Frequently Asked Questions By Multi-Family Apartment Owners

How do I book an appointment?

Booking an appointment is easy! Just go to our home page and enter your zip code. This will assist us with scheduling your appointment.

Next, choose the size of the property. We service single family homes and apartment buildings. You can book an appointment for apartment buildings up to 15 units directly on our site. We service larger buildings as well, but we request that you call (888) 764-5311 to schedule those due to the complexity of larger buildings.

Once you choose your property size, tell us a little about your property. How many square feet is the property? Are there multiple stories? Based upon the size of your property and how many stories, we will price your service.

It’s that easy! Once your appointment is booked, you can take it easy. We’ll take care of the rest.

How can HomeSmiles reduce my liability claims?

We can help you in many ways. Our services reduce exposure to liability by reducing safety and deferred maintenance claims against your company. We perform carbon monoxide and smoke alarm testing and logging to show that you have complied with California’s testing and logging requirements. This will also help you avoid high penalties that will occur for failure to comply with this California law. This also ensures that occupants will have early warning of carbon monoxide device failures and fires.

If there is an issue at a property and you cannot produce this log, you might as well close your doors as these claims are, simply put, “company killers.”

We also clean your dryer vents to reduce fire exposure. There were 2700 dryer vent fires last year in the US. If a dryer vent fire occurs at one of your properties and you haven’t cleaned it, the liability for your company can be devastating. Don’t let this happen to you. Automate your dryer vent cleaning with the HomeSmiles service.

We also pressure wash your car ports to avoid slip and fall claims from tenants. Remember, this is a common area and therefore, your responsibility. Our additional service points are designed to protect the property from deferred maintenance, which is also the responsibility of the property management company. See our News page for claims against property management companies for deferred maintenance.

Do you provide reports for completed carbon and smoke alarm testing as required by California law?

Yes, we do! As part of our service, we perform your required annual carbon monoxide and smoke alarm testing. We will also install additional carbon monoxide and smoke alarms, if necessary, for an additional cost. This protects your company from unwanted liability claims that arise from the failure to test and maintain carbon monoxide and smoke alarms annually as required by California law. Having HomeSmiles perform this service for you also gives the added protection of having a third-party vendor perform the testing and logging requirement, therefore making the report impartial, as opposed to having it performed by in-house staff.

How long does a service appointment take?

Most homes require about 3 hours of our technicians’ time. We can also service properties ranging from duplexes to 20+ unit buildings. The larger the property, the longer the service appointment requires. Our service teams consist of two technicians per HomeSmiles van. Our lead technician will service the interior of your property, our second technician will take care of the exterior items such as gutter cleaning, pressure washing, and window washing. Our technicians work in tandem to service your property to prevent deferred maintenance and keep the occupants safe.

When the service appointment is complete, our lead technician will check in with you to overview your completed list of service items. You will also receive a final report via email with a completed checklist of all service items completed, along with before and after photographs of select service items. If any additional issues with your property are discovered, our technician will overview them with you and cite them in the report if requested.

What if I don’t need all 18 Points of the HomeSmiles Annual Maintenance and Safety and Certification?

Not all properties need all 18 Points! Our pricing is based on the completion of the major service items: gutter cleaning, pressure washing, exterior window washing, furnace filter change, and water heater flush. Even though our list could be much shorter, we cover all these points just in case your property is one of those that needs all 18 service points. This way you can rest assured that your property is being protected against deferred maintenance and the occupants are safe and protected from hidden dangers. If your property requires all 18 points, then you are really taking full advantage of the HomeSmiles program!

What if I want to book a HomeSmiles service, but I just had my gutters done?

Not a problem at all. We will come out and perform our full 18 Point Service now and arrange a later date to come back and do your gutters for you as part of your package.

Can I have some area other than the driveway pressure washed?

Of course, we perform 400 square feet of pressure washing as part of our service. This consists of a 20’ x 20’ area. This can be your front porch, front walkway, back deck, or patio. You can also request that additional pressure washing be performed at the cost of $85 per hour. Our technicians can give you an estimate while they are on-site. Our technicians may have time to perform the additional pressure washing that day, or they may have to schedule a different day to come back and perform the additional work. If you know that you are going to require additional pressure washing, just let us know when you book your appointment. That way, we can get it all done on the day of service.

Are you a general contractor too?  

No, we are not. We know that most property owners already have a General Contractor to call upon. The issue is that most General Contractors are too busy to handle the smaller items that your properties require. That is why we “bundled” them all up into a single service, to cover all the items that your properties need to avoid deferred maintenance and keep the occupants safe. HomeSmiles is effectively a service cleaning company for all the major components of your property. Since we do not “alter, amend, or repair” your property, we are not required to have a General Contractor’s license.

Are you insured?

Yes, we are! HomeSmiles carries both commercial general liability, along with worker’s compensation insurance.

Do you run background checks on your technicians

Yes, we do! We perform background checks on all our HomeSmiles personnel.

Why is the HomeSmiles’ gutter cleaning service superior to other service providers?  

HomeSmiles uses a high-powered 15-horsepower vacuum to clean the gutters on your property from the ground. Your average gutter cleaning company doesn’t have this machine. Our gutter cleaning system has a camera and viewer screen to allow our technicians to operate the gutter cleaning system from the ground. This system keeps our technicians off your roof, avoiding damage to your shingles or water barrier paper. We also don’t use ladders, so your gutters and siding don’t get banged up or damaged.

Why is the HomeSmiles window washing service superior to regular window washing?

HomeSmiles uses a deionized water window cleaning machine. This machine is revolutionizing the window cleaning industry. This machine uses very large, high-efficiency filters that remove sediments and minerals from the water so we can use it to produce a streak free result on your exterior windows. Our service is superior to regular squeegee window cleaning because our machine also cleans your window frames, the mullions, and your window sills. Removal of built-up dirt and debris from your frames, mullions, and sills prevents dry rot, extends the useful life of your windows, and increases the curb appeal of your property.

Do you do the interior of the windows too?

Most people either have or know of a maid service that can do their interior windows, so we leave that service item to them. What the world needs is a single service provider for all of its annual home maintenance and safety needs; that’s what we do. We provide a complete home maintenance and safety service at flat rate pricing, depending on the size of your property and how many stories you have.

Can I just put my property on an annual service appointment?

Absolutely! We have many clients that have us service their home every year. This leaves them free to pursue their bliss and the things in life that are important to them. We just schedule their next service for them one year out and give them a reminder call or email a month in advance. These clients are “smiling” from ear to ear and have the peace of mind that comes from knowing that their homes and families are protected from deferred maintenance and hidden home dangers.