Home watch is for homes that sit empty. Property management is for homes that are rented. A home watch service inspects your home on a regular schedule while you’re away and coordinates repairs. A property manager handles the business of renting, including tenants or guests, bookings, rent collection, and leases. If you use your Florida home for yourself, family, and friends, home watch is usually the right fit.
Here’s how the two compare, what each costs, and how to decide which one your home needs.
What Is Home Watch?
Home watch is a visual inspection service for homes left unoccupied while the owner is away. On each visit, a home watch professional checks the interior and exterior, looks for leaks, humidity problems, pests, storm damage, and signs of entry, and sends you a report with photos. When something needs attention, they contact you and coordinate the right vendor.
What Is Property Management?
Property management is the day-to-day management of a rental property. For long-term rentals, that includes marketing the home, screening tenants, collecting rent, handling maintenance requests, and enforcing the lease. For vacation rentals, it includes listings, bookings, guest communication, cleanings between stays, and collecting rental taxes. In Florida, managing rentals for others for a fee generally requires a real estate license.
Home Watch vs. Property Management at a Glance
| Home watch | Property management | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Second homes and vacation homes the owner uses | Long-term or short-term rental properties |
| Main job | Inspect the empty home and catch problems early | Rent the home and manage tenants or guests |
| Schedule | Regular visits, often weekly in Florida | Ongoing, driven by tenants, guests, and bookings |
| Rent collection | No | Yes |
| Typical cost | About $150 to $300 per month for weekly visits | About 8 to 12 percent of monthly rent for long-term rentals, often 20 percent or more of booking revenue for vacation rentals |
When You Need Home Watch
- You visit your Florida home a few times a year and leave it empty in between.
- You live out of state and want someone to check on the home in person.
- You want weekly eyes on the AC, humidity, plumbing, and storm damage.
- You want help coordinating repairs, deliveries, and arrival prep, without renting the home.
When You Need Property Management
- You rent your home to long-term tenants.
- You list your home as a short-term or vacation rental.
- You want someone to handle bookings, leases, rent, and guest or tenant issues.
Can You Use Both?
Sometimes. If you rent your home for part of the year and leave it empty the rest of the time, a property manager can cover the rental periods while a home watch service checks the home during the vacant stretches. Make sure everyone knows who is responsible for what, and that your insurance agent knows how the home is being used.
How Costs Compare
Home watch is usually billed as a flat monthly or per-visit fee. In Florida, weekly visits typically cost about $150 to $300 per month. Property management is usually a percentage of rental income. Long-term rental managers in the Orlando area typically charge about 8 to 12 percent of monthly rent, plus a leasing fee. Vacation rental managers often charge 20 percent or more of booking revenue, with full-service managers charging more.
For a closer look at pricing, read How Much Does Home Watch Cost in Central Florida?
Where Homes & Living Collective Fits
Homes & Living Collective provides home watch and concierge home services. We aren’t a licensed real estate brokerage or property management company, and we don’t manage rentals, tenants, or bookings. What we do is look after your home: weekly home watch visits, maintenance and vendor coordination, hurricane prep, and pre-arrival home prep in Winter Garden, Windermere, Montverde, Dr. Phillips, and nearby communities.
Explore our Vacation Home Management and Home Management Services, or schedule a free consultation.
Keep reading: What Does a Home Watch Visit Include?, How to Manage a Florida Vacation Home from Afar, and Why Buy a Vacation Home in Winter Garden or Windermere, Florida.
Home Watch vs. Property Management FAQs
No. Home watch is an inspection service for homes that sit empty while the owner is away. Property management handles rentals, including tenants or guests, bookings, rent collection, and leases.
Some do, but property managers focus on rental properties. If your home isn’t rented, a dedicated home watch service is usually a better fit and often costs less.
Home watch. If you use your home for yourself, family, and friends and leave it empty between visits, home watch covers regular inspections and repairs without the rental services you don’t need.
Weekly home watch in Florida typically costs about $150 to $300 per month. Property management is usually a percentage of rental income, around 8 to 12 percent of monthly rent for long-term rentals and often 20 percent or more of booking revenue for vacation rentals.
Yes. If you rent your home for part of the year, a property manager can handle the rental periods while a home watch service checks the home when it’s empty.
About the Author
Nicole Mickle is the founder of Homes & Living Collective. With more than 20 years in the real estate industry, including work as a mortgage broker, loan officer, transaction coordinator, and founder of a mobile notary closing company, she helps homeowners in Winter Garden, Windermere, Montverde, Dr. Phillips, and nearby communities keep their homes cared for, whether they live here full time or visit a few times a year.
