Terms of service

1. Website terms

By using this website you agree to these terms. The content here is provided for information only. Service descriptions and availability are indicative and may change; nothing on this site constitutes a binding offer, and a membership exists only once a Service Agreement has been signed by both parties.

Written material in the journal is general guidance about home maintenance, not professional advice about your specific property. It is not a substitute for a licensed inspector, engineer, roofer, plumber, electrician or insurance professional. Decisions about your home remain yours.

The text, design, photography, code and brand marks on this site belong to White Oak Stewardship and may not be copied or reused without permission.

2. What the service is

White Oak Stewardship provides scheduled visual inspection, documentation, vendor coordination and concierge support for private residences. Specifically, the service:

• Observes and documents the visible, accessible condition of a property
• Reports findings to the owner and escalates urgent findings by telephone
• Coordinates licensed vendors and verifies that agreed work was completed
• Prepares homes for arrivals, restocks, and performs concierge tasks at the applicable membership level

3. What the service is not

This is stated plainly because the boundary protects you as much as it protects us. White Oak Stewardship does not provide:

• Repairs, maintenance or trade work. Licensed contractors perform licensed work. We coordinate and verify it; we do not carry it out.
• A licensed home inspection. Inspections under these terms are visual condition checks, not the statutory inspection required for a sale, and they are not performed by a licensed home inspector.
• Security or alarm monitoring. Visits are scheduled and documented. They are not a patrol and not a substitute for a monitored alarm system.
• Continuous or 24/7 monitoring. Nothing is observed between scheduled visits. Owners are encouraged to install low-temperature and water sensors to cover that gap.
• Emergency response. Round-the-clock emergency coordination is not currently offered. Call emergency services first, always.
• Property management as defined by Georgia real estate law. We do not lease properties, collect rent, or act as a real estate broker or agent.
• Roof, attic or elevated access. Roofs are observed from the ground.

4. Memberships and billing

• Memberships are billed monthly in advance by credit card or bank transfer, on the enrolment date each month.
• Membership rates are quoted during your consultation and set out in your Service Agreement. The founding rate of $249 per month applies to the first ten Home Watch enrolments and is held for as long as that membership remains continuously active.
• À la carte and one-time services are quoted individually. An estimate is provided before work begins, and material variations are agreed before they are incurred.
• Third-party costs (groceries, supplies, vendor invoices) are passed through at cost and are additional to membership fees. Nothing is purchased on your behalf without prior approval.
• Rates may change with thirty days' written notice. A founding rate is not increased in this way while the membership remains active.
• Late payment may result in visits being suspended until the account is current.

5. Cancellation

There is no minimum term. Either party may cancel a membership with thirty days' written notice. Fees already paid for the current period are not refunded, and service continues through the period paid for. A founding rate does not survive a cancellation and re-enrolment once the ten founding places are filled.

White Oak Stewardship may decline or discontinue service where a property is unsafe, where access cannot reliably be obtained, or where the working relationship has broken down. Where that happens mid-period, unused fees are refunded pro rata.

6. Access and your responsibilities

You agree to:

• Provide accurate, current access information, and tell us promptly when codes, locks or alarm details change
• Maintain the property in a condition that can be safely entered and walked, including keeping the driveway passable
• Disclose known hazards: structural defects, aggressive animals, firearms, unsafe stairs or decking, hazardous materials
• Maintain your own property insurance; our coverage does not replace yours
• Tell us who else has access to the property, and inform your alarm company that White Oak Stewardship is an authorised contact
• Approve vendor work and expenditure promptly when asked

7. Scheduling and access failures

Visit frequency is set in your Service Agreement. Visits may be rescheduled for severe weather, impassable roads, illness or emergencies; where a scheduled visit cannot be made at all, it is made up or credited.

If we cannot gain entry because access details are wrong, a lock has been changed, or the property is obstructed, that counts as a completed visit and is not credited. Repeated access failures may result in suspension of service.

8. Liability

White Oak Stewardship performs its work with reasonable care and skill, and carries general liability insurance. Nothing in these terms excludes liability for our own negligence, for fraud, or for anything that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Subject to that, and stated frankly:

• A visual inspection identifies what is visible and accessible on the day. It cannot detect concealed defects, damage inside walls or under floors, or a failure that occurs after we leave.
• We are not liable for damage that occurs between scheduled visits, or for the acts, omissions or workmanship of third-party vendors, including vendors we coordinate on your behalf. Vendor work is contracted between you and the vendor.
• We are not liable for loss caused by inaccurate information provided to us, by an undisclosed hazard, or by a failure to act on a reported finding.
• Except where the law provides otherwise, our aggregate liability arising from the service in any twelve-month period is limited to the fees you paid us in that period.
• Neither party is liable for delay or failure caused by events beyond reasonable control, including severe weather, wildfire, flood, utility failure or road closure.

9. Confidentiality

Everything learned about your household in the course of the service is confidential. We do not photograph or publicise client properties, and we do not disclose your identity as a client without written permission. How your information is handled is set out in the privacy notice, which forms part of these terms.

10. Photography and recording

Inspection visits are documented by photograph and video. That media is created for you, stored securely, and used only for condition documentation and reporting. You may ask that specific rooms or areas be excluded. Media is never used in marketing.

11. Disputes

Raise any concern with us directly first. Most things are resolved in a phone call. These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Georgia, and any dispute not resolved between us will be brought in the courts of the county in which the property is located.

12. Changes

These terms may be updated; the date at the top reflects the current version. Changes affecting active memberships take effect on thirty days' written notice. Your signed Service Agreement is not altered by a change to this page.

13. Contact

White Oak Stewardship
North Georgia, United States
470-859-3583
contact@WhiteOakStewardship.com