Frequently Asked Questions

  • The National Home Watch Association defines Home Watch as “The visual inspection of an unoccupied home or property, looking for obvious issues.”

  • MI Cottage Keepers is an insured, bonded, and accredited professional Home Watch Service serving the greater Kalamazoo area. We check your property and identify problems or potential problems that can occur while your property is vacant. We provide a physical presence that is unavailable through a remote alarm monitoring service. We can help with most requests you have by contacting us.

  • We are not house sitters. Our core service includes periodic visits to your home where we follow a specific and mutually agreed upon checklist. We are in your home for less than an hour per visit and take great pride in that your home is as you left it for your return. House sitters are not looking to be caretakers and generally do not have the expertise and knowledge to handle problems that may arise.

  • MI Cottage Keepers is insured, bonded, and accredited and participates in the National Home Watch Association Code of Ethics.

  • An alarm company monitors entry into your home or a fire alarm but does not monitor potential problems due to broken pipes, mold, pests, or squatters. We identify those problems or the possibility of their occurrence and notify you for guidance.

  • MI Cottage Keepers will send you a detailed report by email with pictures of any problems identified upon completion of inspecting the interior and exterior of your home. Our use of customized software allows for the owner to visually see some of the key health criteria of the home and its core systems in addition to both outside and inside conditions due to weather or other natural events. This gives you a much more detailed view that cameras may not capture, or trigger a response when it may cause damage to the property.

  • Most neighborhood watch programs are passive by nature and do not provide the level of engagement with your property that MI Cottage Keepers provides. We will check your property’s interior and exterior in far more detail than you can expect from a neighborhood watch program.

  • We recommend weekly or bi-weekly inspections. When regular visits are performed there is considerably less of a problem or issue turning into a major incident.

  • Absolutely! We can coordinate access to your property for any situation at an hourly rate. All we need is your notification of date and time and any instructions you have.

  • We think our services are reasonably priced for the value we provide. When you compare the possible damage due to a leak or damage by pests or vagrants with the cost, our services are an excellent value. We will be happy to discuss our pricing for home watch services and any additional services you may require at a free consultation.

  • While we check your property, we are NOT a property inspector. Property inspectors are usually involved in the sale of a property to do a detailed inspection of the structure, plumbing, electrical, heating, and air condition systems. MI Cottage Keepers provides a visual inspection of your vacant home or property looking for obvious issues.

  • MI Cottage Keepers will provide access services and remain on-site for an hourly charge. We ask for at least a 48-hour notification to schedule our personnel.

  • While we do provide some home maintenance services ourselves, we know we cannot be experts in all services and will often coordinate, or refer you to quality contractors or vendors and arrange access to your property. Please ask us and we will be happy to provide more information.

  • Having gutted and remodeled two houses of our own, we have learned a lot! We know the importance of a detailed eye and are very aware of problems that may arise as we have experienced many of them! We have also owned and managed multiple rental properties for over 20 years. MI Cottage Keepers is insured and officially accredited by the NHWA. https://www.nationalhomewatchassociation.org/. MI Cottage Keepers has also completed Boot Camp Training offered by the NHWA.

  • MI Cottage Keepers will send you a report after completion of a home visit accompanied by photos and details documenting any issues discovered. If it is an emergency situation, we will call you immediately.