Home watch · Seasonal & second homes
Your home, checked every week — even when you’re 1,200 miles away.
Protecting Port Orange & Spruce Creek homes while you’re away.
Papworth Home Watch visits your unoccupied home on a set schedule, checks the things that quietly go wrong in an empty Florida home, and sends you a photo report after every visit.
Locally owned and operated by Joshua Papworth — based right here in Port Orange, not covering half the state.
What is home watch?
Home watch is a scheduled visual check of your unoccupied home while you’re away. We walk the whole property on a set route — inside and out — looking for the problems that start small in an empty house: a slow leak under a sink, an air conditioner that’s stopped keeping up, humidity creeping up, a pool pump that’s quit, storm damage, pests moving in.
After every visit you get a photo report with the readings that matter — indoor temperature and humidity, thermostat setting, pool status — so you’re not taking anyone’s word for it. You can see your home the way we saw it.
What every visit checks
Every visit follows the same full route through the house, in the same order, so nothing gets missed — and it’s photographed as we go.
Outside the home
Roof and gutters viewed from the ground, walls and lanai screens, yard and plantings, and any standing water against the house.
Doors, windows & security
Every door tried and locked, every window closed and latched, alarm set the way you direct, garage door closed — and no sign of entry or animals getting in.
Water — the big one in Florida
Under every sink, toilet bases and supply lines, washer hoses, and the water heater pan — checked dry to the touch, with a moisture meter on anything that looks off.
Air conditioning & humidity
Thermostat set where you want it and actually holding. Indoor humidity read and recorded every visit — under 60% is the healthy target in an empty Florida home.
Pool, appliances & garage
Pool and spa water level, pump running, screen enclosure intact. Fridge and freezer cold and sealed. Garage checked for leaks, smells, and pest signs.
Mail, vehicles & the Spruce Creek extra
Mail and packages brought in and flyers cleared from the door, so the house never looks empty. Golf cart or car started as you direct — and for Spruce Creek homes, an exterior check of the hangar door and seals.
The report is the product
Anyone can say “your house is fine.” We show you. Every visit ends with a timestamped photo report like this sample — the readings from your home, photos from the visit, and anything that needs attention explained in plain English, the same day.
Catching one small problem early is the whole point: a slow drip found in October is a short plumbing visit. The same drip found in April can be a flooded kitchen.
| Reading | This visit | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Thermostat set point | 79° | As directed |
| Indoor temperature | 79° | Normal |
| Indoor humidity | 64% | High — see note |
| Pool level & pump | — | Normal, running |
Simple, published pricing
No quotes that change later, no packages you have to decode. Rates below are for homes up to 2,500 sq ft — larger homes are quoted individually, up front.
Weekly Watch
A visit every week, billed monthly, with the full photo report after each one. The right rhythm for most seasonal homes.
Bi-Weekly Watch
A visit every two weeks for homes with fewer risk points. Same full checklist and same report each time.
Arrival Opening
Your home ready before you land: AC turned down, water on, fridge checked, lights and lanai set, car or golf cart started.
Post-Storm Check
A full exterior and interior check after a named storm, with photos, as soon as roads are passable. $299 for non-clients.
Vendor Meet
Letting in the AC tech, plumber, or cleaner and staying on site while they work. Prorated — you’re only billed for the time used.
Your first visit is free
One full visit with the complete photo report, no obligation — so you can see exactly what you’ll get before you pay anything.
Home watch is a visual check of your unoccupied home. It is not a home inspection.
How it works
Three steps, and then it just runs — quietly, on schedule, while you’re away.
We meet and walk your home
While you’re in town, we walk the home together. You show us the water shutoff, the thermostat, the quirks every house has — and we agree on keys, alarm, and exactly what you want checked.
Your home goes on a fixed route day
Visits run on set days — Tuesdays and Fridays — so you always know which day is yours. Weekly or every two weeks, the full checklist, every time.
You get a photo report after every visit
The same day, with photos and readings. If something needs attention, it’s flagged at the top with what we’d suggest — and we can meet your repair person at the house if you’d like.
Why neighbors choose Papworth
Local — genuinely local
We’re based in Port Orange and keep our service area small on purpose. Some home watch companies cover half the coast; ours is a short local route, so if something needs attention, we can be at your home the same day.
Reports by a professional photographer
Papworth Home Watch is run by Joshua Papworth, a professional real estate photographer. Every report is photographed properly and timestamped — clear photos of your actual home, not a few dim phone snapshots.
We know Spruce Creek
Hangar homes have their own checklist — hangar door and seals, the golf cart, the way the community works. Spruce Creek Fly-In is a core part of our route, not an afterthought at the edge of a big map.
Fixed route days, every week
Your home is visited on your day — Tuesday or Friday — on schedule, in season and out. And it’s the same person every time: you always know exactly who was in your home and when.
Sign up while you’re in town — we watch while you’re away
The best time to start is before you leave, while you can walk the home with us and hand over the keys in person. Most clients sign during the season they’re here; the visits begin the week they head north, and run for as long as they’re gone — a season, or just a long trip.
Ahead of storm season, we also offer baseline photo documentation for watch clients: a full set of dated photos of your home’s condition, taken before the season starts, so there’s a clear record on file if a storm ever comes through.
Questions, answered plainly
Can’t a neighbor or friend just check on the house?
Is home watch the same as a home inspection?
What happens if you find a problem?
How do keys and security work?
Which areas do you cover?
When should I sign up?
Talk it over — no pressure
Texting is fastest, and it’s the same business number Joshua answers for everything. Tell us your neighborhood and when you’re next heading out of town, and we’ll set up a free first visit.
Joshua also operates Papworth Photo — real estate photography in Port Orange — which is why every home watch report comes with properly taken photos.
Where we watch
- Port Orange
- Spruce Creek Fly-In
- New Smyrna Beach
- Ormond Beach
- Daytona Beach Shores