Away for the winter? Check your insurance requirements before you leave.
Many home insurance policies include conditions for homes that are unoccupied, vacant, or left unattended during heating season. Mayne HomeWatch provides scheduled visits, written reports, and photo documentation so you have a clearer record while you are away.
Insurance requirements vary.
Some policies treat an unoccupied home differently from a vacant home. Some policies have special requirements during heating season. Some may require regular interior checks, plumbing precautions, or proof that the home was being monitored.
The safest step is to ask your broker or insurer for the exact requirements in writing before you leave.
Once you know the required check-in interval, we can build a visit schedule around it.
What Mayne HomeWatch can document
Each home is different, but a visit may include visual checks of:
- driveway and property access
- exterior doors and visible windows
- decks, stairs, walkways, and storm debris
- signs of forced entry or unusual disturbance
- heat settings or signs of heating failure where observable
- water shut-off status, if applicable
- visible plumbing concerns
- hot water tank area
- electrical panel area and obvious tripped breakers where visible
- moisture, odour, visible leaks, or water staining
- mail, flyers, packages, or signs the home appears unattended
- final lock-up
Your report will also identify anything that was not checked, inaccessible, or not applicable.
Insurance-Directed Winter Watch
For ordinary absences, a twice-monthly or weekly home watch schedule may be enough. For winter absences or insurance-related requirements, the visit frequency may need to be different.
Insurance-Directed Winter Watch is a custom schedule based on the interval your broker or insurer confirms.
How it works:
- Ask your broker what your policy requires.
- Get the check-in interval and any special instructions in writing.
- Share those requirements with Mayne HomeWatch.
- We propose a practical visit schedule for your Mayne Island property.
- After each visit, you receive a written report with relevant photos.
Questions to ask your broker
To help set an appropriate visit schedule, ask your broker:
- How long can the home be unattended before coverage is affected?
- During heating season, how often must the home be checked?
- Does the person checking the home need to physically enter the house?
- Does water need to be shut off or plumbing drained?
- Does heat need to be maintained at a specific temperature?
- Is a written or digital inspection log required?
- Are dated photos useful as supporting documentation?
- When would the home be considered vacant rather than unoccupied?
- Do renovations, sale listings, tenant changes, or long absences change the requirements?
Once you have those answers, we can help turn them into a documented home watch plan.
What this service does not do
Mayne HomeWatch provides visual checks, documentation, and practical follow-up. We do not interpret insurance policies, guarantee coverage, certify compliance, or guarantee that a claim will be accepted.
We also do not provide building inspection, engineering review, code compliance review, trade assessment, security guard service, or alarm monitoring.
Hidden, sudden, intermittent, inaccessible, or developing conditions may not be visible during a routine visit.
Have your broker’s requirements?
Send us the required check-in interval and any special instructions from your insurer or broker. We can propose a practical visit schedule for your Mayne Island property.