Why do we love house sitters? Many homes don’t like being left empty-sounds odd but the moment you turn off the heater, boiler etc the home decides to play-up? In the summer months often we find our trip to sunnier climes coincidentally coincides with a two week drought and we return to a sub Saharan rose bed.

Another huge driving factor is of course security; just knowing your neighbour is ‘keeping an eye out’ is not enough for many homeowners, the old ‘lights on a timer’ trick seems to be out-dated too.

How many of us pet owners prefer to leave our dogs and cats in the comfort of their own homes? I can see the market for house- sitters and the great advantage to us being over 50 is owners seem to like a more experienced sitter.

What’s in it for us? I hear you ask, I can’t imagine a house sitter would be a full-time job, the sporadic hours and perhaps the seasonality of it might be best suited for those of us who are either retired or semi-retired? Searching through the companies which offer the service pay can sometimes be in money however often in ‘free’ accommodation.

House- sitting could then be a great way of seeing the world while saving on the accommodation; you may have a yearning to visit a far-way land and live more like a local.

What do I have to do as a sitter?
You’ll be contracted to look after the house, keep it safe, tidy and in a good condition ‘til the owner returns. And on many occasions look after pets too. Expect to have yourself vetted and checked, I couldn’t imagine employing a house-sitting company which didn’t thoroughly check their applicants. I’d always read all the small print, and make sure I’m up for it before committing.

Will I get paid?
In most cases house-sitting is a straight swap, with no money changing hands for the house-sitters services. However on occasions the house-sitter may receive a small fee, also be prepared to pay a registration fee with most companies.

Who pays the bills during house-sitting?
This is sometimes negotiable between home-owner and house-sitter depending on the case and circumstances.

Where can I find house-sitting agencies?
The web seems to offer the usual myriad of choice and globally too.
HouseCarers was established back in October 2000 and lists house-sits around the world. At the time of writing, there were 249 available, mostly in Europe (6 in England), the USA and Australia. Home owners register for free, house-sitters can join for a membership fee.

TrustedHousesitters is another one of the larger house-sitting websites, we found on the web with thousands worldwide and over 500 in the UK. Registration fees and details can be found at https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/gb/

THE SMALL PRINT
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