Frequently Asked Questions

SafeGuard provides professional home safety inspections, smart home device installation, and electrical assessments — exclusively for homeowners 55 and older. Our annual membership covers a comprehensive visit once per year, and we offer a wide range of add-on services from panel torque and cleaning to whole-home generator installation.

Every inspection is performed personally by Dan Hogan — Washington State Master Electrician, former government electrical inspector, and SafeGuard's founder. We don't send different technicians on different days. When you're a SafeGuard member, you know exactly who is coming to your home.

SafeGuard is a home safety service company founded and operated by a licensed Washington State Master Electrician. Our inspections are more thorough than a standard home inspection in the areas we cover — particularly electrical — because they're performed by someone at the highest level of electrical licensing. We are not a general home inspection service, and we focus specifically on life safety systems and smart home protection.

We currently serve active adult and gated communities throughout Vancouver, WA and Clark County. Contact us with your community name and we'll let you know if we're already serving your area or discuss how to get started.

Members receive priority scheduling, a comprehensive annual inspection covering all life safety systems, a Certificate of Inspection for insurance purposes, and access to their SafeGuard Customer Portal where all inspection records are stored permanently. One-time service customers can access add-on services like panel inspections and smart home installation, but don't receive the annual comprehensive inspection or portal access.

Absolutely. SafeGuard works with your existing devices and systems. Our annual inspection will verify that existing devices are functioning correctly and recommend upgrades where appropriate.

Yes. A responsible adult — such as a family member, neighbor, or property manager — can be present in your place. We just ask that someone who can make decisions about the property be available for the duration of the inspection.

Yes. For communities of 10 or more homes, we offer group pricing. Contact us to discuss scheduling and rates for your community.

Absolutely — that's actually one of SafeGuard's most important commitments. We don't just install devices and hand you a manual. We set up every device, connect it to your smartphone or tablet, and walk you through how to use it before we leave. If something comes up afterward, you can call us directly.

Most do not. The Nest Protect, Nest Thermostat, and Lutron Caseta systems do not require monthly subscriptions for their core functions. The Flo by Moen device has an optional premium subscription for enhanced features, but the core monitoring and auto-shutoff capabilities work without it.

This is an important question. WiFi-dependent devices like Flo by Moen and Nest Protect will lose connectivity during a power outage unless you have a backup power source. SafeGuard offers tiered backup solutions — from a simple UPS battery backup for your router, all the way up to a Generac whole-home standby generator that keeps every system running automatically. We'll help you choose the right level of protection for your situation and budget.

SafeGuard uses a professional FLIR thermal camera for all infrared panel scans. All IR images are saved to your SafeGuard Customer Portal, date-stamped, and compared year-over-year to identify developing issues.

A standard home inspection is a visual survey performed by a generalist — it doesn't include torquing conductors, testing individual circuits, or infrared scanning. Most home inspectors are not electricians. SafeGuard's panel service is performed by a Master Electrician using calibrated tools and professional thermal imaging. It's a fundamentally different level of inspection.

A double tap occurs when two separate electrical circuits are connected to a single circuit breaker that's only rated for one. It's a code violation and a fire hazard — the breaker can't properly protect both circuits simultaneously. It's very common in older homes and homes that have had amateur electrical work. SafeGuard identifies and documents every double tap found during inspection.

Yes. As a licensed Washington State Master Electrician, Dan can perform electrical repairs on the spot or schedule them for a follow-up visit. Any repair work is quoted in writing before it begins.