Home watch & care for owners abroad
Your home in Porto, looked after while you are away.
Someone you trust visits your house on a fixed rhythm, keeps it in order, deals with what needs dealing with — and tells you, in writing, the same day.
Porto · Matosinhos · Gaia · Espinho · Vila do Conde · Póvoa de Varzim
Why owners call us
A closed house is never really at rest.
Damp rises through a winter. A failed seal lets water run behind a wall for weeks. A storm lifts a roof tile in November and you find out in June.
Almost everything that damages a second home is slow, quiet and inexpensive to fix — if somebody sees it early. Atalaian is that somebody: a local team that knows your house, visits it on a fixed schedule, handles what can be handled, and reports back the same day.
Visit report
Same day- Property
- Leça da Palmeira · ATL-014
- Visit
- Thursday, 09:40–10:25
- Since last visit
- Two storms, 61 mm
An example of the report that reaches you the same day.
What we do
Four things, done properly.
Watch
- Scheduled inspection visits
- The same checklist every time
- Damp, leaks, roof, windows, alarm
- Meter readings and mail
- An extra visit after serious storms
Maintain
- Small repairs on the spot
- Seals, hinges, filters, dehumidifiers
- Trusted trades for anything larger
- We meet them, stay, and check the work
Hold
- Keys and alarm codes held securely
- Every entry and exit logged
- Never handed on without your written word
- Bills, condominium and insurance liaison
Prepare
- Maintenance cleaning between visits
- The house aired, warm and clean before you land
- Beds made, basics in the fridge
- Closed down properly after you leave
What we are not: we are not a rental or short-let manager, not a cleaning company, and not builders. We inspect, record, escalate and coordinate — we do not promise that nothing will ever go wrong.
Care plans
Choose the rhythm. The rest is the same.
Every plan is built on the same visit, the same checklist and the same written report. What changes is how often we come, and how much we take off your hands.
Essential
- One inspection visit a month
- Same-day photo report
- Key holding and access
- Mail collected
- Emergency contact in business hours
Comfort
- Two inspection visits a month
- An extra visit after serious storms
- Maintenance cleaning each month
- Small repairs included
- Trades met and supervised
- One arrival preparation a year
Premium
- Weekly visits
- Cleaning every two weeks
- Garden and outdoor oversight
- Bills, condominium and insurance
- Arrival preparation whenever you come
- Extended-hours emergency cover
Each house is different, so we price after seeing it. Tell us where it is and how often you are here, and we will send a written proposal within 48 hours of the first visit.
Without a plan
Presence — we go, when you need someone there.
Not every owner needs a monthly rhythm. Sometimes you simply need a trusted person at the house on a given morning: to let in a contractor, to take a delivery, to sit in a condominium meeting, or to look at the house after a storm. Presence is that, on its own — booked when you need it, charged by the hour, with no contract and no commitment to use it again.
We open and close the house, stay for as long as we agreed, photograph what matters and send you a short written note the same day. Travel inside Porto, Matosinhos, Leça, Foz, Gaia, Espinho, Vila do Conde and Póvoa de Varzim is included.
What owners use it for
- Letting in a plumber, electrician or surveyor
- Receiving a delivery or a furniture installation
- Attending a condominium meeting and reporting back
- A check after a storm, or before you arrive
- Meter readings and utility or insurance visits
Monday to Friday, 08:00–19:00, booked at least 48 hours ahead. Repairs, cleaning and purchases on your behalf are not included, and we never take a decision in your name — at a condominium meeting we attend and report, and vote only with your written authority.
Why Atalaian
Trust is the whole product.
We know these houses
Atalaian comes out of SHI Studio, which has furnished and fitted high-end homes in Porto for years. We know how they are built and who to call when something fails.
Insured and contracted
Professional liability insurance, a written agreement, a photographic baseline before we start, and a clear limit on what we may spend without asking you.
Discreet by rule
We never say a house is empty. Keys are coded, never marked with an address, and never handed to anyone without your written word.
Built for this coast
Salt, damp and Atlantic storms are what damage homes here. Our checklist is built around them, not copied from somewhere inland.
Before you write to us
Questions owners ask
What exactly is home watch?
Scheduled visits to a house that is empty for most of the year. We inspect it against a fixed checklist, photograph what matters, handle small things on the spot, bring in trusted trades for anything larger, and send you a written report the same day. It is not rental management, not cleaning on its own, and not building work.
Which areas do you cover?
Porto, Foz do Douro, Matosinhos, Leça da Palmeira, Vila Nova de Gaia, Espinho, Vila do Conde and Póvoa de Varzim. Travel inside that area is included. For a house outside it, ask us — we will tell you honestly whether we can look after it properly.
How often do you visit?
Once a month, twice a month or weekly, depending on the plan you choose, plus an extra visit after serious storms. If you do not want a plan at all, Presence is a single visit booked when you need someone there, charged by the hour.
What does it cost?
Every house is different, so we price after seeing it. Tell us where it is and how often you are in Portugal, and you will have a written proposal within 48 hours of the first visit. Nothing above €250 is ever spent without your written approval.
Who holds the keys, and how are they kept?
We do, in a secured key store. Keys and alarm codes are coded, never marked with an address, every entry and exit is logged, and they are never handed to anyone without your written word. We never disclose that a house is unoccupied.
What languages do you work in?
English, Portuguese and French — reports, proposals and everyday contact. Most of our owners live abroad, so everything is written to be read from a distance.