SIA-licensed home watch · The Wychwoods
A trusted eye on your home when you can't be there.
Keyholding, regular checks and honest photo reports for second-home owners and holiday-let hosts across the Wychwoods and surrounding villages.
The quiet problem
An empty house is an easy house.
Opportunist break-ins and theft are rising across rural Oxfordshire, and away from the towns a police response can be slow. A second home standing empty mid-week, or a holiday let sitting quiet between guests, is exactly what a passing chancer hopes to find.
We make sure yours never looks unwatched — a familiar local presence checking on it, dealing with the small things before they become large ones, and telling you honestly how it is.
See how it works
For absent owners · Home Watch
You're away. Your house shouldn't feel it.
For second-home owners and frequent travellers, whose property stands empty mid-week or for whole seasons. We keep watch inside and out, catch leaks and damp early, hold your keys securely, and send a same-day photo report after every visit.
We own and look after property here ourselves — an old Cotswold house we're restoring, and others besides. Looking after a house properly is what we do for our own, and we treat yours no differently.
See Home Watch packagesFor holiday-let hosts · Holiday-Let Care
Your guests see a seamless stay. You see everything.
For Airbnb, Vrbo and Sykes hosts running a let remotely from London or abroad. We're your local presence between guests — changeover quality, spare-key lockout cover, and a dependable emergency contact — without ever disturbing the people staying.
We host a holiday let of our own here in the Cotswolds. We've had the ten o'clock lockout call and the February burst pipe — so we know exactly what you need us to do, and how quietly.
After a routine guest-ready check you get a quick photo update by WhatsApp or email. Anything minor we'll put right on the spot; anything more, we'll flag to you so you can arrange it before the next guest.
Great reviews come from the small things being right — a spotless changeover, a fast answer when something's off. That's exactly what we watch for, so more of your stays end in five stars.
See Holiday-Let CareA typical visit
This is what lands in your inbox.
You don't get vague reassurance — you get your own house, photographed, with a clear note that all is well. Here's a sample.
Every visit follows the same routine, inside and out: security, leaks and damp, heating and water, ventilation, mail, and anything that needs a tradesperson — reported to you the same day. Dated reports also give you a record of regular inspection, which some insurers ask for on a home left empty.
Home Watch · for absent owners
Three packages, scaled by how often we visit
The same core service — checks, photo reports, key holding and emergency response — with visit frequency and priority stepping up as you go.
- Interior & exterior check
- Same-day photo report
- Mail collected & stored
- Heating, water & leak checks
- Ventilation & damp check
- Secure key holding
- Fast phone response
- Everything in Essential, plus:
- Upgraded to weekly visits
- Post photographed & listed in your report
- One tradesperson visit / month
- Priority attendance — we aim to attend the same day (working hours)
- Everything in Standard, plus:
- Front-of-queue priority response
- One pre-arrival prep visit / month — warm, aired and ready before you arrive
- Severe weather check included — storm, snow or heatwave
- Post forwarded on to you monthly — and straight away if anything urgent
- Bins put out and returned as part of your visit — so the house never looks empty
- First choice on all scheduling
Prices shown are starting points. Your exact monthly price is confirmed after a free, no-obligation visit — it depends on your property's size, access and location.
Holiday-Let Care · for active hosts
Two packages, built around changeovers
Everything a remote host needs between guests — changeover quality, lockout cover and a reliable local emergency contact — priced by how busy your let is.
- 2 guest-ready inspections / month
- Monthly exterior check — no guest disturbance
- Spare key held for lockout emergencies
- Working-hours emergency response — owner-relayed
- We act as your local emergency contact
- Everything in Care, plus:
- 4 guest-ready inspections / month
- Monthly exterior + quarterly interior check
- Priority attendance during stays
- Out-of-hours emergency contact — owner-relayed (attendance charged)
Party or noise complaint? We attend, assess and report back to you — and can provide a full timed report if you need one for an Airbnb claim. Guest-ready checks are booked a few days ahead, since timing depends on your cleaner and your guest’s arrival. And one rule keeps every stay seamless: guests never contact us directly — every request comes through you.
Add-ons
Extra help, at published prices
Available to every client at the same fixed prices — no negotiation, no surprises. Premium and Care Plus customers get some of these included.
Operational
Weather & seasonal
Holiday-let specific
Additional & emergency
More than one property?
Discounts apply automatically from your second property onwards, with one contract, one invoice and one direct debit covering them all — while each property keeps its own package. Get in touch and we'll put together a figure for your portfolio.
Why owners hand us their keys
Trusted with the keys — and the quiet.
SIA Security Guard & Key Holding licences
Licensed by the Security Industry Authority for both guarding and keyholding, and background-checked for each — most local help is licensed for neither.
Fully insured to hold your keys
Public liability plus proper care, custody & control and key cover — the insurance that actually matters when someone else holds your keys.
Genuinely local
Based in the Wychwoods, minutes from your door — not a call centre an hour away that has never seen your house.
A visible deterrent
Our discreet sign at the gate tells an opportunist this home is watched and regularly checked — and quietly moves them along.
Larger estates or something bespoke?
For larger estates, multiple buildings or bespoke security requirements, we tailor a plan to suit. Please get in touch for a private conversation.
How it works
Getting started is simple
Get in touch
Call, WhatsApp or send the short form. Tell us roughly where your property is and what you need.
A free visit
We meet at the property, walk it together, and agree exactly what's needed — no obligation, no pressure.
Your first check
We confirm your price and start looking after your home. A simple monthly rolling service — cancel anytime with 30 days’ notice.
Contact
Arrange a free visit
The quickest way to reach us is a call or WhatsApp. Prefer to write? Send the form and we'll get straight back to you.