Home Watch in Saskatoon: Someone to Look After Your House
Going away and need someone to check on your house? Peggy's Home Watch visits on the schedule you choose, goes through the house inside and out, and sends you a report after every visit. This page covers what home watch is, what a visit includes, how often someone should check, and what to ask your insurer.
What is home watch?
Home watch means someone visits your house on a schedule while you're away, checks that everything is as you left it, and tells you what they found. Nobody moves in. The house stays empty, and somebody is looking at it.
It goes by a few names. You might see house watching, house checking or a house check, and some people just look for someone to check on their house or someone to look after their house. In Saskatoon, all of those describe what we do.
Who hires someone to look after their house?
Snowbirds
You're leaving for the winter and the house is staying behind. Visits can run until you're home.
Away for work
A contract or a long stretch of work travel keeps you out of Saskatoon for weeks at a time.
A long trip
A month away is plenty of time for a small leak to become a large one.
A seasonal or second home
You own a home in Saskatoon that you don't live in all year.
A house sitting empty
The house is vacant for now, and nobody is around to notice if something goes wrong.
What a house check covers
You choose what's included. These are the main parts of a visit.
Inside and Outside
We walk through the house and around it, looking for leaks, damage, pests and anything out of the ordinary.
Heat, Water and Lights
We check heating, plumbing, lights and appliances, and adjust timers if they need it.
Mail and Packages
We bring in mail, packages and newspapers at no extra cost, so they don't pile up at the door.
Doors and Windows
We check that doors and windows are closed and locked the way you left them.
Plants
If you'd like, we water the plants while you're away. This is an add-on.
After every visit you get a report. If we find a problem, we contact you with photos and details, and with your approval we can coordinate repairs with local tradespeople.
We can also flush toilets and run faucets, air the house out, put garbage and recycling out on collection days, come by for an extra check after severe weather, and handle small jobs like changing a light bulb. Before you come home, we can tidy up, turn the heat back up and stock the fridge if you ask. The full list is on What We Do.
Leaving a house empty in a Saskatoon winter
−20.7°C
The average January overnight low
47 nights
A typical year of lows below −20°C
108 days
A typical year of days that never get above freezing
Environment and Climate Change Canada, climate normals 1981 to 2010, Saskatoon Diefenbaker International Airport.
In that kind of cold, the furnace is what keeps an empty house from freezing. If it stops while you're away, there's nobody inside to notice. Pipes can freeze and burst, and you might not find out until someone walks in.
Two things reduce that risk: getting the house ready before you leave, and having someone go in while you're gone. Our winter home checklist covers the preparation, including the water supply and the thermostat.
How often should someone check your house?
Start with your home insurer, because the answer is in your policy and it isn't the same everywhere. Rules differ from one insurer to the next, from a daily check to one every seven days. Here are two published examples:
Saskatchewan Mutual
Its policy wording doesn't cover freezing damage in the heating season if you're away more than 10 consecutive days, unless a reliable person enters daily to confirm the heat is on, the water is shut off and all pipes and appliances are drained, or the home has a 24-hour monitored low temperature alarm. A home vacant for more than 30 days without a permit has a separate exclusion.
TD Insurance
Its consumer page says "you need someone checking in on your home every seven days". That's a summary on a web page rather than policy wording, so your own policy is still the document to read.
What to ask your insurer or broker
How many days can the house sit empty before a rule applies?
How often does someone have to go in, and what do they have to check?
Is the rule different in the heating season?
Does my house count as unoccupied or as vacant, and what changes if it does?
Can I shut off and drain the water instead?
These are examples and not your policy. We don't know what your policy says, and we can't tell you that any visit schedule meets it. Only your insurer can do that, so please confirm with them before you leave.
Once you have their answer, tell us what it is and we'll talk through a schedule. We offer one-time checks, visits every two weeks, weekly or twice a week, and daily visits by quote. If your insurer sets no rule, go by how long you'll be gone and the time of year. A winter absence leaves less room between visits than a summer one, because a house without heat gets cold quickly.
What house checks cost in Saskatoon
One-time, extra or emergency visit: $69. Daily visits by quote.
Prices are in Canadian dollars, before GST. There is no setup fee.
House sitter in Saskatoon, or home watch?
A house sitter and a house check solve different problems, so it's worth working out which one you need.
| Comparison | House sitter | Home watch |
|---|---|---|
| Where they are | Stays in your home while you're gone. | Visits on a schedule, then leaves. |
| The house between visits | Someone is living there. | It stays empty. |
| A good fit when | You want someone in the house, or your pets need someone there. | The house needs checking and nobody needs to live in it. |
| What you hear back | Whatever you arrange with your sitter. | From Peggy's, a report after every visit. |
What Peggy's doesn't do
Not a security company
We check on houses. We don't provide alarm systems, security patrols or emergency response.
Not property management
We don't handle tenants, leases or full property management. We look after houses while they're empty.
Questions about home watch in Saskatoon
How soon can you start?
Once you're set up with us and we have a key or access code, your first visit happens within 24 hours.
Is there a home watch service in Saskatoon?
Yes. Peggy's Home Watch checks on houses in Saskatoon while their owners are away. Call (639) 392-7295 or use the form on this page.
What do you call someone who looks after your house while you're away?
The usual term is home watch, and you'll also hear house watching or house checking. A house sitter is different, because a sitter stays in your home and a home watch visit doesn't.
How long can I leave my house unoccupied?
That depends on your home insurance policy, so ask your insurer or broker. Published rules differ. TD Insurance's consumer page talks about a check every seven days, and Saskatchewan Mutual's policy wording has a heating season rule that starts after more than 10 consecutive days away.
How often does a house need to be checked for insurance purposes?
There's no single rule. It varies by insurer and by policy, and the requirement can be as often as every day. Your insurer is the only one who can tell you what yours needs, and we can't tell you that a visit schedule meets it.
What temperature should I leave my house at in winter?
Our winter checklist suggests a minimum of 13°C (55°F), and it warns against turning the heat off completely. Your policy may say something different, so check with your insurer as well.
What happens if you find a problem?
We contact you with photos and details. With your approval, we can coordinate repairs with local tradespeople.
Do I need to give you a key?
Yes. We need a way inside: a key for us to hold, an access code or a lockbox. A lockbox or key pick-up may add to your price, so ask.
Do you cover towns, acreages and cabins near Saskatoon?
Yes. We also check homes, acreages and cabins around Saskatoon. Travel adds to the price, so we quote these.
How much does it cost to have someone check on my house?
A visit every two weeks is $129 a month, a weekly visit is $219 a month, and two visits a week are $349 a month. A one-time visit is $69. Those are Canadian dollars before GST, with no setup fee. If your insurer has a visit rule, confirm the schedule with them first.
How to get started
- 1
Call or send the form
Call (639) 392-7295, or fill out the form below with your dates and a little about the house.
- 2
Pick a schedule
Tell us how long you'll be gone and what your insurer told you. We'll match you to a package.
- 3
Hand over a key
Give us a key or an access code, and go. Your first visit happens within 24 hours of being set up, and you'll get a report after every visit.
Get Started in Saskatoon
Tell us about your house and when you'll be away, and we'll get back to you.