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SCW Posse volunteers keep tabs on vactioners’ homes

Winter visitors begin travels

Posted 5/5/21

The soon-to-be exodus of homeowners from Sun City West will kick the Posse volunteer Vacation Watch program into full swing.

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SCW Posse volunteers keep tabs on vactioners’ homes

Winter visitors begin travels

Posted

The soon-to-be exodus of homeowners from Sun City West will kick the Posse volunteer Vacation Watch program into full swing.

Each year thousands of residents temporarily leave their homes in Arizona for cooler climates or to be closer to family. Some depart for a few weeks and some for months.

One of the many services the Posse provides to residents is a free vacation watch house check while the homeowner is away.

It is a difficult job in the summer because it is all outside work and temperatures can reach 115 degrees. The initial house check is done within a few days after the owner leaves. This initial check is more time consuming because this is when Posse people find the most problems, such as open and unlocked doors, unlatched windows, patio doors not locked, etc. After that initial check, the homes are checked on a round-robin basis as often as possible.

This service is provided free by the Posse. However, Vacation Watch coordinator Lynn Connor does ask for the homeowner’s cooperation which makes their job and homeowner input much easier.

First, come in to the Posse Headquarters, 20450 Stardust Blvd., beginning immediately and register for the program. Residents are required to sign a one-time only signature card that authorizes Posse members to come onto their property to check the outside perimeter, including all doors and windows. This signature card will be permanently on file with the Posse, similar to a signature card filed with a bank. Forms are also available outside the Posse office front door and a locked mailbox can be used when forms are completed. The card must have a signature.

Once the vacation watch information and signature card are on file, the resident will only need to phone the Posse with date changes or any other important  changes, such as new keyholder information, emergency contacts or anything the Posse should be aware of about the property itself. The watch will end at the specified end date by the automated computer system.

Another way to sign up for the Vacation Watch program is to log into the Sun City West Posse website, go to the Vacation Watch tab and fill out the required form. Completing the form gives the Posse the same permission as the manually filled out signature card to physically be on your property. A reply will be sent to the registrant upon receipt.

Unlike past procedures, a separate card for each vacation watch leave and return will not be required. Posse officials said it is important to emphasize that a signature card must be on file before a house can be checked. No signature card means no entry onto a property.

Posse officials suggests residents have a designated keyholder on file who is able to get into the vacant home while they are gone in case of an emergency. If, for instance, there is an unlocked window, it would serve no purpose to telephone the owner in Minnesota or wherever they are because there is nothing that can be done about it. But if there is a neighbor or friend with the key, they can come over and secure the window. One of the best deterrents against any crime is vigilant neighbors.

Posse patrols also eyes roofs to see if there is any storm damage or possibly any irrigation leakage while they are checking the home. Several monsoon storms have come through Sun City West in past years knocking down trees and saguaros onto roofs, tearing off patio covers, blowing shingles all over yards; skylights have been blown out and in many instances allowed water to enter the home. Occasionally a hot water heater is leaking and water is pouring out the garage door.  Newspapers and flyers are collected and disposed of and any suspicious activity in or around a home is reported to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

Without keyholders and contact information in the confidential database, Posse officials spend countless hours trying to contact homeowners through neighbors, etc.

The Posse will also provide residents who sign up for the program with an information sheet entitled “When You Leave For Your Vacation” and a check list for preparing to leave.

Editor's Note: Jan Vejraska is the Public Information Officer with the Sheriff’s Posse of SCW.