Areas
Home watch for a closed house in Alcobaça, in town or further out.
I live in Alcobaça. Many of the houses that stay closed here belong to people who live abroad, or they are a second home that sits through the winter. In town there is stone, shutters and a street. Further out the house cools differently and damp shows on the walls.
Early mornings in Alcobaça are possible, by appointment. Otherwise visits are by appointment, usually at weekends for now. This is not a 24-hour emergency line.
Exterior of the Alcobaça Monastery.
Town stone, and the morning after a storm
A town house left shut for weeks holds a closed-up smell and, sometimes, a small leak nobody hears. A stone house further out cools down and can show condensation on cold walls. This is not the salt of Nazaré. Here it is usually still air, and water dripping with no one there to notice.
If the house is in Alcobaça, the check after a storm is the next morning. Elsewhere the published limit is 48 hours. Either way we look from the ground or a terrace, and we send photos.
What is opened and what is photographed in Alcobaça
The visit opens the house, airs it, and walks through doors, windows, shutters, taps and the space under the sinks. Mail is photographed unopened unless you allow it to be opened. For someone away who still has papers for the house in Alcobaça, Premium includes that work for up to two hours a month, then the published hourly rate.
What a visit covers
A visual check, not a structural survey and not a guarantee that hidden defects will be found. A diagnostic visit runs about 45–75 minutes, with 8–15 photos.
- Doors, locks, windows and shutters
- Signs of forced entry
- Visible leaks, damp, mould and pests
- Taps, cisterns and a visual check of the water heater
- Airing, and mail photographed unopened unless you say otherwise
- Terrace, gate and, when you ask on Weekly or Premium, the meters
Plans when the house is in Alcobaça
The diagnostic is the first visit, for someone who is not yet a client, and the fee is credited on the first month if a plan starts within the published number of days. Essential is two visits a month. Weekly is about four. Premium adds preparation the weekend before arrival, a check the weekend after departure, and the storm check the next morning. You close the house yourself when you leave.
- Diagnostic€65 · one visit
- Essential€125 · 2 visits a month · per month
- Weekly€235 · About 4 visits a month · per month
- Premium€365 · About 4 visits a month, with priority · per month
The diagnostic visit (€65) is credited on the first month if a plan starts within 14 days.
In Alcobaça, the check after a storm is the next morning. Included · Weekly €30 · Essential €55. It is not a 24-hour emergency service.
Questions about a house in Alcobaça
Is the check after a storm really the next morning?
Yes, if the house is in Alcobaça. It is included on Premium. On Weekly and Essential it is an extra, at the published price. It is not a 24-hour emergency service.
Can a visit be early in the morning?
In Alcobaça, yes, by appointment. In the other places, visits are by appointment and usually at weekends for now.
Do both a town house and a house further out qualify?
Alcobaça is one of the places we schedule on a regular basis. The address is confirmed at the diagnostic visit.