two visits a month, and $150 to $300 for weekly visits. It lists examples from individual companies, such as one Arizona company advertising $50 a month for one visit and $80 for two, and a Florida company advertising from $45 a visit. These are advertised rates and not a guarantee of what you will earn.

Pick a fair price for your own area. Many people charge per visit, or a monthly rate for a set number of visits. Add a small charge for extra tasks, such as meeting a delivery. Write your price and your visit schedule down. Our simple one-page agreement can help you spell out what you will and will not do.

Licenses, insurance and trust

Rules vary by state and city. Some sources say Florida has no state license for home watch, but those are private company pages, not the state itself, so please check with your state or local government before you start. Many places expect a general business license for paid work.

Insurance is a real question. An ordinary neighbor favor may not be covered by anyone’s policy. One home watch association argues that ordinary business insurance may not cover home watch work and offers its members a separate liability policy. An insurer, Westfield, says most clients will expect a business to carry general liability insurance. Call your own insurance agent and ask what you need before you accept money for this work.

Some clients may also ask for a background check. Our guide to getting your own background check explains how to do that.

Staying safe

You will often be alone in an empty home. Plan for that.

  • Tell a family member or friend when you are visiting, and when you have finished.
  • If a door is open, a window is broken, or an alarm is sounding, do not go in. A New Hampshire town page advises going to a neighbor’s house and calling the police.
  • Do not enter a home that smells of gas. Leave and call for help.
  • Wear sturdy shoes. Entryways can be icy in winter, and dark basements and garages have stairs and clutter.
  • Do not climb ladders or shut off main valves unless the owner has shown you how and asked you to.

Taxes and benefits

Money you earn from this work is income. The IRS says you must pay self-employment tax and file Schedule SE if your net self-employment earnings were $400 or more. If you are under full retirement age and receive Social Security, the Social Security Administration deducts $1 for every $2 you earn above $24,480 in 2026. Side income may also affect SSI, Medicaid or housing help for some people. This is general information, so please check your own situation. See the SSA and IRS sources below, or our guide to side income and SSI, Medicaid or housing help.

A gentle way to begin

Offer to look in on one neighbor’s home for a single trip. Use your checklist, send a short report, and ask for feedback. If it goes well, you have a first customer, and a good reference for the next.

More on Replace a Bill

Sources

Similar Posts