The problem
An empty house is never really empty.
It's full of things happening slowly. A gutter fills, and the water finds the fascia. A limb dies over the driveway and waits for the first southeaster. A well runs low, a sump fails, a mouse gets in behind the dryer vent in November and nobody knows until May.
Nothing about this is dramatic. That's exactly the difficulty. The failures that cost the most in a Gulf Islands house are quiet, gradual, and completely preventable by somebody standing in the room — and there is nobody standing in the room from October until spring.
Most owners here have improvised a solution: a neighbour with a key, a friend of a friend, a gardener who kindly checks the windows when she's already there. It works until the week it doesn't, and it puts an awkward, unpaid obligation on people who never asked for it.
We think somebody's actual job should be your house.
Why it matters now
Your insurer is counting the days.
Most Canadian home policies contain a vacancy clause. Once a property has been unoccupied for around thirty consecutive days, insurers commonly restrict or remove the coverages that matter most in an empty house — theft, vandalism and water damage tend to go first.
Many insurers will keep coverage in place through a long absence on one condition: regular inspections that are properly documented. Dated. Photographed. On the record.
That documentation is built into everything we do. Every visit produces a timestamped, photographed report that lives permanently in your property portal — because when it matters, "someone was checking on it" is worth considerably less than being able to show exactly who, exactly when, and exactly what they saw.
Every policy is worded differently and we can't read yours. Tell us who you're with and we'll talk to your broker directly about what they need from us — most are glad to have the conversation.
Plans
Three ways to be looked after.
Every plan includes your portal, documented reports on every visit, and a named steward who knows your house.
Watch
For a straightforward absence
$425
per month
- Fortnightly inspection
- Photographed report every visit
- Fortnightly check-in
- Storm and outage response
- Mail and parcels held
Steward
For a house left all winter
$895
per month
- Weekly inspection
- Weekly photo and video check-in
- Maintenance timeline and approvals
- Trade coordination, four hours monthly
- Your gardener, arborist and trades managed
- Winter close and spring open included
- Emergency response, any hour
Estate
For a property that needs a keeper
$1,950
per month
- Twice-weekly inspection
- Named steward, direct line
- Annual capital and maintenance plan
- Arrival preparation, every time
- Family and guest readiness
- Contractor supervision on site
- Complete house file and annual report
Trade invoices are passed through at cost — we never mark up another trade's work. Project supervision, additional coordination and emergency call-outs beyond your plan are billed hourly and always agreed in advance. Properties on Pender, Galiano, Mayne and Saturna are served on the Steward plan and above, with a territory adjustment for travel.
Before you go
Winter Close — one afternoon, done properly.
Water systems drained and protected, furniture and gear stowed, gutters cleared, heat and humidity set, every shut-off and breaker documented, photographs of every room, keys logged, and a written condition report with a list for spring. No retainer required. If you go on to a plan within sixty days, we'll take it off your first invoice.
$750flat · book by mid-October
