Essential
$189/mo
One documented visit per month, report within 24 h.
All services & pricingCrossing your fingers isn’t a plan.
Secondary home caretaking in Sutton and the Eastern Townships. We stop by, check 40 points, and you get a time-stamped photo report — your insurer gets its visit log.
Book my free audit (20 min)
“We just cross our fingers that everything’s fine at the cottage until the next drive up.”
“We know everything’s fine at the cottage — the report just came in.”
What can go wrong while you’re away
Pick a season, click the house. Every marker shows what can break there — and who takes care of it.
Where to start?
Every marker on the house opens the list of what can go wrong there in the season you picked — and what we do about it.
Roof
Ice dams
Winter
Heavy snow load
Winter
Shingles torn off by wind
SpringSummerFall
Leaks at the thaw
Spring
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Chimney
Leaking flashing
SpringSummerFall
Nest or animal in the flue
SpringSummer
Chimney sweep forgotten
Fall
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Gutters
Clogged with leaves
Fall
Torn down by ice
Winter
Disconnected downspout
SpringSummer
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Doors & windows
Signs of a break-in
All seasons
Broken window
SummerWinter
Frost and condensation
Winter
Door that won’t close
WinterSpring
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Plumbing
Frozen pipes that burst
Winter
Slow leak under a sink
All seasons
Leaking water heater
All seasons
A rough water turn-on
Spring
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Heating
Furnace or heat pump down
Winter
Propane or oil tank runs dry
WinterFall
Thermostat setting changed
All seasons
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Electrical
An outage nobody noticed
WinterSummer
Tripped breaker
All seasons
Chewed wiring
FallWinter
Silent alarms
All seasons
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Basement & foundation
Water in the basement at the melt
Spring
Sump pump failure
SpringSummer
Humidity and mould
Summer
Pests moving in
FallWinter
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Well & septic
Well pump cycling on its own
All seasons
Well water worth testing
Spring
Septic tank due for pumping
SummerFall
Frozen septic line
Winter
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Deck & dock
Dock shoved by the ice
Spring
Dock and furniture left out
Fall
Rotten boards, loose railing
SummerSpring
Snow piled on the deck
Winter
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Trees & grounds
Branch on the roof or the lines
All seasons
Dead tree leaning in
SummerFall
Runoff toward the house
Spring
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Driveway & access
Driveway snowed in
Winter
Mail and parcels piling up
All seasons
Blocked culvert, washed-out driveway
SpringFall
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Power line
Branches brushing the line
SummerFall
Service mast torn off
Winter
Wire down on the ground
WinterSummer
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Fridge & freezer
Fridge or freezer failure
All seasons
Food spoiled after an outage
WinterSummer
Food left behind
SummerFall
Arriving to an empty fridge
All seasons
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Pets
A pet that can’t come with you
All seasons
An outage with a pet inside
WinterSummer
Ticks, skunks and porcupines
SpringSummerFall
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Wildlife
Bears and raccoons in the bins
SpringSummerFall
Skunk or groundhog under the deck
SpringSummer
Squirrels or bats in the attic
FallWinter
Porcupine chewing the wood
WinterSpring
Beavers at the shore
SpringFall
Nothing in particular this season — but we still look at it on every visit.
Our services
A caretaking subscription, or a one-time service when you need it. Every visit ends with a time-stamped photo report within 24 hours — with our recommendations and, when you need them, the RBQ-licensed tradespeople to call.
Weekly reports — winter
Every week, November through April.
Year-round reports
Bi-weekly in summer, weekly in winter.
Single visit
One full visit, no subscription. $200.
Fall closing
Pipes drained, antifreeze. From $485.
Spring opening
Water back on, winter damage checked.
Post-storm check
We stop by after ice, snow or high winds.
Arrival prep
Heat up, driveway cleared, fridge stocked.
Tradespeople coordination
We meet the roofer, check the work, document it.
Extras on request
Deliveries, bins, watering, mail, pets.
How it works
- 1
We come by, regularly
Weekly, bi-weekly or on demand, depending on your plan. We live here year-round — no rotating subcontractors.
- 2
We check the house
Heating, water main, plumbing, roof, windows, basement, signs of pests — the same 40-point list, every visit.
- 3
You get a professional visit report
Within 24 hours: time-stamped photos, that day’s weather, and our recommendations — what needs attention now, what can wait. Plus the RBQ-licensed tradespeople to call when you need them. It doubles as your visit log.
A report you can count on
This is what your visit report looks like — the one you receive after every visit. The essentials in 30 seconds, every finding prioritized with estimated cost and required decision, what was done on site, and the next visit.
Are you sure you’re covered?
Empty for a few weeks in winter with no visits? Your water damage may not be covered. Our reports are the visit log most Québec insurers expect for homes left unoccupied in winter.
What does it cost per day when urgent damage goes unnoticed?
Pick a type of damage, tell us how often someone stops by, and see what each unchecked day costs.
Peace of mind doesn’t cost much
Winter
$299/mo × 6
Nov.–April, weekly visits. Prepaid: $1,595.
All services & pricingAnnual
Prepaid: $1,945/yr
The peace-of-mind choice — about $5.33 a day, year-round.
All services & pricingPrices before tax — GST and QST are added.
We’re from here — and so are the people who stop by
Mr. Lantern is a family business. Joaquim, trilingual (FR · EN · ES), is based in Sutton — here year-round, no call centre. We look after second homes across the Eastern Townships (Estrie): in Sutton, Dunham, Frelighsburg, Abercorn, Brome Lake/Knowlton and Potton.
- Family business — owned by the Miró family
- FR · EN · ES
The municipalities we serve
We’re based in Sutton, in Estrie, in the heart of the Eastern Townships. Our regular rounds cover southern Brome-Missisquoi; the rest of the MRC, Memphrémagog and Haute-Yamaska are served on request.
Core territory — regular rounds
- Sutton
- Dunham
- Frelighsburg
- Abercorn
- Brome Lake (Knowlton)
- Potton (Mansonville)
Elsewhere in Brome-Missisquoi — on request
- Bromont
- Cowansville
- Farnham
- East Farnham
- Brigham
- Brome
- West Bolton
- Bedford
- Bedford (Township)
- Saint-Armand
- Stanbridge East
- Stanbridge Station
- Notre-Dame-de-Stanbridge
- Saint-Ignace-de-Stanbridge
- Sainte-Sabine
- Pike River
Memphrémagog and Haute-Yamaska — on request, within an hour of Sutton
- East Bolton
- Saint-Étienne-de-Bolton
- Eastman
- Austin
- Stukely-Sud
- Orford
- Magog
- Waterloo
- Shefford
- Warden
- Granby
- Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby
- Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford
- Sainte-Cécile-de-Milton
- Roxton Pond
Don’t see your municipality? Write to us — if it’s within an hour of Sutton, we’ll figure it out.
The free pre-winter audit — 20 minutes, zero strings
We look at your situation; you leave with a clear list of what needs attention before winter. Even if you never become a client.
Book my free audit (20 min)