The complete guide
to HomeWatchOS.

Your workspace is your private account. It lives in the cloud (Netlify Blobs) and is protected by a workspace code — a short phrase you choose. There is no username or email required.

Setting up for the first time

1. Go to app.homewatchos.com

   You'll land on the workspace entry screen.
2. Choose a workspace code

   Pick something memorable and unique — like sarahs-homewatch or coastal-pros-fl. Minimum 6 characters, letters and numbers only.
3. Click "Create workspace"

   Your workspace is created instantly and saved to the cloud. The onboarding wizard opens automatically.

Returning to your workspace

Enter your workspace code on the login screen. Your data loads from the cloud automatically. You can use HomeWatchOS on multiple devices simultaneously — changes sync within a few seconds.

Logging out / switching workspaces

Tap the → logout icon in the top-right header (desktop) or the sidebar menu (mobile). Your data stays safe in the cloud — entering your workspace code again restores everything instantly.

The first time you create a workspace, a 5-step wizard walks you through setup. Each step takes about 30 seconds.

1. Company name & branding

   Enter your company name, choose an accent color, and upload a logo. This information appears on all reports and homeowner-facing communications.
2. Your first property

   Add your first client property — name, address, owner name, and email. You can add a photo now or later from the property detail page.
3. Visit schedule

   Set how often you visit this property (biweekly, weekly, twice weekly). HomeWatchOS uses this to schedule visits automatically and alert you when one is overdue.
4. Inspection checklist

   Review and customize your standard checklist. The default covers all major inspection zones. You can add property-specific items now or anytime from Settings.
5. Invite or skip team

   Optionally invite a field technician or team member. You can also skip this and do it later from Settings → Team.

The dashboard is your command center. It gives you a real-time view of your entire portfolio and business at a glance.

MRR & ARR Banner

The top green banner shows your Monthly Recurring Revenue (sum of all active service plans), the month-over-month change percentage, and your projected Annual Recurring Revenue. This only appears when you have at least one property on a paid service plan.

Portfolio overview

Below the MRR banner, each property appears as a card showing its name, current health score, and any open issues. Properties with urgent issues are highlighted. Click any card to open the full property detail view.

Recent activity feed

A live feed of recent actions across your portfolio: completed visits, homeowner messages, issues logged, and vendor updates. Each item is tappable and takes you directly to the relevant screen.

Notifications panel

The right column shows pending actions that need your attention: homeowner messages waiting for a reply, issues awaiting your approval or vendor assignment, and upcoming visits in the next 7 days.

Adding a property

1. Go to Properties → + New property

   Or tap the + button on the dashboard.
2. Fill in the property details

   Required: property name and address. Strongly recommended: homeowner name, email, and phone. These are used for portal access and issue notifications.
3. Set the service plan

   Choose the service plan or set a custom monthly rate. This feeds directly into your MRR calculation and billing.
4. Set visit frequency

   Weekly, biweekly, or twice-weekly. HomeWatchOS will alert you when a visit is overdue based on this schedule.

Property detail page

Click any property to open its full detail view. This page mirrors what the homeowner sees in their portal — stat cards, health score, recent activity, open issues, and service coordination. Operators also see the full visit history, billing details, and management tools.

Property health score

Every property has a health score from 0 to 10, calculated automatically from visit history, open issues, issue severity, and how recently the property was inspected. The score is color-coded:

• 8.5–10.0 — Excellent. No open issues, visited recently, everything clean.
• 7.0–8.4 — Good. Minor items may be open. Well maintained.
• 5.0–6.9 — Fair. Open issues or a recent inspection gap.
• Below 5.0 — Needs attention. Urgent open issues or significantly overdue visit.

Property photo

Upload a photo directly from the property detail page — tap the camera icon on the hero image. The photo appears in the homeowner portal, PDF reports, and the operator dashboard. It makes everything look significantly more professional.

Homeowner portal link

Each property has a unique, secure portal URL. From the property detail page, tap Share Portal Link to copy it. Send it to the homeowner once — they bookmark it and use it for all future access.

If you ever need to invalidate the old link (e.g., if a property transfers ownership), tap Regenerate Link. The old URL stops working immediately.

Deleting a property

Scroll to the bottom of the property detail page and tap Delete property. This permanently removes the property and all its visit history. This action cannot be undone.

Scheduling a visit

1. Open the property and tap "Schedule Visit"

   Or go to Visits → + New visit. The button appears at the top of every property detail page.
2. Set the date and time

   Pick a date and start time. HomeWatchOS shows you how long since the last visit and whether this property is overdue.
3. Assign to a team member (optional)

   On Pro plans, assign the visit to any team member. They'll see it in their field technician dashboard.
4. Confirm

   The visit is created with "Scheduled" status and appears in your visits list and on the dashboard's upcoming visits.

Overdue visit alerts

When a property hasn't been visited within its scheduled frequency, a yellow "Visit Overdue" badge appears on the property card and detail page. The health score is also automatically reduced for overdue properties.

Visits list

The Visits screen shows all visits across your portfolio — sorted by date, with status badges (Scheduled, In Progress, Completed). Tap any visit to open its full detail, checklist, photos, and report.

The field inspection workflow is designed to be used on your phone while you're physically at the property. It flows in three phases: check-in, inspection, and departure.

GPS Check-In

Open the scheduled visit and tap Arrive & Check In. The app launches the full-screen GPS check-in screen — a pulsing animation confirms it's acquiring your location. Once GPS is locked, your arrival is time-stamped with coordinates. This proves you were physically at the property.

Standard inspection mode

After check-in, your inspection checklist loads. Each item shows a checkbox, a notes field, and a camera button. Work through the list zone by zone: exterior, interior rooms, systems.

• Tap the checkbox to mark an item complete
• Tap the camera icon to take or attach a photo for that item
• Tap the notes field to add an observation or flag
• Any item can be marked as an issue with a severity level

Guided inspection mode

For maximum thoroughness, switch to Guided Mode by tapping Guided at the top of the checklist. Guided mode shows one item at a time — full screen — so you can't accidentally skip an item. Particularly useful for new technicians or complex properties.

Flagging issues during inspection

When you find something that needs attention, tap Flag as issue on any checklist item. Set the severity:

• Monitor — worth watching, not yet urgent
• Standard — needs attention, schedule a repair
• Urgent — immediate action required, notify homeowner now

Flagged issues automatically enter the issue resolution pipeline (see Section 09).

Completing the visit

1. Finish all checklist items

   Work through every item. You can complete the visit with unchecked items — but they'll be noted in the report.
2. GPS departure check-out

   Tap "Depart" to record your departure time and GPS coordinates.
3. Generate AI summary (optional)

   Tap "Generate Summary" and Claude AI writes a plain-English paragraph summarizing what was inspected and found — exactly what you'd want a homeowner to read. Review it, edit if needed, and include it in the report.
4. Send the report

   Tap "Send to Homeowner" to push the visit report to the homeowner portal. The homeowner receives a notification (if email is set up) and can view the full report at their portal URL.

What's in a visit report

Every completed visit produces a structured report containing:

• Date, time, duration, and inspector name
• GPS-confirmed arrival and departure coordinates
• Complete checklist — every item checked, with notes and photos
• All photos taken during the visit, organized by zone
• AI-written plain-English summary (if generated)
• Any issues flagged, with severity and photos
• Property health score at time of visit

AI-generated visit summaries

After completing a visit, tap Generate AI Summary. Claude (Anthropic's AI) reads your full inspection data — every item checked, every note, every flag — and writes a clear, professional summary in plain English. The summary is written for homeowners: no inspection jargon, just reassurance and facts.

Example output: "Your home is in excellent condition. All exterior doors and windows are locked and secure, HVAC is operating normally (filter replaced today), no signs of water intrusion, and the pool equipment is running well. I did note a small crack in the driveway seal near the garage — I've photographed it and will monitor next visit."

Sending reports to homeowners

Tap Send to Homeowner on any completed visit. This pushes the report to the homeowner's secure portal. If email notifications are configured (Settings → Notifications), the homeowner also receives an email with a link to view the report.

Viewing past visit reports

From any property's detail page, scroll to Visit History and tap any completed visit to see its full report — including all photos, checklist, and AI summary. All historical reports are preserved indefinitely.

How issues get created

Issues can be created in two ways:

• During inspection: Flag any checklist item as an issue. The item automatically becomes an issue in the resolution pipeline.
• Manually: Open any visit and tap + New Issue. Enter a title, description, severity, and photos.

Issue severity levels

• Monitor — Condition worth documenting and watching. No immediate action needed. Examples: hairline crack in tile grout, slightly low pool pH.
• Standard — Needs repair or service. Should be scheduled within a reasonable timeframe. Examples: HVAC filter overdue, gutter accumulation, pest entry points.
• Urgent — Immediate action required. Homeowner should be notified right away. Examples: active water leak, HVAC failure in hot weather, signs of break-in.

Adding photos to issues

Photos are essential for issue documentation. From the issue detail page, tap Attach photo or use the camera to take a new photo directly. Include: a wide shot showing the location within the property, and a close-up of the specific problem. These photos appear in the homeowner's notification, the vendor dispatch packet, and the PDF report.

AI issue descriptions

When you generate an AI summary on a visit that includes issues, the AI automatically writes clear, non-alarming descriptions of each issue — the kind of professional language that reassures homeowners rather than panicking them.

Every issue follows a documented pipeline from discovery to resolution. The pipeline creates a clear audit trail and ensures nothing falls through the cracks.

Moving an issue through the pipeline

Open any issue from the Issues screen or directly from a property's open issues panel. The current stage is highlighted with your brand color. The next-action button appears below the pipeline — tap it to advance the issue.

• Detected → Triage: Issue logged and under assessment. Tap "Begin Triage" to confirm you're investigating.
• Triage → Quoted: Assign a vendor (Section 10), get a quote, enter the amount, and tap "Send Quote to Homeowner." The homeowner receives a notification with the quote and a one-tap approval link.
• Quoted → Approved: When the homeowner approves, the issue advances automatically. Or advance it manually if you've received verbal approval.
• Approved → Scheduled: Confirm the vendor appointment date. HomeWatchOS sends the homeowner a message: "Work scheduled for [date]."
• Scheduled → On Site: Advance when the vendor arrives. Optionally add an update for the homeowner.
• On Site → Closed: After work is complete, add final photos and tap "Mark Complete & Close." The homeowner is notified, and the issue is closed with a full resolution record.

Adding notes to the timeline

From any issue detail page, add notes at any stage. Notes are logged with a timestamp and your name. Use them for vendor follow-ups, homeowner calls, observations during the resolution process. The full timeline is visible to you and can be included in reports.

Declining an issue

If a homeowner declines a repair quote, mark the issue as Declined. It closes out of the active pipeline but remains in the property's history for documentation purposes.

Adding vendors

Go to Settings → Vendors → + Add Vendor. For each vendor, record: name, trade (plumbing, HVAC, electrical, etc.), phone, email, and any notes. Build your vendor list before you need it — in an emergency you don't want to be searching for contacts.

Assigning a vendor to an issue

From any issue detail page, select a vendor from the dropdown under the Vendor section on the right side. The vendor is now associated with this issue. When you advance the issue to "Scheduled," the vendor's name and contact appear in the homeowner notification.

Recommended vendor categories

• Plumbing (24/7 emergency line essential)
• HVAC — service and emergency
• Water damage mitigation (IICRC certified)
• Electrical
• Roofing
• Pest control
• General handyman
• Locksmith
• Pool service
• House cleaning / turnover

Every property has a private, secure homeowner portal — a mobile-optimized website that gives homeowners real-time visibility into their home. No app download required, no account creation, no password.

What homeowners see

• Property status badge — "All good" (green) or "Needs attention" (amber)
• Health score with context label
• Full visit reports for every completed visit, with photos and AI summary
• Open issues with current stage and photos
• Pending approvals — quote approval with one-tap Approve / Decline
• Message thread with you (two-way, real-time)
• Upcoming scheduled visits

Sharing the portal link

1. Open the property detail page

   Tap the property from the properties list or dashboard.
2. Tap "Share Portal Link"

   The link is copied to your clipboard. Send it to the homeowner by text, email, or however they prefer.
3. Tell them to bookmark it

   The homeowner should bookmark the link — they'll use it every time they want to check on their home. The link never expires unless you regenerate it.

Security

The portal URL contains a 48-character cryptographically random token. It's not guessable and not tied to any public index. The homeowner accesses it exactly like a private document link — no account required, but only someone with the link can view it.

Issue approvals in the portal

When you send a vendor quote for homeowner approval, the homeowner sees it in their portal with an Approve and Decline button. Tapping Approve advances the issue in your pipeline automatically. No phone call required.

Every property has a private two-way message thread between you and the homeowner. Messages appear in both the operator app and the homeowner portal in real time.

Sending a message

From any property detail page, tap Send Message. Or go to Inbox and open the thread for that property. Type your message and tap Send.

Photo messages

Tap the camera icon in the message composer to attach a photo. Photos are especially useful for quick visual updates: "Just finished your HVAC filter — here's the old one" or "Here's what the pool equipment looks like today."

Video messages Pro

On Pro plans, the video icon appears in the message composer. Record directly from your phone's camera or attach an existing video. Video messages are particularly powerful for showing issues in context — a 30-second video can communicate what 10 photos and 200 words struggle to convey.

Message templates

Go to Settings → Message Templates to create canned responses for common situations: visit completion confirmations, issue notifications, pre-arrival prep reminders, seasonal greetings. Select a template in any thread by tapping the template icon.

Unread message indicators

Unread homeowner messages show a badge on the property card, in the sidebar inbox count, and on the message button within the property detail page. You'll never miss a homeowner reply.

On Pro plans, every completed visit can generate a professionally branded PDF report — your company colors, your logo, the property photo, health score, AI summary, full checklist with photos, and any open issues. It looks like a $500/month service delivered it.

Generating a PDF report

1. Open a completed visit

   The visit must be marked Complete. In-progress visits don't have a PDF option.
2. Tap "Download Branded PDF"

   A new browser tab opens with your fully branded report rendered as a printable HTML document.
3. Save as PDF

   In the print dialog (or from the "Save as PDF" button on the page), set Destination to "Save as PDF" and Layout to Portrait. The PDF saves to your device.
4. Send to the homeowner

   Email the PDF directly to the homeowner as a professional deliverable, or share it via the messaging thread.

What's in the PDF

• Cover page: company logo, "PROPERTY INSPECTION REPORT" header, property photo, homeowner and date details
• Summary section: health score ring, items completed, photos taken, AI-written summary
• Full checklist: every item documented, checkmarks, notes, inline photos
• Issues page (if any): each issue with photo, description, and current stage
• Footer on every page: company name, property, date, "Confidential"

Service plans

Go to Billing → Service Plans to create your standard pricing packages. Each plan has a name, description, monthly rate, and what's included. Common plans: Basic (biweekly), Standard (weekly), Premium (twice weekly + concierge).

Assigning a plan to a property

From the property detail page, scroll to Property Details and tap Edit. Select the service plan from the dropdown, or set a custom monthly rate. This feeds directly into the MRR calculation on your dashboard.

Creating an invoice

1. Go to Billing → + New Invoice

   Or create it from within a property's billing section.
2. Select the property

   The invoice pulls in the property's service plan details automatically as the first line item.
3. Add line items

   Add additional line items for one-time services, extra visits, repair coordination fees, etc.
4. Set the period and due date

   Set the billing period (e.g., January 2026) and the due date.
5. Add a Stripe payment link (optional)

   Paste a Stripe payment link into the invoice and the homeowner sees a "Pay Now" button in their portal.

Invoice statuses

• Draft — Not yet sent to the homeowner
• Outstanding — Sent to the homeowner, awaiting payment
• Paid — Payment confirmed (mark manually or auto-updated via Stripe webhook)
• Overdue — Outstanding invoice past the due date (flagged automatically)

MRR & ARR tracking

Your dashboard MRR banner is calculated automatically from the monthly rates on all active property service plans. No manual entry needed. ARR is MRR × 12. The month-over-month percentage reflects the change in total portfolio value since last month.

Pro plans support unlimited team members. Each team member gets their own access code (called a "tech passcode") and sees a restricted dashboard showing only their assigned properties and visits.

Adding a team member

1. Go to Settings → Team → + Add Team Member
2. Enter their name and role

   Roles: Field Technician (inspection only) or Manager (broader access). More role granularity available in Settings.
3. Share their tech passcode

   HomeWatchOS generates a unique passcode for each team member. Share it with them — they enter it on the workspace login screen along with your workspace code to access their restricted dashboard.

Field technician view

When a tech logs in, they see only:

• Their assigned visits for today and the coming week
• The properties they're assigned to
• The inspection checklist for each visit
• The ability to GPS check-in, complete inspections, and log issues

They do not see billing, team management, settings, MRR, or other operators' properties.

Assigning visits to technicians

When creating or editing a visit, select the technician from the "Assign to" dropdown. The visit appears in their dashboard and is attributed to them in the report ("Inspected by [Name]").

Company branding

Go to Settings → Company. Set your:

• Company name — appears on all reports and homeowner-facing screens
• Logo — appears on PDF reports and the homeowner portal header
• Accent color — your brand color used throughout the app and on generated PDFs (defaults to HomeWatchOS blue if not set)
• Glyph / icon — a short symbol that appears in the app header (defaults to ◈)
• Contact info — phone, email, and website shown on reports

Default inspection checklist

Settings → Checklist lets you edit the standard inspection checklist that's used for all new visits. Add, remove, or reorder items. Changes apply to all future visits. Existing completed checklists are not retroactively changed.

Checklist zones (recommended structure):

• Exterior — roof visible, gutters, windows, doors, driveway, landscaping
• Garage — door operation, interior condition
• Entry & common areas
• Kitchen — appliances, under-sink plumbing
• Bathrooms — plumbing, fixtures
• Bedrooms
• Laundry
• HVAC — filter, operation, thermostat setting
• Water heater
• Electrical panel
• Pool / spa (if applicable)
• Security system

Notification preferences

Settings → Notifications controls when homeowners receive email alerts: visit completed, issue found, issue resolved, new message. Per-property overrides are available on each property detail page under "Notification preferences."

Data import / CSV

Settings → Import allows bulk property upload from a CSV file. Column format: Name, Address, City, Owner Name, Owner Email, Phone, Plan. Download the template from the import screen.

Pro plans can connect HomeWatchOS to external tools via webhooks — automatically triggered HTTP requests whenever specific events occur. The primary integration is with Rankapro for automated Google review requests.

Setting up a webhook

1. Go to Settings → Webhooks → + Add Webhook
2. Enter the webhook URL

   The endpoint that should receive the event. For Rankapro, this is your Rankapro webhook URL from their dashboard.
3. Enter the secret (optional but recommended)

   A shared secret used to sign the webhook payload — lets the receiving service verify the request came from HomeWatchOS.
4. Select events to trigger on

   Choose which events fire this webhook. Most common: visit_complete (triggers a review request after each completed visit).

Available webhook events

• visit_complete — fires when a visit is marked completed
• issue_found — fires when a new issue is logged
• issue_resolved — fires when an issue is closed
• issue_approved — fires when a homeowner approves a quote

Webhook payload

Each webhook POST contains a JSON body with: event type, timestamp, property details (name, city, state), and relevant event data (visit duration, issue title, etc.). All payloads are HMAC-SHA256 signed with your secret key for security verification.

Rankapro integration

Rankapro automatically sends Google review requests to homeowners after completed visits. Connect it in 3 steps:

1. Create a Rankapro account at rankapro.io
2. Copy your Rankapro webhook URL
3. Paste it into HomeWatchOS → Settings → Webhooks, select the visit_complete event, and save

From that point, every time you complete a visit, Rankapro automatically sends a review request to the homeowner. Review accumulation becomes automatic.

The Pro plan costs $27/month and is locked for life if you upgrade during the early access window. Regular price is $57/month.

Upgrading from within the app

1. Tap any Pro-gated feature

   A "PRO" badge appears on video message, PDF report, and webhook features. Tapping any of them opens the upgrade modal.
2. Or go to Settings → Plan → Upgrade to Pro
3. Tap "Upgrade to Pro — $27/month"

   You're taken to Stripe's secure checkout. Your card information is handled entirely by Stripe — HomeWatchOS never sees your card details.
4. Complete payment on Stripe

   After payment, you're redirected back to the app. Your workspace is immediately upgraded to Pro.

What changes immediately after upgrade

• Property limit removed (add as many as you want)
• Team member limit removed
• AI summaries become unlimited
• Video messaging unlocked
• Branded PDF reports unlocked
• Webhooks unlocked

Subscription management

Your subscription is managed through Stripe. To update your payment method, view invoices, or cancel, contact support@homewatchos.com. Cancellation downgrades your account to Free at the end of the current billing period — your data is never deleted.

How your data is stored

HomeWatchOS stores all data in Netlify Blobs — a serverless cloud storage system. Your workspace data (properties, visits, issues, messages, billing) is stored under your workspace code and synced across all devices in real time.

Using HomeWatchOS on multiple devices

Open app.homewatchos.com on any device, enter your workspace code, and your full data loads immediately. Changes made on one device (a field tech completing an inspection) appear on your dashboard device within 30 seconds.

Offline behavior

HomeWatchOS requires an internet connection for full functionality. If you lose connectivity in the field:

• You can continue working through the current visit checklist if it was already loaded
• Photos taken are stored locally in the browser until connection is restored
• GPS check-in requires connectivity to record the timestamp to the cloud
• Full offline mode is planned for a future release

Browser storage

HomeWatchOS caches your most recent workspace data in your browser's local storage. This means your data loads instantly when you reopen the app — even before the cloud sync completes. If you clear your browser data, you'll need to reload from the cloud (just enter your workspace code).

Data backup

Your data lives in Netlify's infrastructure, which has built-in redundancy. There is currently no manual export feature — if you need a data backup, contact support and we'll provide a JSON export of your workspace.

Frequently asked questions

I forgot my workspace code. What do I do?

Unfortunately, workspace codes cannot be recovered if lost. There is no email-based password reset. This is why it's important to save your workspace code somewhere safe (password manager, written down) when you first create it. If you lose it, contact support@homewatchos.com — we may be able to help verify ownership and migrate your data to a new workspace.

Can homeowners log in directly?

Homeowners access their portal via a shared URL link — no login, no account, no app download. The URL contains a secure token that grants access to their specific property view only.

Can I use HomeWatchOS on my phone?

Yes. HomeWatchOS is a responsive web app that works on any modern browser on iOS or Android. For the best mobile experience on iPhone, open it in Safari and use "Add to Home Screen" to install it as a PWA — it behaves like a native app with a home screen icon.

How do I add a Stripe payment link to an invoice?

Create a payment link in your Stripe Dashboard (Stripe → Payment Links → Create). Copy the link and paste it into the "Stripe payment link" field on the invoice. The homeowner will see a "Pay Now" button in their portal.

My AI summary used the wrong tone. Can I edit it?

Yes. After generating an AI summary, the text appears in an editable field before you send the report. Edit it freely — adjust the tone, correct any details, or rewrite sections. Only the edited version is sent to the homeowner.

How do I give a field tech access?

Settings → Team → + Add Team Member. Set their name and role, and HomeWatchOS generates a tech passcode. The tech enters your workspace code + their tech passcode on the login screen to access their restricted dashboard.

Can I use HomeWatchOS for multiple businesses or brands?

Each workspace is one business. If you operate under multiple brands or in multiple markets, create separate workspaces with separate workspace codes. Each workspace has its own branding, data, and subscription.

Is my data private?

Yes. Your workspace data is only accessible to someone who knows your workspace code. The homeowner portal is only accessible to someone who has the specific secure portal URL. No data is shared between workspaces or made public.