readme Home and House sitting Worldwide

The service works as follows.

We place your details on the page for the area you are interested in -
including your preferences for dates & places
and your comments as to why a home owner should use you
to look after their home while they are away.

Home owners looking for a sitter
search our pages looking for a sitter who best meets their needs and will be available in their area during the required dates, then contact the suitable sitters and once references are checked, make mutually acceptable arrangements.

(Unfortunately, we do NOT act as a "matching" service
as this would prove too expensive for all concerned.)

You would normally arrive the day before the home owner leaves
for hand over etc. They could even pick you up from the airport if necessary and you could drop them off if they were flying out.

For a little mutual assistance, you save on accommodation costs &
they have their home occupied, looked after and pets cared for.

The concept of Housesitting has been very popular throughout
the world - Europe, UK, Canada, USA & NZ for a number of years.

Have a wonderful holiday.

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Hints

Charging Rent???

House sitting is generally on a rent-free basis however, should an owner request a rental, that is for negotiation between the sitter and owner.

Points to note:
Charging a formal rent and/or assigning utilities may cause unexpected problems

The following is a message from a Law student house sitter in Canberra

... where the homeowner signs over their ActewAGL client to a tenant, that ActewAGL here in Canberra alerts ACT Revenue who charge the expensive Land Tax. Also the house insurance becomes void.
The most serious event is this homeowner has an email tenancy contract where they agree to sign over the services, yet they do not register for Land Tax, and have no tenancy agreement and no bond registered.
Therefore any unscrupulous tenant can refuse to move out, and have legal
support. Legal tenants are bound to change over their driver's licence and bank details etc. They are expected to register on the electoral role, therefore the home owner is taken off the electoral role. ...It just gets worse for the homeowner who charges rent as ActewAGL and Telstra will not cut services.

Where I am aware of this I support House sitting as it keeps energy suppliers, Telstra, and ATO happy for the homeowner as 'their guest' remains in the house.

(Many thanks for the 'heads up' - should anyone be contemplating a rental agreement, perhaps a visit to a solicitor might be a good idea as each state has different laws - Danny)
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Advice for owners from a very experienced sitting couple

For Owners and Sitters, please remember, the arrangements you make are
mutually beneficial - not just for the benefit of the owner or the sitter.
A little friendly courtesy and assistance from both sides will make for a much more enjoyable experience for all.....

Dear Danny,

A few comments I have to make regarding the perspective of the house sitter, as opposed to the house owner. The site accentuates the requirements of the house owner, but not of what could be expected of them by the actual sitter.
Having 27 sits behind us we have an opinion to share perhaps.

Obviously anyone sitting a house with garden, pool and pets are saving a bundle in pet boarding and maintenance of garden and pool care, not to mention security and special requests. No payment has ever been offered to us, but the diversity of consideration is amazing. Our present sit ... for eight weeks is a prime example. A huge basket of champagne and nibbles was left out for us, basics of milk, bread and coffee. The cleaning materials were all new, including dishwasher detergent and laundry powder. There was a full canister of petrol for the mower, the car given for our use had a full tank. We are not required to pay utilities.

We have had sits where we have needed to work four hours a day, only dregs of cleaning materials, and a whole list of things we were expected to do, all for free of course. Considered as cheap caretakers. The pet food was not supplied for the length of time the owners were away and we were expected to provide it. This is one-sided. We felt exploited.
House sitters enjoy the opportunity of travelling and being part of a neighbourhood as opposed to a tourist, not for free accommodation, and also deserve consideration.

Another place we sat had removed the computer modem and had the telephone disconnected in case we would read their email or use the phone. (Imagine) A family member had a key and came when we were out to 'check'. The neighbours were also asked to keep an eye on us, how those curtains twitched! Everyone has bad experiences, but sometimes they stick in one's mind and can really mar any future plans for sitting.

Danny, perhaps you might consider to give some guidelines of sitters needs on the website, after all, we do provide the service!

Off to the US again in four week's time, for six months. We have enjoyed OZ as ever.
Kind regards, (Names supplied)
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For sitters from an experienced sitter

May I offer other house sitters a general tip?
When you collect the mail each day write the date on the envelope as that
makes it easy to know what came when.

House-sitting is all about responsibility, be aware sitting is not a 'free-rent' ride and
stick to your instructions. A little mutual respect and small effort goes a long way.

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HINTS FOR HOUSE SITTERS

We have been actively house sitting for 2½ years, have enjoyed the experiences, loved the animals with a passion and offer some hints for those considering house sitting or looking for sitters. We have not found any other guidelines and the following are our personal thoughts that may help.

TRUST IS A MAJOR FACTOR for both the sitter and house owner.
No money changes hands and in the majority of cases beloved pets are a main feature of house sitting.

OUR AIMS are:

To provide a caring and loving environment for pets

To care for the property and gardens as we would our own

To get to know and be involved with local communities

To hand back a pet sad to see us go but pleased his people are home and a house and garden in as good or better condition than when we took over.

WHAT WE DO

ANSWER EMAILS PROMPTLY even if you can’t accommodate a request and sometimes this can be several a week. We were amazed that people do not reply.

OFFER REFERENCES although we have found they are rarely taken up.

IF YOU CAN DO A SIT there will probably be a few emails and phone calls and a chance to get to know each other.

We endeavour to meet our “sittees” before the requested date for a few reasons:

Ensuring we are suitable for their needs

To meet the pets

To arrange a hand over (can be at this visit) before they leave and a time for us to arrive on the hand over day. Most are off on overseas travel and we fel the last thing anyone needs before the flight is a handover and get to know you session.

For us to feel comfortable with the environment. We have never had a problem but have heard an odd horror story.

To leave a check list to be filled out prior to our arrival for hand over. This includes pet routines, emergency contact numbers, services, mail forwarding, position of water, power, gas mains and pumps.

PET FOOD is usually left to cover the length of holiday or regular pre paid arrangements made for fresh food supplies. If we need to buy we keep dockets.

CAR TRAVEL we check if the dogs are seasoned travellers and some have done a lot of site seeing with us.

VOLUNTEER ROSTERS we are happy to fill in for Meals on Wheels, Op shops etc. Get to know the locals this way.

WE SUPPLY all our own food (replace anything borrowed from freezer or pantry), personal needs, laundry needs.

WE USE house linen

House phone for local calls only. STD and O/S calls are made from pre paid cards or our mobile

Power and water as economically as we can

Cleaning products left or our own preferred items as there are not always supplies available. We have created a “sitting cleaning bag” over the time.

Gardening equipment. Ken usually adds a plant or two before he leaves.

Computer, mainly word processing. Some leave us some internet access

IF A BUSINESS IN INVOLVED we keep a running sheet of messages and a spreadsheet of finances. We will bank if required, arrange staff, do bookings, etc.

HOUSEHOLD INSURANCE most people let their insurance company know about house sitters caring for their property.

WE DO NOT give out phone contacts, unless requested to do so. We take messages, make the contact ourselves and hand on the message.

ON DEPARTURE DAY

Linen is changed and at least washed and on the line

We have a cuppa ready

We hand over, have a chat and leave that day. We feel that on return people need to do their own thing and we are ready to travel on.

We keep in touch with most families and visit when back in their areas. We are keen photographers and have some fantastic pet reference snaps.

We have a post box in Queensland and arrange our own mail redirections.

We do ask prospective “sittees” about caravan storage as we are Grey Nomads with our caravan “on our backs” If we cannot keep the van at the property we do ask the “sittees” to advise us on storage facilities in their area.

If you are “boiled egg” fans, take an egg cup with you!!

Happy Sitting it’s a wonderful way to meet people and enjoy community spirit

Rosemarie and Ken

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Thankyou so much for the constructive feedback - We really do hope both owners and sitters can work together in mutual appreciation of what should be a win-win situation.

Please check with / advise your Insurance Company
to ensure your property and contents remain fully covered.

Written Agreements
Particularly for extended periods, we recommend seeing your Solicitor
for drawing up an agreement to cover what is expected from each party.
A Solicitor can also provide a bond-holding service if required.
Your agreement should include the following:
(This is NOT a legal document but only a suggested starting point)
(Click here to download a copy)

Full names and addresses of parties.

Drivers licence details for identification

Dates of house sitting agreement

The Housesitter should arrive at an arranged time prior to the client’s departure to receive final instructions from the client.

The Housesitter will have the client’s home ready to welcome him/her upon return and report anything of importance occurred in his/her absence and account for any expenditure.

The Housesitter will leave at a time convenient to you both.

The client’s home must not be left unoccupied for any unreasonable amount of time – Specify.

Visitors are permitted however the Sitter is fully responsible for their actions and any possible results of their actions.

The Housesitter is not allowed to have parties at the client’s property – Specify.

Pets are to be attended to as agreed – Specify.

Home care and general maintenance standards – Specify.

If the Housesitter is taken seriously ill or for any other reason must leave for the property for an extended period, he/she must contact the owner immediately.

The Housesitter must never undertake anything which may result in damage to the client’s property. In case of a break down of any equipment which cannot easily be mended he/she must call in a professional or follow the prior instructions of the client. – Specify amount, preferred tradesmen, etc.

The Housesitter should only divulge the client’s whereabouts to persons specified by the client or follow his/her guidelines in this respect.

The Housesitter will be expected to pay for any private phone calls made during the stay. He/she must make a note of them. Consider carefully your STD needs before placing a bar.

The Housesitter must note and obtain receipts for any living and household expenses incurred during the house sit. Expenses will otherwise not be reimbursed. For extended terms, the housesitter would normally be responsible for power, gas, etc.

The owner should notify the Housesitter of any damage to the property or its contents prior to starting the assignment and he/she should make a note of same in writing. Should the Housesitter be responsible for any breakage during his/her stay, he/she will notify the owner.

FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the listing of homes available?
Home owners generally don't need to list a "wanted" ad as they can usually find someone suitable from our directory to make contact with directly. Should they not be able to, they may list a "wanted" ad for free. These are listed at the top of each states page under "find a sitter".
How long before I get a "sit"?
Like all forms of advertising, we unfortunately cannot guarantee success. We can however state that demand for house sitters is strong throughout Australia. Success, whilst dependant on the normal fluctuations in demand, is often reliant on the quality of your ad as a well written ad will attract the homeowners attention before a poorly written one. Some of our sitters, both in Australia and overseas, have had successful responses within 24 hours - although the average response time would be from 2 - 6 weeks.

Does one fee cover more than one destination?
Yes - one fee covers you for 12 months registration from receipt for as many areas in the world as you like
Why are you so much cheaper than some other organizations?
Mainly because we are an "on-line" directory which means we do not have printing costs, etc., but also because we feel a fee about the same as a reasonable newspaper ad is good value all round - with the benefit that your ad is viewable for more than just one weekend. (i.e.; 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for up to 12 months).
Can I change my details?
Yes - and it's free. A good idea if you are not getting the response you hoped for or if your preferences or details have changed - click here.
Are my details safe?
Your payment details will never be disclosed to a third party. We offer a secure registration form or the option to post or fax your details. Your name, preferences and contact details are obviously available for public viewing so the homeowner can select you but, should this be a concern, we recommend using only a first name, a mobile phone number and a hotmail email address.
Does it work?
Yes. Although we unfortunately cannot offer any guarantees, housesitting as a concept is proving successful and very beneficial to all parties. Testimonials from some of our satisfied homeowners and sitters can be viewed here.
What is the average length of a sit?
This varies greatly from 2 weeks to 2 years but the average would be 2 to 6 months.
Do I have to pay for electricity, phone, etc?
This is solely between you and the home owner and should be agreed upon in writing beforehand - see sample agreement. As a guide, for a short sit of 1 - 2 months, you should pay for your food and phone calls. For a longer sit, you should pay for the electricity, etc, that you use. You are, after all, getting free rent.
STD BARS - Think carefully and discuss this before placing a bar on STD especially if the house is in the country - There may be a valid reason for keeping STD access. We recommend a bond or for longer sits transferring the phone into the sitters name.
Paying Rent
Charging rent or assigning utilities "might" create unexpected problems - see here
How long have you been in operation?
We started in July 1999 as there didn't appear to be a fully on-line service that provided the homeowner with immediate access to potential sitters. Demand from overseas for a similar service became so great that we went "international" in June 2000. Demand continued to grow sufficiently to warrant our own Australian domain name separate to our other sites in August 2001, which resulted in this new web site with an easier to find internet address.

Sitter wanted ads can be found at the top of each states page - find a sitter

6 Tipuana Tce Gympie Qld 4570 Australia	PO Box 1212 Gympie Qld 4570 Australia
Ph/Fax 07 54828008	0407 348 185