Why we use a housesitter

Do you have a dog or cat, or perhaps a rabbit or chickens? Maybe you have a pristine garden or a fish pond. Regardless of what you have, how do you take care of them when you’re on vacation? Do you leave them in a pet boarding house and rely on neighbours or friends and family to tend to the garden. Or perhaps like us, you leave them in the care of a housesitter.

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This has worked out to be a great option for us and ideal for our loveable furbabies. But why would we invite a stranger into our home I hear you ask? We have an ageing dog who is deaf and whilst she is not in bad health, Sado is 17 and quite fixed in her ways. The stress of getting her into the car and taken off to a boarding kennel for a month or so would be quite terrifying for her. Leaving Sado at home, in her familiar surroundings works for her and is also much less expensive. At her age she is a companion dog and having a travelling couple who want the comfort of a home, maybe a few garden chores to occupy them and the companion of a loving dog is a positive outcome.

We also have a 13 year old Russian Blue cat who thinks she’s a ‘people’ just like us. She believes the house run around her whims, needs and wants and if truth be told, it probably does. We find there are many ‘grey nomads’ about who are missing their own pets and happy to move in with Sado and Annika and fulfill their needs. If they have been travelling for a while they certainly will be wanting the comforts of cooking in a fully equipped kitchen and to relax and potter about in a garden. It’s a fantastic way for them to save money and live as a local in a community neighbourhood. Housesitting would also be ideal if the pet had health issues and required a set routine for medication.

Update: Sado has since passed away and we now have a lively, energetic pup named Tilly who has also been a joy to housesitters who gave her not only love and attention in our absence, but also follow our training plan. We travelled to Japan for three weeks while she was quite young and we came home to a well disciplined dog and had no during our absence. During our 2nd trip to Japan Tilly came on heat while in the care of housesitters who were very reassuring, both to us and to Tilly. The sitter baked Red Velvet cupcakes to mark the occasion and gave us regular updates via Whatsapp.  Annika was ageing and not so demanding, but was getting quite fragile so again it was so important to us that she be allowed to stay in the comfort of her home while we were away.

Another plus is security. Having someone living in your home, coming and going is a way to prevent burglaries. It could also be a benefit, depending on your home insurance policy, as some policies do not cover if the home is unoccupied for 30 days or more.

It is a huge saving for the housesitter too, and often we find that they are quite keen to do minor maintenance and gardening chores. In the past we had chickens and at the time advertised our housesit came with the reward of fresh eggs each day for breakfast. Steve is also a keen gardener and our housesitters have the benefit of the fresh produce from the garden.

Living like a local always gives a great perspective of an area and is an ideal way to discover a new area whether it be city apartment living, country cottage, or a farm or beach location.

And while you are away your pets are getting walked each day and housesitters can provide regular updates by phone, email or social media. Whilst Annika is a clever cat and loves having a selfie taken, she doesn’t yet have her own Facebook page and can’t quite master the keyboard on her own. The housesitters can be available to accept a delivery, handy if you have purchased something and are having it sent home. They will also attend to bringing in the mail, watering, trimming, mowing, pool cleaning and generally keeping things pristine until your return.  All this is total peace of mind, which makes for a more relaxing vacation. And less stress on Sado and Annika making for a happy reunion when we return.

Engaging a trusted housesitter is the basis of happy, stress free pets and the ability to travel with peace of mind. So how do you find a sincere, kind and responsible housesitter? To source housesitters with credible references, police clearances and detailed profiles we use Aussie Housesitters. This site allows us to find sitters online by flicking through many people, from a young couple saving for a first home, families having extensive renovations and grey nomads who are slow travelling around the country.

We place an advert advising details of our home, the dates we need someone and any other relevant details (like free eggs).  This is where you need complete honestly with what you are looking for, what your expectations are, what your living style is. If you have a relaxed, rustic and lived in style or you are OCD and can eat off your floors then you will want a housesitter who will maintain your home accordingly. Compile a shortlist and meet somewhere away from our home for coffee or arrange a skype meeting. By doing this you are only divulging your address once you have selected the housesitter.

Of course it needs to be a two way agreement, the housesitter needs to be clear of your expectations, they need to provide references, ask about any concerns, be honest about if they are happy with the standard of living, the dynamics of the neighbourhood and if they believe it is a good fit for them.  Once they accept and they arrive to commence the housesit make them welcome and wait to see their smiles and the tails wagging.

Put together a motel style information pack of essential information for the housesitter advising things like how to use your appliances like heating, air conditioning, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher and oven. List where the local amenities are, what day to put the bins out, emergency contact, itinerary, insurance details, vet contact details and Wi-Fi password. We had a contract stating conditions like date of housesit, if utilities would be paid and made clear any house rules. We made known our wishes not to allow visitors to our home in our absence and you could advise if you have any rooms that are off limits. We wrote a little pet bio giving any info that may make the housesit smoother for them, like any quirky habits our furbabies might have, what they eat, how much they should be fed, where it is stored and  basic pet guidelines, like only feed the pets in their bowls, no hand feeding scraps, no animals on the beds or lounge. This is where Annika thinks she’s a ‘people’ and considers this rule is only for Sado.

Have a family member and close friend as emergency contact and leave spare keys with them and advise a neighbour that a housesitter will be staying in your absence.  We like to include some tourist information too, like a district map, information on shopping centres, transport and restaurants. Make known any schedule that you may have with contractors for mowing, cleaning, pool testing and cleaning or mobile car servicing and dog wash.  Leave the keys for your vehicle, if you want the housesitter to start the car weekly and make it very clear if you give permission for the vehicle to be used in your absence. Make sure you have advised your insurance if you give permission.

Gather  your valuables and private papers and put them in the safe. You may prefer a locked cupboard for larger valuables. Do a spring clean of the house and yard, stock up on pet supplies and clean the fridge. Ensure the guest bedroom has fresh linen and space in the closest and drawers for their clothes. We like to make up a little hotel pack on the bed with towels and hotel toiletries. Always make sure basic supplies like soap, toilet paper, coffee, tea and fresh milk are available for the housesitter’s arrival.

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Show the housesitter where the fuse box and water meter are and explain your expectations of reasonable usage if you are covering the cost of utilities. Explain your cleaning regime, any quirks or preferred products you use, let them know where vacuum cleaner, cleaning products and the iron and ironing board are stored. If the housesitter is expected to maintain the garden and lawns ensure the mower starts, leave mower, petrol and any special instructions.  Ensure the housesitter is provided clear instructions on how to operate the alarm system.

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We often have friends or family question how we could allow a stranger into our home while we are away, but for us we find housesitters a practical solution. This is a much better option rather than burdening friends or family who may become overwhelmed and realise it is a hassle for them. We rely on our intuition and gut instincts when meeting applicants and making our selection. The outcome results in a bonus for us both. For the housesitter, we provide a free, comfortable home experience. For us, we leave for our trip with peace of mind knowing our beloved furbabies are in capable hands and with no money changing hands, we have more spending money for our vacation.

We have always returned to happy, healthy pets, a clean home and often have a lovely suprise from the housesitters. Either flowers, freshly cooked biscuits, a small gift and one who spoilt us with wine, cheese and crackers on the night of our return with a note saying there was bacon and eggs in the fridge for our breakfast. On our return from our last trip we found a warming curry (we arrived home, late afternoon in winter) and a fresh orange cake made from oranges from our garden. How thoughtful 🙂

How do you take care of your home and pets when you’re on vacation? Would you consider a housesitter?

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