Leaving a seasonal home to return north is routine for many part-time Floridians. To add peace of mind once you leave your Naples home, it’s advantageous to hire a reputable home watch company to keep an eye on your property in your absence. March is National Home Watch Month; a perfect time to investigate this valuable service.

Jack Luber, founder and executive director of the National Home Watch Association, said the purpose of National Home Watch Month is to educate homeowners about the benefits of hiring a reputable home watch service.

“There are three pillars of the home watch industry,” Luber said. “The first is trust. A relationship is developed, and personal preferences are learned. Second is communication. The reason why you pay a home watch service is to communicate with you if something goes wrong. And the third is privacy and confidentiality.”

When Luber founded the organization in 2009, home watchers were a disjointed group of businesses, each providing different levels of service. He saw the need to set standards, procedural guidelines and codes of ethical conduct. These all serve to protect clients from any legal ramifications arising from damages to their unoccupied properties.

The association now includes hundreds of member companies in the U.S. and Canada and serves homeowners worldwide. “Trillions of dollars’ worth of real estate goes unchecked for months at a time,” Luber said. This leaves homes and properties vulnerable to undiscovered issues, such as water dam-age, mold and even squatters.”

All members pass a criminal background check and are vetted for consumer complaints. The NHWA website provides consumers with the names of its member companies. This assures them that all the members listed have passed a strict vetting process.

“We have formalized what we call our ‘National Home Watch Boot Camp,’” Luber said. “When NHWA accredits you, we are endorsing your company. Carrying our logo carries weight.”

This accreditation includes criminal background checks on all company principals, proper insurance coverage including general and professional liability, proper bonding, consumer complaint checks, truthful website and advertising content, adherence to the NHWA’s Code of Ethics and a commitment to the NHWA’s mission statement.

“Think of it,” Luber said. “A barber has a license. He cuts your hair. We have your keys. We have your alarm codes and access to your private property. Shouldn’t someone act as an overseeing body to assure everything is professional?”

That’s where NHWA comes in. Holding this accreditation is especially important in areas such as Southwest Florida where many people own homes not inhabited year-round, and where visual inspection can observe any irregularities from weather or storm damage. It might come as no surprise that the largest chapter in the U.S. is right here in our area. The Southwest Florida chapter boasts 150 members located in Naples, Marco Island, Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Punta Gorda.

With estimates of more than 10 million second and vacation homes in the U.S. and Canada, a home watch service can mitigate the risks of owning a home that often sits empty. With industry unregulated by any federal, state or municipal government, the NHWA provides an added level of security for homes by vouching for its members.

The association’s website is at nationalhomewatchassociation.org.