Rotorua, New Zealand Homeowner finds housesitter for fourth year in a row - for 4 month housesits

"This is the third time I have used this service, we go overseas for 4 months every year and I have been more than satisfied each
time with the house sitters we have had from this site. This year I have returned to a very happy cat, a well cared for house and garden.

This site takes all the hassle out of the whole
experience. Thankyou so much. I will continue to use this site in the years to come. ... kiwidane

View housesit posting for kiwidane, Rotoua, North Island New Zealand

We require a live in housesitter to take care of our lovely Burmese cat ,garden, indoor plants and our peaceful lakeside home situated 5 mins from the city centre whilst we are overseas

Sitter found at short notice for Carmichael Sacramento California housesit

"Thanks yet again for a successful booking of our housesit. All of your applicants are obviously above average. We do appreciate you so,Ian.... celesterarick56"


View Carmichael Sacramento California House sitting assignment

We have a beautiful,warm,comfy home in Carmichael, California with pool, enclosed hot tub,located across from a park, just blocks to the American River Bike Trail for exploring,walking,running,cycling or birdwatching.

We are centrally located in the Sacramento area for touring San Francisco, wine country, or north to Lake Tahoe & skiing.

We have a 12 yr old male Sheltie (Micky) & 5 yr old tuxedo
cat (Sylvia) who need loving care. They don't do well in a kennel.

Only pet lovers need apply.

Ruth Housesits around Newcastle NSW, while rebuiliding her Garden Suburb Home

"Hi HouseCarers.com

I have appreciated having my membership with you this year. I have been renovating my home and wanted to live somewhere else while it was going on. I am ready to come home now.

Thanks very much for a really great service!

One very Happy Sitter!

PS
I live at Garden Suburb, and sat Eleebana, and from that got work at Maryland and currently Morpeth (a bit too far away for comfort really), but I get home early Oct. Can't wait!

Ruth"


View profile of house sitting home renovator Ruth

Ruth house sat while renovating her home in Newcastle NSW.

Fraud Alert version 2

This is a recent variation to the Fraud Alert we posted previously.

Fraudsters from Nigeria are asking for sitters to look after their very well fitted out apartment in posh areas of London like

They then ask for a refundable security deposit to be sent to them to show a commitment from the housesitter. They falsely say this will be held by solicitor or lawyer and give bank details for transfer to the "lawyer".

Again they mainly use yahoo, hotmail and aol accounts and usually contact sitters directly. There were some ads posted at housecarers but they were quickly removed when spotted by astute members. They send pictures of the opulent apartment in London.

The bottom line - don't send money. A house sitting agreement should be signed by both parties. You should be able to call the homeowner in the country of the housesit. They always have a convincing story about why they cant be contacted directly.

Another easy way to check is to copy a phrase out of the proposal
and put it in quotes and do a google search:
eg

"i will then refer you to my agent in charge who will let you know all the necessary requirements"

There are a lot of fraud reporting sites that will have registered the frauds. They usualy try the same wordings at various sites around the internet and they get reported.

Here is a sample email (more will be posted):
Also below are the scam pictures of the opulent apartment

Here are the scammers pictures he stole to back up his scam

From: Jocelyn Pineault
Sent: Sunday, September 05, 2010 11:36 PM
Subject: Sitter


Hello Sitter,
I'm Mr Jocelyn Pineault i am a Project Engineer, resident in the UK and i live alone in my house, i run a consultancy outfit where i work as a consultant and project supervisor for construction companies worldwide, the nature of my job takes me around the world and i am presently on an official trip to three countries, which will take me away for about 3 months but flexible. I saw your listing along with others on the housecarers website and i think i have a special interest in you to be my house sitter.
I own a house that located on Trafalgar Road London SE10 9TZ UK. and thats where i live, its a 2 bedroom apartment and there is under croft parking and communal gardens which include a children play area.A balcony off the sitting room provides a delightful westerly aspect over the communal gardens, Kitchen/sitting room with fitted appliances, master bedroom with dressing area en-suite,fully furnished,fully equipped Kitchen, electric oven and hob, microwave, washer dryer, dishwasher and Bedroom 4 /gym etc.
The location is very quiet and romantic but just a 5 mins walk to the epicentre of Greenwich which is a vibrant Historic centre where you find an array of eateries, shops, pubs & cinema. Countless number of departmental stores for all your groceries to help with your self-catering. Easy access (mostly a short walk) to 5 different rail/tube/DLR Metro stations including North Greenwich tube station. Excellent Bus network both day & night. Few stops away is the o2 entertainment arena (walk if preferred). Travel to Central London is quick and easy with average journey time of about 15 mins. Local stations are in London travel zone 2 or 3.
The neighbors aren't far away, but the fence and plantings give lots of privacy, although as soon as i get back to the UK, i will leave the apartment for a larger one because i will be getting married and so it will be up for rent but pending the time that i am away for 2 months, i need a care taker/ house sitter, who will be in charge of taking care of the house while i am away, the occupant can also do some gardening on the large garden available during your time of stay if you want to. Phone and high speed internet(satellite) access are available, Ideal for someone with an existing income.
There will be plenty of free time to pursue your interests. No pets, parties,drugs, tobacco, problematic alcohol, illegal items, heavy scents, open flames. If i get a rental offer while you are there, you may be able to continue residing there because most properties need additional help.If you are interested in the offer please get back to me via my email address and we can talk about the terms and i will send you some photos too, on agreement with the terms, i will then refer you to my agent in charge who will let you know all the necessary requirements, if you are coming in from outside the UK, you will have to specify to the agent you will be referred to that you are from outside the UK so that you will be told the necessary steps to take.
I urgently need a prospective occupant, so get back to me if you are interested and we can continue from there.
I will expect your reply.
Warm Regards.
Jocelyn Pineault

Homeowner from Ringarooma North East Tasmania TAS Australia succesfully finds a House Sitter

"I would like to inform housecarers that we have been successful in finding a housesitter- in fact it was hard to choose as so many good people replied to our ad. Thankyou "

View details for housesitter needed Ringarooma North East Tasmania

Hervey Bay homeowners find a housesitter and are now free to go away more often

"Dear Housecarers.com just to say how impressed and overwhelmed we have been with your service. All replies seemed to be of a high standard, very difficult to choose. Have made our choice and will use your site again as we have just retired and are able to go away more often Many thanks," Gigidolly.

View details of housesit Hervey Bay QLD sitter needed

...House is about 300 metres from the sea, shopping centre about 500 metres.House was fully renovated 3 years ago

goldenvalleycarers booked in advance for their housesitting adventures in Brisbane QLD

"Thank you, it was a good housecarers year and we are almost booked up for next year as well.

Our housesits are and have been in Paddington, Brisbane
at the moment in Clear Mountain 6 to 9 months
than Ashgrove 4 months and Camp Mountain 6 to 8 months. all in the Brisbane area.

Regards Tom... goldenvalleycarers"

View house sitter profile for retirees goldenvalleycarers sitting around Brisbane QLD

Housesitters topcat see more of Queensland while housesitting around Australia

"Thank you once again housecarers. We now have another sit which will take us through to end Feb in Bundaburg Bundaburg Housesit... (June)topcat

View profile for housesitters Topcat - housesitting their way around Australia

Leaving Your Home Empty Could Leave You Uninsured

If you’re going on a long term holiday, work away for long periods of time or have another reason to leave a property vacant for a long period of time, it’s worth considering how doing these things can affect your home insurance – or more importantly, how they can completely invalidate it…

It’s not a particularly well known fact that nearly all home insurance policies will lapse if your home is left unoccupied for a long period of time – funnily enough, many providers keep quiet about things like this – which is probably somewhat of a worry for the half a million Brits who live abroad for half of the year, or the 300,000 people who head off on a gap year or career break every year. However, people going on a long holiday should also double check the small print on their policies, as many providers will allow for as little as 30 days of vacancy before they stop covering you, and in the best case scenario you will have 60 days before your insurance documents are worthless.

What’s interesting is that a more expensive policy doesn’t necessarily mean more cover: In sample home insurance quotes taken to cover a £150,000 Manchester (M20) Semi, with £35,000 of contents insurance and 5 years no claims discount, the second cheapest quote (At £138.18) provided 60 days of protection, whereas The most expensive (at £332.53) was almost 2.5 times more expensive, and offered half the amount of cover.

If you plan on going away for longer than two weeks, there are a number of things you should do to protect your home. First on your list should be contacting your insurer, as they will let you know of any precautions you should be aware of - although be aware that some may charge you an increased rate for the time you are away, although this varies from case to case. You should also cancel any milk or papers you have delivered, as these are key signs that the house is empty. Furthermore, if you keep an emergency key anywhere, give that to someone you trust and definitely don’t leave it within “hooking” reach of the letterbox. A light on a timer is also a good idea, but ideally having someone visit the home for a few hours a day is ultimately a better idea. Not only can they open and close curtains as needed, but they can also move post away from your front door, as well as feeding animals and watering plants for you – Or if you’ve got the right person to house sit for you, maybe even indulge in that noisy or obtrusive DIY job you need to get done but don’t want to live with.

The key thing to remember is to speak to your insurer before you leave – after all, you can make all the preparations in the world, but these are wasted if you’ve not done something else that the provider wants in the first place – and get someone who can keep tabs on the house, as not only could they save you extra costs in insurance premiums, they could also prevent having to make a claim.

Chris Spann
moneysupermarket.com Financial Group

House sitter found for Myrtle Creek, Oregon, with walks in the Woods, and beautiful view, peace and quiet, USA housesit

"I had no idea there were so many qualified house sitters out there and your site worked extremely well for us.
Thanks again,

Terry and Carol Myrtle Creek, Oregon

View details for house sitter required Myrtle Creek Oregon USA

Like animals, a beautiful view, peace and quiet? We live in a secluded - but easily accessed - location on 120 acres between Myrtle Creek and Roseburg, Oregon.


We have two parrots, two outdoor dogs (very friendly - and hard working) a cat, an aquarium, and a tortoise (no livestock).

We have a newer but modest house, with good internet access and a wonderful view. Lots of wildlife around but the dogs keep them from getting too close to the house. The house is three miles off of Interstate 5 with about one mile being well maintained unpaved road. We need a reliable person who will to be there every day for a minimum of four weeks but possibly six or more weeks. Non smoking is a plus but is allowable in one bedroom.

If you like to walk in the woods there is miles of it here.

House Sitter found for Mornington Peninsula House Sitting

"Many thanks for your wonderful service, through which I have met a very nice couple who are happy to care for my Goldie.

Best regards Betty (mygoldie1008)