How do both sides of the housesitting site build trust? What happens when breaches occur? What about cameras?

What is your housesitting site's policy towards banning members who violate fairness and common sense? What is your housesitting site's policy towards cameras? How are negative reviews handled?

This article looks at some case studies addressing these issues

Questions to ask yourself before housesitting

 Housesitting can be an exciting and rewarding experience, but ensuring you have all the necessary information before taking on the job is essential. To ensure successful housesitting, please ask yourself these critical questions before agreeing to take responsibility. By doing that, you'll be able to provide a safe and secure environment for your client's homes while they are away. With this in mind, here are some essential questions to consider before housesitting.

Housesitting should be Joyous.

Are you considering housesitting to make some extra money, or are you simply looking for an opportunity to explore a new place? International housesitting is primarily an exchange (Not paid), part of the booming sharing economy.

Read more - Is Housesitting Paid?

Knowing what questions you should ask yourself before taking on housesitting responsibility is essential.

Housesitting can be exciting and rewarding, but it also requires knowledge and preparation to ensure your clients’ homes are safe and secure while away. So read on for eight essential questions to consider before housesitting. Or we should say - house and pet sitting. Keeping pets happy is one of the prime reasons for homeowners looking for a sitter.

1. What are the expectations of your clients/hosts? Knowing what duties and responsibilities you’ll be expected to uphold while housesitting/petsitting is essential. For example, they expect you to provide security for their home, care for their pets, perform basic maintenance, or do something else entirely. Knowing precisely what your client expects from you will help ensure their expectations are met while away.

2. Do you have access to the necessary resources? Housesitting can be physically demanding, so you must have access to all the essential tools and supplies to keep your clients’ homes secure and functioning correctly during their absence.

3. Are you familiar with the area? Knowing the local attractions, the best places to eat, and emergency services in the area can come in handy if you’re house-sitting for a client/host who lives far away from home. This will help ensure your clients’ homes are secured and any potential emergencies are handled promptly.

4. What kind of pets and plants will you be responsible for? If your client has animals or plants that need to be taken care of while they’re away, it’s essential to understand the specific needs of each pet/plant before agreeing to take on the responsibility.

5. If you are paid to housesit, you will need Insurance, as you are operating as a business. But what kind of insurance do you have? House Sitting can be unpredictable, so it’s essential to make sure that you are fully insured in case any emergencies arise while your clients are away.

6. What is the length of the assignment? Knowing how long your housesitting assignment will last will help you plan accordingly and ensure that any additional tasks, such as pet sitting or maintenance, are taken care of promptly.

7. What is the payment structure? Before taking on any house-sitting assignment, confirming the exact payment terms is essential. Knowing how much you’ll be paid and when will ensure you adequately compensate for your time and effort.

8. What kind of references do you have? Good references are essential in the housesitting industry, so obtain them before taking on a job. This will help show potential clients that you are trustworthy and reliable.

Housesitting can be a great way to explore new places and make some extra money, but ensuring you have all the necessary information before taking on the job is important. Asking yourself these key questions will help ensure your house-sitting assignment succeeds!

By researching and considering these questions, you can ensure your house-sitting experience is enjoyable and rewarding. Good luck!

Good luck with your housesitting adventure! Hopefully, these questions have helped you better understand the responsibilities of a house sitter so that you can provide the best service for your clients. With these tips, you'll have a successful and rewarding housesitting experience.

Read Further Questions suggested by the ABC article on this topic.

Happy House-Sitting!

House sitting reviews are essential when inviting strangers to mind your home and Pets.

View verified two-way review following completed housesits. The Homeowner reviews the housesitter and the Homeowner reviews the housesitter. Members accumulate reviews to add to references and other documents. This increases each side's chances of success for future matching.

Housesit Near Niagra Falls 

For ideas on the type of feedback that is helpful for reviews browse recent reviews at the page below.

Be inspired and browse hundreds of reviews following successful housesits.

The Joys of Housesitting

A Home Without Going Home – Travel gets tiring and although we have no urge to settle down, it helps to have a rest from constant movement every now and again.

View from our terrace in Jacksonville

Read Erin's recent discovery of #housesitting:-

The Joys of Housesitting

This is our second house sitting assignment, and we’ve just arranged another in Japan. It’s proving ideal for our nomadic lifestyle for a number of reasons.

Simon with Mani the puppy while house sitting in Argentina

Preparing your Home for your House Sitter: - Handover, Walkthrough, Checklist, Tips

House sitting can be a great way to take care of your home while you’re away, but there are a few things to keep in mind to make sure the house sit goes smoothly for both sides.

By following these tips, you can help ensure that your home is taken care of and that you have a positive experience with house sitting. Have you ever done a house sit? What tips would you add?

Prepare your home for your housesitter, and make a checklist for your handover

House Sitting Guidelines: Everything You Need to Know

Becoming a House Sitter or Securing a Trusted Sitter for your home and pets.

House sitting is a great way to travel the world while taking care of someone else's home. However, there are a few things you need to know before you get started.

If you're thinking about becoming a house sitter, the first thing you need to do is create a profile on a trusted house sitting website. Once your profile is complete, take some time to browse through the available opportunities. When you find an option that interests you, reach out to the homeowner and introduce yourself. Be sure to include information about your house sitting experience and any references you may have.

If the homeowner decides to offer you the job, be sure to ask questions about the property and the expectations for your stay. It is also essential to get a copy of the house sitting agreement. This agreement should outline the duties you will be responsible for and the length of your stay.

Once you have all of the house sitting details squared away, it's time to start packing! Be sure to bring any items you will need to complete your duties, such as cleaning supplies or gardening tools. You should also pack a few personal items to make yourself feel at home.

Finally, remember to enjoy time as a house sitter! This is a unique opportunity to live in a new place and explore all it offers. So, be sure to take advantage of everything your new home offers, from the local sights to the hidden gems. So, Sir or Madam House Sitter, enjoy your new surroundings! 

House sitting is a great way to travel the world while taking care of someone else's home. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but as long as you follow these guidelines, you'll be sure to have a great experience. And who knows? You might even make some lifelong friends.

How do you find everything you need to know about house sitting, from finding opportunities to what to do if something goes wrong?

Here are some common questions about Housesitting

• What is house sitting?
• How much do house sitters cost?
• What do house sitters do?
• Finding House Sitting Jobs?
• What is the house sitting rate?
• Where are jobs for house sitters?
• How do I house sit Internationally?

You can find the answers to these questions and more at the resources below.

A great resource developed from 21 Years of House Sitter contributions answers the questions.

Responsilities, Expectations, Standards and Conventions of International House Sitting

Select a cracker portrait photo for your House Sitting Profile

 Add Credibilty and Trust to your Post

When people visit your profile, the first thing they will see is your profile photo. Make sure it's your best!

If you want to be a successful house sitter, make sure to upload a recent picture of yourself. This will help potential homeowners know who they're letting into their homes, and it will help build trust.

Check out our Tips for choosing the right portrait of you!

Tips for chosing the perfect Profile Portrait

What do you think makes a good profile photo?

Housecarers Photo Id Verification and other Security Measures

Photo ID verification adds an extra layer of protection for both sitters and homeowners. Photo ID verification allows homeowners to feel more secure that they are dealing with a real person and that the sitter has good intentions.

Member verification at Housecarers.com House Sitting

Expand your network and open up fresh opportunities for Slow Travel!

Our program can connect you with other house sitters and homeowners from across the globe. This can be an invaluable resource for expanding your network, finding new opportunities, and accessing unique experiences. This is a win-win situation for everyone involved. Whether you are a new or experienced house sitter, or a homeowner looking for a sitter taking part in our referral program is a no-brainer. Housecarers.com Referral Program

21.5 Years of House Sitting Questions and Answers

We have distilled 21.5 Years (Housecarers launched October 2000) of Member Feedback and questions into our updated FAQ. Here are 44 commonly asked Questions Answered in an easily accessible format.

21.5 Years of House sitting Questions and Answers Additional questions or comments welcome!

Young South Australians turning to full-time house sitting amid rental crisis | 7NEWS

View stories on how young Australians are stringing together Housesits. It means they can avoid rent, and save for a deposit on their own home. They build up a reputation and following, and are in demand as House and Pet sitters. This is a win for the homeowner and the housesitter. View Channel 7 house sitter video stories

Essential Links to get started as a House Sitter or to match with a live in Housesitter / Pet sitter

Get Started in House Sitting register for a no charge guest membership

Some niche pages for finding or listing as a Housesitter or Posting House sitting jobs

  

Some easy to remember secure places to list as a sitter, post a house/petsit assignment of find a sitter or housesit .

http://housesitters.com

http://housesitters.us

http://housesitting.com

http://housesitting.com

http://housesitting.com.au

http://petsitters.com.au

http://sydneyhousesitters.com.au

http://melbournehousesitters.com.au

 

Thank you Ian.  

I appreciate your service and thanks to you I have visited many interesting places and cared for so many lovely pets and beautiful gardens.

Once COVID has died down,  I look forward to further adventures thru your website. 

Blessings,   Ann S

Anne's Housecarers Profile username WestCoastCanadian

Hi Anne, 

Thank you for your support and service since 12-Jan-17 and for sharing your experiences!

Ian, Housecarers

Grandma Joy calls house sitting a day ... after visiting 60 countries and 40 states / provinces of USA and Canada Housesitting

 

Hello Ian,

After all these years, sadly I will not be renewing my membership this year. 

 At 80 years young, widowed for 5 years, and with my own house and garden to maintain, I no longer have the stamina to look after other people's animals or keep their houses, gardens or pools to the standard which is desired.

After many years of housesitting with my husband, who was the 'fix-it' man, and being a farmer originally was able to turn his hand to anything that was required, now there is no longer the will, or in current times, the same opportunity, to travel.

We visited 60 countries and house-sat in many of them, as well as 40 states in USA and Canada, and every state in Australia. I have lifelong friends all over the world and many happy memories.

I spent months travelling on my own in France, both housesitting, and working on farms and in B and B's,  house-sat in Norway Sweden and Denmark, my specialty being to look after diabetic cats who needed insulin injections twice daily at the same time of day, which dictated meal times and social activities.

Also Hong Kong, mainland China, Singapore and Malaysia, where blonde hair and blue eyes invited conversation and interest from locals.

I rounded up sheep in outback Western Australia wearing bright clothing, hot pink sneakers and carrying a matching hot pink umbrella, the sheep being so mesmerised - or, perhaps confused - against all expectations, went obediently into the holding pens.

 

There were snakes in the sofa we were sitting on! They escaped into the lounge room when we got up off the sofa, and in trying to escape outside, got trapped between the window glass and the glass sliding door...  Snakes eating the chicken eggs before we could collect them, or up in the rafters of the veranda. Some injured magpies required  hand feeding, and mice jumping out when the toaster was turned on. 

And of course many cats and dogs to be shampooed, walked, fed, and cuddled, and horses and cattle to be tended, to - many of whom (dogs and cats) turned up their noses in disdain when their owners returned, clearly indicating they'd rather stay with us.

I reorganised pantries and cupboards, packed up whole houses for owners moving interstate days after their return, picked fruit and vegetables and made jam and preserves, picked up thousands of macadamia nuts on the nut farm, and hundreds of avocados from the avocado farm, with trays and boxes kept in the bath for cool storage, made hundreds of beds, and washed countless floors.

The snake catching, mouse killing and spider eradication - as a city girl,  I left to others to deal with.

 

It's been wonderful Ian, and I thank you for all your hard work and organisation, making it possible for people to have such wonderful adventures. We have introduced so many people to Housecarers over the years.  Now I'm handing over to a new generation.

Thank you again,           Joy B  (Adelaide)

View Grandma_Joy housecarers profile 

Hi Joy,

Phew Joy, I am out of breath just reading of your energetic wandering and overcoming all the challenges along the way.

Thank you very much for your service and support over the years – since 29-Jun-03!

You were one of our early members.

 Also I love hearing your story and experiences – thank you so much for sharing. It all makes my efforts over the years worthwhile.

 All the best with your “retirement” from housesitting and I wish and pray for many more fruitful and filled years ahead for you.

Ian

23 Companies That Help You Travel The World For Free (And Might Pay You, Too)

 

 

Great resources for Travellers. And yes housesitting is one way of many to see the world for free.

See Forbes.com article below

 Forbes article on ways to see the world

Popular recent search results at www.housecarers.com

Here are some recent  popular search results at www.housecarers.com

Why not give them a try.

Dublin is a popular Housesit Location
. Demand for House Sitters is high

Find House Sitters available to housesit in Dublin Ireland.

Melbourne Night Shot

Melbourne is regularly ranked as one of the most liveable cities in the world. It is famous for the arts, resteraunts and cafe culture. Melbourne homeowners love to travel and  are always looking for reliable Housesitters for their home and pets.

Find House sitters available for Melbourne

Long-Term House-and petsitting surrounded by the beauties of nature; Forest, Vinosady Bratislavsky Slovaki

Many house sitters prefer Long Term Housesits.  Many housesitters are global nomads who work remotely.  A long term housesit will justify the cost of air travel. Housecarers has been matching homeowners in exotic desirable locations such as Costa Rica, Hawaii, France, Italy, Slovakia, Mexico and more since October 2000.

Find long term housesits (longer than 3 months) in locations around the world


Housecarers has been prominent in matching Homeowners with Housesitters throughout Europe

Housesit Sunny Languedoc-Roussillon, South of France, secluded villa and 2 acre garden, easy animal care and house sitting, 6 Weeks May 2020

Browse current Housesits in Europe... Sort by location, Duration, start date


Find Housesits in Canada

Find Housesits in Sydney

A Christmas to remember: House Sitting in Boulder Colorado

House and cat sitting for strangers as a cheaper way to see the world? Yep. It’s a thing. A thing I heard about nearly two years ago. And a thing I’ve been doing on and off since December 2017.

I’ve sat on both the east and west coasts, and in the mid-west. But my most memorable stay was in Boulder, Colorado, over the recent Christmas–New Year break. This was a sit I got through housecarers.com. I applied for the sit in September 2018 after returning from a two-month house and cat sitting adventure that took me all over the United States. I’m from Brisbane, Australia, where it’s anywhere from 85 to 95ºF on Christmas Day, and I thought it’d be nice to spend the holidays in the snow for once.

 Snow. But not on Christmas Day.

After Skyping the couple, I heard back from them the next day. I’d got the sit. It’s always a pleasant surprise when an American family picks the Australian-based sitter. Someone who’s some 7,500 miles away. Not even in the same hemisphere. But I think being Australian is also what helps me get these sits.

Fast forward to 23 December 2018. I was leaving Seattle, where I’d sat for another lady, due to arrive at Denver International Airport at 10.50pm. I’d missed my flight by five minutes. The gate doors had just closed. This was the first—and hopefully the last—time this has happened to me. After re-booking my flight for 6am the following morning, I contacted the homeowners to tell them I’d missed my flight. I felt terrible and thought this would jeopardise the rest of my stay. They were great about it. They said it wasn’t an issue because they were leaving on Christmas morning. This still gave us some time to go through everything together on Christmas Eve. And they were certain everything would work out as it should. And it did. Eventually.

I made sure I was at Sea-Tac Airport well ahead of my departure time. I wasn’t going to miss my flight again. Some hours later, I made it to Denver. I collected my hire car. Drove to Boulder. And got some groceries to eat on Christmas Day (sweet potato cupcakes, and sweet potato and herb ravioli). Then I began the 15-minute drive up the mountain. It was pitch black and I was very nervous about reversing off the side. Nearly 40 minutes later and I made it. Way later than my original ETA. But I made it.

Nika, the couple’s rescue cat

 The couple were really lovely about the late arrival that night. I unpacked my things and they walked me through the ins-and-outs of their amazing, architecturally designed hilltop home. I was then introduced to their rescue kitty, Nika. Nika remains my favourite out of the 20 or so cats I’ve looked after. I’ve looked after purebred Persians, Siamese kittens, feral-and-rehomed cats, and many rescue cats, but Nika wins hands down. I was told she liked to play a ‘game’ where you’d open one door, and Nika would run through the room expecting you to open the other door for her to run back out. We’d do this three or four times each day. I think she’d have you play this game all day every day if she had it her way. The couple then prepared a vegetarian dinner—which, being vegetarian, I really appreciated—for the three of us before calling it a night.

Christmas lights—gingerbread style—near downtown Boulder

And the sit begins

I woke up the next morning—Christmas Day—to a Christmas card and small gift. It was totally unexpected. But I really appreciated it. I was spending Christmas Day by myself after all. Very far from home. Just me and Nika. In a massive house atop a mountain. So a small gesture like this made my day. There was no snow on Christmas Day, sadly, but at least it wasn’t the 95ºF I have come to expect. It did, however, end up snowing for the next few days. And again on New Year’s Eve. The snow on New Year’s Eve was so bad I was actually snowed in. Or I could have risked it, like I did a few days before, and gone out that night. My car became stuck halfway up the mountain before a kind stranger stopped to tow me for the next mile. But this wasn’t an experience I wanted to re-live. This meant it was Netflix for the next 24 hours. Just me and Nika again. I’d say we were best friends by now.

 

A frozen lake in Nederland, half an hour outside Boulder

Despite the couple’s amazing property, the sit was very light on duties. Their neighbours were responsible for ploughing the driveway. And the only real responsibilities were to feed and look after Nika. Play with Nika. Check the mail each day. Bring in any packages. And clean up after myself. I’d also send regular photo and video updates on how Nika was doing. For a property of this size, I was very fortunate to have so few tasks and so much free time.

A sunset over Boulder County

Throughout my 10-day stay, I saw some amazing things. Eldorado Canyon State Park, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Paint Mines Interpretive Park, Central City and a frozen lake in Nederland. I enjoyed stopping in at the stores in and along Pearl Street Mall. Eating delicious Thai food from Thai Avenue and Aloy Thai. Photographing some of the most beautiful Christmas lights displays I’ve seen. And stopping to appreciate the natural landscape before continuing my drive home each afternoon.

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer on my drive to Central City

 After the sit

On 4 January 2019, it was time to head off. My house and cat sit in Boulder had come to an end. It was time to say goodbye to Nika and travel to my next stop, Los Angeles. I left at around 3am and messaged the owners to let them know everything had been taken care of and wished them safe travels back to Boulder.

 

What’s for breakfast?

I received a nice thank you message a few days later. They were very happy with how Nika had been treated—they said it was like they had never left her. Previous cat sitters hadn’t given Nika their full attention and it was sad to hear the couple had returned to a miserable kitty. It was nice to know I had restored their faith in having a stranger house and cat sit for them. I was told I was welcome back anytime. And I’d happily return. So for those of you who’ve ever considered international house sitting, just give it a go! I got the first house sit I applied for back in October 2017. And I’ve done 12 sits since then. Not only do you get to stay in some amazing places, you form friendships with people you wouldn’t have met otherwise. I keep in regular contact with about half the people I’ve sat for, and I’ve been invited to house and cat sit again for many of them.

Instagram: @madolline

LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/madollinegourley

Housecarers profile for Madolline