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Disclaimer: Advisory services only • Not legal/financial advice • Consult independent counsel • See Terms
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We vet, contract, and oversee caretakers for absentee-owned property. Contracts are drafted so the caretaker acts as your agent — not the possessor — protecting you from the single biggest NRI property risk.
Most NRI property disputes involve a caretaker gone wrong. Here's how it usually plays out.
Recommendations from local contacts are often well-meaning but uninformed. Past criminal history, prior property disputes, and character references need formal verification — not a village-level reference check.
A poorly-drafted caretaker agreement can be interpreted as a licence, tenancy, or even a partnership. Any of these can escalate into adverse-possession claims after 10+ years. The contract language is the protection.
A caretaker hired and forgotten is a caretaker making their own rules. Without scheduled reports, surprise visits, and a third party to answer to, small issues (missed repairs, unauthorized guests, cash-pilfering) compound over years.
From brief to onboarding — and ongoing oversight after.
Consultation to define scope — residential caretaker vs. orchard watchman vs. general property steward — hours, duties, reporting expectations, compensation band.
Candidates sourced through our vetted network. Police verification, Aadhaar/ID check, prior-employer reference verification, character references documented.
Advocate-drafted contract clearly establishing agent status (not possession/tenancy). On-site onboarding with property handover checklist. Emergency contact protocol.
Monthly reporting cadence — photos, logs, expense reconciliation. Quarterly surprise visits by Hill Link team. Replacement guarantee if performance drifts.
Placement with ongoing legal and operational protection.
Depends on role scope and location
A good caretaker is your agent on-site: monthly site inspection with dated photos, seasonal gate/wall/roof checks, encroachment-attempt reporting within 48 hours, tenant/vendor liaison when you're not present, and coordination with patwari and tehsildar on revenue matters. They do not make decisions; they provide documented eyes and hands. Our contracts define scope explicitly so nothing is left to interpretation.
Not when the contract is drafted correctly. Indian law recognises that a licensee or agent cannot convert to owner by mere long occupation (see Kaanoon.com case-law digest and Specific Relief Act precedents). Our contracts explicitly establish agent-not-possessor status, include periodic written acknowledgment clauses, register the caretaker's role with the revenue patwari where appropriate, and maintain a dated photo-log trail — four layers of defence against the adverse-possession risk.
Four-step vetting: (1) Aadhaar + police verification (PVC) submitted for Uttarakhand Police CCTNS check, (2) two independent reference calls with prior employers, (3) financial-distress screen (court cases, credit stress markers, land disputes in their own name), (4) trial engagement of 30 days with documented tasks before the formal contract is signed. Background package is shared with you before placement.
Salary depends on plot size, scope, and location. For a standard 250–500 sq m residential plot in accessible districts (Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital foothills) it typically ranges ₹8,000–₹15,000/month plus a small festival bonus. Remote hill districts (Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Pithoragarh) command 30–50% higher because of travel and weather. You pay the caretaker directly — we don't mark up their salary. Hill Link's placement fee is one-time.
Within the first 90 days we replace at no additional placement fee. After 90 days, replacement is charged at a reduced fee because the baseline is already documented. In parallel, Hill Link sends a formal revocation notice to the outgoing caretaker to close out the agent relationship cleanly and flag the revenue patwari. You are never left with an ambiguous occupancy.
Governing legal clauses
Tell us about your property and what you need the caretaker to do — we'll scope the right placement.