It’s also very beneficial for pets. Take photos of any transport options provided and the odometer, before use. Whether you’re the homeowner or the house sitter, these benefits can be hard to beat. When a transaction is entered into without payment, the parties involved often find it harder to lay down firm details of the house sitter responsibilities. Aussie House Sitters is our go to house sitting website when we are in Australia.It has got the biggest range of available sits in Australia out of any website. We suggest you create a Book of the House or a House Sitter Handbook. The exception may be for long term house sitters where there is an agreement to pay the utilities - typically on sits of longer than 6 months. A free community resource for house sitters and pet owners. Sometimes home owners and house sitters exceed house sitting expectations, going above and beyond in their levels of care, generosity and consideration. Who will take care of your pets? This is the article you are currently reading. Whether you’re a homeowner looking for a house sitter or you’re interested in house sitting (or both), there are many benefits you can enjoy. What to expect from house-sitting: PAYING House sitters also get to enjoy the amenities inside the home for free. Do they need you to pay for utilities? But likewise, your house sitters may have incurred a hefty charge for airfares. Australia's largest House Sitting site. Lodgers - If you have a lodger, boarder, or elderly relative living in the property, in an adjoining house or within the grounds, it is courteous to discuss this with the house sitters in advance. House Sitting Best Practices Part 2 - During the Sit In last week's video, we shared house sitting best practices before the sit gets going. We as house sitters, take over responsibilities when a homeowner is unable to. For example, if you plan to leave for a long period of time, then utilities could be paid in exchange for housing and simple house chores. How to find the best house sitting website for your needs, 5. Leaving unpaid utility bills for sitters to pay - Utilities such as gas, electric and water, should all be paid up-to-date, and provision made for settling ongoing bills. While planning your big trip may be fun, there’s a lot to worry about. You’re living in strangers’ homes for an extended period of time, so you want to be respectful of their expectations and your own. Mar 24, 2019 - Have you enough house sitting etiquette to do the job right? They may want a house sit report periodically while they're away. You meet fantastic people and wonderful pets. If an emergency situation means that you have no choice but to leave early, try to find a suitable replacement and do a handover if possible. House sitting may be the perfect solution to put all your worries to rest. How to meet each others' house sit expectations, House sitting skills - Basic swimming pool maintenance. Any House-sitting Guide will tell you that the House-sitting community works on the currency of trust, and without that key ingredient none of it would be possible. Some sitters only sit locally, while others are happy to travel. For more on pool skills check out the previous article "House sitting skills - Basic swimming pool maintenance". However crazy you think your expectations are, the chances are there will be someone out there who thinks just like you, and who is happy to fulfill your requirements. They may have expectations of the position. A written house sitting agreement is even better and doesn't have to involve a legal house sitting contract - just a list of what is expected during and at the end of the house sitting job that you have all agreed on. So the growth spurt of house-sitting in the past few years has put that circle of trust to the test. Some sitters don't worry about cameras, others will, but it's fair to disclose cameras in initial conversations or even in your profile. Many owners will say no - this is quite normal. All of these situations can be avoided if you enter into a house sitting agreement with integrity, and you are honest with each other about what you expect. Coming in at $84 AUD it is a little bit cheaper than Trusted House sitters, and a much better option for those looking to only house sit i Australia. To see all Mindahome house sitting positions in the United Kingdom click the map icon above and then zoom in to your preferred location. How to find the best house sitting website for your needs. Changing the pets' diet or feeding "human" food when you've been specifically asked not to - This can cause discomfort for the pets and unwanted sickness or diarrhea - neither of which are pleasant to clean up. Confirm your expectations. Now that security equipment is much more affordable, it's important that as a house sitter you ask about this as early as possible in the discussions, so that there are no surprises. Just FYI, house sitting (which does involve staying in the client's home) should be considered a premium service because you are not only taking care of their furbaby (walks, feeding, playing,, etc.) Getting Started: What is house sitting and is it for me? Trust is more easily built in smaller communities, at least that’s our experience. Typically a sitter would provide either drop-ins or house sitting rather than a combination of the two. This may include taking care of pets, look after the home and keeping it clean and tidy, organizing occasional maintenance in the event of something going wrong, and generally making sure that everything runs smoothly, just as if the owner was at home. As the name suggests, a house sitter is someone who stays at your home while you’re away. Put most simply, house sitting is an exchange of services between a homeowner and a house sitter. 4. They want their pets cared for, fed and exercised in much the same way that they themselves would look after their fur families. This will contain all of the details of your home and expectations. They want to return to a clean and tidy home, with happy pets and a well tended pool, garden or outside area. Is Fluffy a lap dog or a steak-eating behemoth? Remember this is a two way exchange, both the home owner and the house sitter should feel equally happy about the house sit. But for example, I recently heard of a house sitter who left dogs outside the house at night, when they were considered indoor dogs. Maybe the house sitter duties weren't clearly defined, or there was a misinterpretation about what the house owner should provide. Unpaid care of a B&B, Airbnb, hotel or rental business - Looking after a business with no payment is a no-no for many house sitters, who are very clear that this is a job, not a house sit. Taking an assignment with pets when you have no intention of looking after them as the home owner has advised. If you see glassware or crockery that you think might be expensive or difficult to replace, avoid using it. We've got everything you need to know to get started! However, if your pets are cats, you may be lucky enough to have the homeowner confirm that an overnight stay is fine. Paid staff - Don't retain the services of a house keeper, gardener or other staff and expect the house sitter to personally pay their wages without prior discussion. House sitting is based on trust and having references make it easier for a homeowner to trust you, a complete stranger, in their home. Manage expectations. A house sitter checklist changes with every assignment. One topic that arises over and over is that of "unrealistic" house sitting expectations from either the house sitter or the home owner. Building work with unacceptable noise - Don't knowingly move out of the home to go on vacation because of building work in your house, on adjoining land, or in a neighbour's home. If it's within your means, then paying the flight cancellation fee would be very much appreciated. If you can't avoid a late arrival, keep your homeowners informed and arrange an alternative handover. Asking for a deposit when the house sitters arrive - This must always be disclosed at the outset as many sitters will choose to decline the assignment if a deposit is requested. There were also a few house sitting opportunities in Spain (14). 7. Price: $119 per year. Laura R. ( 2016-06-07 17:48:53 -0600 ) edit Add A Comment What is house sitting? This typically means that a homeowner is traveling for work, going on vacation, or attending an event. Discuss how long the pets can be left when you have your interview. What are the responsibilities of a home and pet owner? For instance, while one person may categorically say they don't sleep with pets in the bed, many are happy to accommodate this. Uninvited guests - It's generally NOT OK to have friends or family visit or stay, without prior permission from the owners. Emptying the pool - If the property is listed as having a pool, don't empty it prior to the house sitters arrival, just to save on pool cleaning and maintenance costs. Be respectful in this situation. This goes against the trust that is the basis of a house sitting arrangement. Exclusive for Travel With Bender readers. But, they may have food items that they've bought from home that are especially difficult to import or replace, and so get very upset (rightly so) if these are eaten without permission. It's only when you aren't honest and don't communicate your expectations clearly (and this is as much for home owners as house sitters), that misunderstandings occur. house-sitting definition: 1. the act of staying in someone's house while they are away in order to keep it safe: 2. the act…. We were once left mountain bikes, but were asked to have them serviced before leaving, if used extensively. We can't stress enough how important it is to always take house sitting commitments seriously. Copyright 2021 AZ Big Media. If required by insurance, provide the option to switch off monitoring while in the house and re-activate when out, like an alarm - even if this involves covering the cameras. Turning the swimming pool green - Don't allow this to happen just because you didn't have the appropriate skills to maintain a pool, or you neglected to regularly do what was required to keep the chemical levels balanced. What is house sitting and what are the expectations? ... And before you know it, you’ll rack up a slew of house sitting references which will provide you with the big advantage you need next time you apply for a house sit. House sitting expectations of sitters are less easy to define, but as a minimum they would hope: I hear you saying that this all sounds like simple common sense... and it is! House sitting is our favorite way to stay when traveling. Let them know you plan to do this in advance and perhaps give them the opportunity to maintain the pool or pay to have it maintained. And... what do house sitters do? It's an opportunity to travel the world with a free place to stay in exchange for taking care of a home owners’ property and pets while they are away. Similarly, don't move furniture unless you plan to replace it when you leave. While many will welcome the help, some people are extremely uncomfortable having staff in the house, and dealing with their pay, especially when it involves a different language. Full disclosure should always be made, and any arrangements to split the income, pay a stipend, or salary, should be clearly discussed and agreed (I would suggest in writing) well before the assignment begins. Not all house sitters are comfortable pet sitting, especially if you’re pet needs special attention or medication. House sitters & pet sitters look after the pets, home & garden while the home owner is away. Final Thoughts on House Sitting as a Way to Save Money on Travel Coffee denmark family travel home schooling House Sitting Hygge kids travel learning Legos mom blog round the world travel travel travel blog Trusted Housesitters world schooling Danish Hygge and What We Learned in Being Calm and Cozy Posted on April 15, 2018. Arriving late or leaving early - Arriving late should be avoided at all costs. Aussie House Sitters is our go to house sitting website when we are in Australia.It has got the biggest range of available sits in Australia out of any website. Rearranging homeowner cupboards and drawers - However untidy you think they are, leave well alone. We’ve completed nearly 40 house sits around the world and are shari They may lock a room or just request that you don't use it. Take photos so that you can put it back in exactly the right position. Let's talk about subjective, unrealistic house sitting situations. Are you a pet lover looking for a house sitting adventure? House-sitting is a great way to get to know a city/area really well. Pets are happier at home Adding pets without notifying sitters in advance - Whilst it's admirable to adopt or foster rescue dogs, it is not acceptable to expect a house sitter to unexpectedly deal with additional animals without notification. As a gesture you could pay for alternative accommodation, help them find another house sitting option, or put them up while they organize their alternative accommodation. They want to leave their home and pets with people they can really trust and rely on. Well, by mutual agreement the sitters get to live with no accommodation charges in exchange for house sitting responsibilities. 3. ... As the homeowner, you should carefully consider your personal requirements and expectations. Our Thoughts on Aussie House Sitters. Consider the financial implications and the mental distress of your actions. Own up to breakages - accidents happen. Many house sitting agencies arrange services for the mutual benefit of the person watching the house and the house owners. The more expectations you meet, the more likely the home-owner will be to leave you in charge and, carefree, go away on holiday. This means that by simply letting someone stay in your home, you can enjoy all these benefits for free! How to get started as an international house sitter, 4. The house sitter then has all the information they need to know and you can rest easy knowing you have covered all the bases. Today, we're … You aren't staying in a hotel - it's somebody's treasured home. Your needs are important too, so don’t feel bad assuring this sit won’t have any unexpected surprises before it’s too late! Pet sitting is about maintaining routines, not introducing new ones that cause disruption. Map search option. As house sitters, if you want something akin to a luxury Airbnb, fully cleaned and serviced, this might not be the best option for you. A house sitter aims to provide that stability, a valuable service in exchange for free accommodation. A house sitting agreement is helpful in clarifying the owner’s expectations and ensures both parties are clear on the terms of the arrangement. A home should always be left as clean, if not cleaner than when you arrived. We would add that this should be disclosed asap and not left until the handover, which is technically before the sit commences! Help desk in her mind, a valuable service in exchange for house sitting and. 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