“Insurers know that vacant homes have a much higher occurrence and severity of damage,” Richard said. “Most companies want the homeowner to be in the home every 30-days, but will accept a visit from friend or even a hired property watch type service.”
The Vintage Club, Indian Wells
“There are many official and unofficial services of this type offered in our desert. Most carriers will accept this type of service. Many of these services will feed cats, walk dogs, flush toilets and even run sinks and water plants. Some will even send or email a ‘property check report’ to the homeowner at a very reasonable cost. These documented reports are perfect for showing insurance carriers that the property was not abandoned in the event of a claim.”
“Short term rentals are often the most miss-categorized property. Second homeowners really need to let their insurance agent know if they are renting it for periods of less than six months. There is almost nothing worse than finding out there is a problem when you are filing a claim.”
Many of the local property watch services charge as little as $30 to $35 per visit to check a property. Thank you Richard for this important information. Richard Cox can be reached at (760) 797-1800