Frequently asked questions
1 What exactly is Astew?
Astew is a home management platform — a digital system for your property. When you sign up, the platform builds a complete profile of your home based on your address and a short setup process. From that profile, it generates a personalized maintenance schedule of 100+ tasks specific to your property — organized by month, quarter, season, and year.
It also gives you:
• A document vault — one place to store manuals, warranties, receipts, inspection reports, paint colors, and anything else related to your home
• Task reminders — notifications before maintenance is due, with step-by-step instructions so you know exactly what to do or what to ask a professional to do
• A home history report — a certified, timestamped record of your home's maintenance that you can export when you're ready to sell
• A connection to your contractor — they can see your schedule, get alerts before tasks are due, and reach out proactively instead of waiting for you to call
2 How does the setup work? How long does it take?
Setup takes about 15 minutes and happens in five steps:
• 1. Enter your address — the platform auto-fills your property data (year built, square footage, roof type, and more)
• 2. Confirm your property profile — review and correct any details that need updating
• 3. Scan your appliances — photograph the label on each major appliance; the AI reads the model number and loads the manual, maintenance schedule, and filter type automatically
• 4. Answer a few setup questions — HVAC filter size, water source, whether you have a septic system, and similar details that personalize your plan
• 5. Review your maintenance plan — your 100+ task schedule is ready and reminders begin automatically
The appliance scan is the most important step. It's what makes your maintenance plan specific to your home — not just a generic checklist.
3 Is my personal information private? Who can see what?
Your personal information is never shared with third parties or used for advertising. Here is exactly what your contractor can and cannot see:
Your contractor CAN see:
• Your maintenance schedule and task history
• Property profile (home age, systems, appliances)
• Any documents you explicitly choose to share
Your contractor CANNOT see:
• Your document vault contents (unless you share)
• Closed vault area (passwords, valuables, firearms)
• Your payment information
• Any personal or medical information
The document vault has two areas — an open area (shareable with your contractor on a per-document basis) and a closed area protected by a separate password that only you know. Nothing in the closed area is ever visible to anyone else.
4 What is the document vault and what should I put in it?
The document vault is a secure storage area inside your Astew account for everything related to your home. Think of it as a digital filing cabinet that stays with the house — not with you personally.
Good things to upload right away:
• Home inspection report — from when you purchased the home
• Homeowner's insurance policy and agent contact information
• Appliance warranties and purchase receipts
• Renovation permits and contractor invoices
• Paint colors and flooring types — useful when you're ready to touch up or remodel
• HOA documents — rules, fees, contact information
The closed area of the vault (protected by a separate password) is designed for sensitive items like password lists, valuables inventory, firearm records, and home safety plans like egress routes and safe room details.
When you sell your home, you can export your vault contents as part of your home history record — which gives buyers confidence and can increase the value of your sale.
5 What can my contractor actually do with my account?
Your contractor is connected to your account as your designated service professional. This gives them:
• Visibility into your maintenance schedule — they can see what tasks are coming up for your property
• Task alerts before you receive them — so they can reach out proactively rather than waiting for you to call
• Read-only access to your property profile — appliance details, home systems, and maintenance history
Your contractor cannot edit your profile, access your document vault, change your settings, or view your payment information. They also cannot see anything in the closed area of your vault — that is protected by a separate password that only you have.
If you ever want to change your contractor or remove them from your account, you can do so at any time from your settings.
6 What if I sell my home?
Astew is built with resale in mind. When you're ready to sell, you can export a certified home maintenance history report — a timestamped record of every task completed, every appliance tracked, and every system maintained during your ownership.
This report gives buyers confidence that the home has been properly maintained. It can reduce inspection surprises, increase buyer trust, and in many cases support a higher asking price.
If the buyer wants to continue using Astew, the entire digital record of the home — profile, task history, appliance records, and documents you choose to transfer — can be passed to the new owner with one click. The home keeps its history; you start fresh on your next property.
6 Can I add more than one property?
Yes. Premium subscribers can manage up to three properties under one account. This is useful if you own a vacation home, a rental property, or are managing a property for a family member.
Each property gets its own full profile, maintenance schedule, document vault, and task reminders. One property must be marked as your Primary. Additional properties can be given a custom name — for example, "Bay House" or "Mom's Place."
If you manage more than three properties, or if you're a landlord or property manager with a larger portfolio, multi-property tiers are available to support portfolio-scale use.
7 What happens to my account if I cancel?
You can cancel at any time — there is no long-term contract. Here is what happens when you cancel:
• Your access continues until the end of your current billing period — you are not cut off immediately
• Full refund available if you cancel within 7 calendar days of your initial signup
• No refund after day 7 — but your access continues to the end of the period you paid for
• Your data is retained for a period after cancellation so you can export anything you need
• Your contractor is notified that you are no longer on the platform
If you rejoin later, your property profile and history can be restored. We recommend exporting your maintenance history and document vault before cancelling so you have your records regardless.
8 Do I have to use the app to get value from this? I'm not very tech-savvy.
The app is designed to be simple. If you can take a photo with your phone and tap a few buttons, you can set up Astew. The platform does the heavy lifting — it pulls your property data from your address, reads your appliance labels automatically, and builds your maintenance plan without you needing to know what tasks to schedule or how often.
Once you're set up, the main thing you'll do is receive reminders and tap to mark tasks complete — or forward tasks to your contractor if you'd rather have them handled professionally.
Your contractor can also help you with setup if you get stuck. That's part of why they invited you — they can walk through the process with you in person if needed.
8 I've heard there's a revenue share program. Can I participate as a homeowner?
Yes. Astew has an open affiliate program available to anyone on the platform — including homeowners. When you sign up, you can request an Open Affiliate code. Once you have your code, you can start referring other homeowners, contractors, or real estate professionals and earn a commission on their subscriptions.
Here is how the Open Affiliate program works:
• Request your code — ask for an Open Affiliate code when you sign up or at any time from your account settings
• Share your link or code — send it to anyone you think would benefit from Astew: friends, neighbors, your real estate agent, or a contractor you've worked with
• Earn automatically — when someone signs up using your code, you earn a commission on their subscription every month for as long as they remain active on the platform
• No invoicing or chasing — commissions are calculated and paid out automatically each month
As an Open Affiliate, you earn 3% on contractor subscriptions you refer and 10% on direct homeowner subscriptions. There is no cap on how many people you can refer, and there is no cost to participate.
If you are a real estate professional — an agent, builder, property manager, inspector, or title or insurance professional — there is a dedicated RE Professional affiliate tier with an additional cascade commission on homeowner subscriptions under any contractor you refer. Ask your contractor or contact Astew directly to learn more about that program.