Perch is a web app for owners who can't drop by. You inherited or bought a place you don't live near: the 1970s ranch, the family cabin, the pied-à-terre two flights away. You're renovating from a distance, the contractor texts you photos, and you forget which conversation said what. Or you own across a border, in France, the UK or Italy, with different rules and a different language. Perch organizes the work, helps you find the right people and lets you run the renovation from a distance.
First, get organized. Start with the address, then add what you have: an inspection PDF, photos, your worries. The first report comes back in 2 to 5 minutes with what's wrong, what to do first, who to call and what each phase will cost. Every finding names its source (your document, a photo or a public record) and how sure Perch is, and it says what it doesn't know. You can also start from a goal, like converting the loft or modernising the kitchen, and get a plan in order, with your budget and timeline.
Then find people who'll work with you from afar. Perch looks past license status to what matters at a distance: whether a contractor replies, and whether they'll coordinate by photo and text. Send structured quote requests and compare the answers line by line. When the best lead is a neighbor's recommendation, Perch helps you ask around, then checks the name that comes back against public registries, such as SIRENE and RGE in France or Companies House in the UK.
Then run the work without being there. Your contractors don't need accounts or an app: they tap a link, reply by WhatsApp, SMS or email as they always have, and the answer lands in your inbox, translated if you don't share a language. They clock in through a link with a time-stamped, geolocated photo, and a milestone counts as done when its photos land. When someone goes quiet, Perch drafts the follow-up. Once a week you get one digest: what moved, what's stuck and what needs a decision from you.
Perch exists because the founder's family bought a house in rural France. They're French, but almost all of them live abroad and no one lives near the house. The renovation ran on phone calls, because most artisans don't send updates on their own, and finding people was harder still: out there you find the good roofer by asking the neighbors.
Free covers one property, the first Property Report and an inbox for contractor messages, with no credit card. Premium is €19 a month, or €15 a month billed annually, VAT included in the EU, and adds unlimited reports, the AI Advisor, the Plan Builder, contractor validation, multiple properties and family sharing. Cancel anytime. Perch is hosted in the EU (Frankfurt) under GDPR, doesn't sell your data or train AI on your property records, and exports the whole record whenever you want to leave.