 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi guys,
if all goes to plan we'll be away for 3 weeks next season which is the most we'd like to leave the house. However I'd like to do a couple of months in 2023 and we'd need a house sitter for this. I therefore thought this year might be a good opportunity to run a test.
Has anyone used a house-sitter to look after house, cats and chickens ? if so how did you find them ? did you use a web-site ? there are a couple that specialise UK house sitters that seem legit. and it seems to be more of a thing now that people can work from anywhere.
thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Possibly try motorhome forums as well if you are looking. As I understand it some retired people go "full time" and rent out their homes for income but do house sitting gigs particularly in winter months. Might depend on your parking capacity of course.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I'm signed up to trustedhousesitters.com Thought it might be a good way to see different parts of the UK and Europe without the expense of hotels, but family commitments currently take priority, so not done it yet.
Looks like a properly run site.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I know somebody who has done several sits on trustedhousesitters.com - for several people who have had a whole series of sitters. It generally seems to work quite well.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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thanks@brianatab, I had looked at that site but was put off because when you put in your location it gives a list of people who live near you, not who want to stay where you are which wasn't very helpful. However I've now registered and discovered someone nearby who has used them several times to get a house sitter. I don't know them but as they live in a small village I'm certain we'll have mutual friends.
@Dave of the Marmottes, I did notice that on at least open of the sites there was the option to show you had somewhere to park a caravan so that would explain why. It would be nice to get out of your motorhome into a warm house with central heating a washing machine etc  These are also the type of folks that might be happy to sacrifice mobility for comfort and spend a month in the same area.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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There's a lot of retired mobile home dwellers that have to vacate their properties in the winter for a month or so and would like a house-sitting gig. Do you have any sites nearby?
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@richb67, do you not have family/friends who can assist? Could you not have someone feed the animals and make the house looked lived in a few nights a week? Where do you live?
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Trusted house sitters are great. Have used them loads in Nz and got to know some lovely people.
Also know the guy who owns it and he’s a top bloke
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Ricklovesthepowder, its alot to ask someone for an extended period of time. Especially if any travel is involved.
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+1 for trusted housesitters. We’ve used it about four times and always had great people. Two couples from the U.K., a charming gay couple from France and a retired American couple. House has always been immaculate and the dogs loved and walked to within an inch of their lives. A Housesitter would usually cost close to £50 per day, so trusted housesitters saves us a fortune as it only costs c.£80 per year. The trusted housesitters also have to pay £80 so that rules out the people in it for the wrong reasons. It’s a slightly different relationship from when you employ a Housesitter , e.g. you probably have supper with them the night before departure, but it all works very well. At the moment most of the applicants we have had are within the U.K. but usually they are from all over the world. Be sure to take some great photos of the house and your pets to help ‘sell’ the house to applicants.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@foxtrotzulu, good to hear a positive experience. I have researched Trusted Housesitters in the past but not taken the final step. We have a very photogenic dog and I can ‘scrub up’ the house a bit.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| hang11 wrote: |
Trusted house sitters are great. Have used them loads in Nz and got to know some lovely people.
Also know the guy who owns it and he’s a top bloke |
thanks, good to know
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| Ricklovesthepowder wrote: |
| @richb67, do you not have family/friends who can assist? Could you not have someone feed the animals and make the house looked lived in a few nights a week? Where do you live? |
unfortunately family doesn't work for us. There would probably be someone who'd be willing to stay for a week over summer but parents too old, siblings all working, nephews and nieces all working and most now have their own places.
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You know it makes sense.
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thanks,@foxtrotzulu, that's exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for. We have a holiday let adjoined to the house which would be empty when we're on holiday so can have people stay either side of our trip without having to share space which I hope will help attract people.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@richb67,
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which I hope will help attract people.
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No idea where your house is or how much kerb appeal it has but we've always found it very easy to attract people. Usually, get 3-4 applications in the first 2-3 days. Be aware, the house sitters may also be applying for several houses so if someone good applies then move fast.
One detail to point out. If you commit to a house sit then your sitters may well be booking flights, holiday time etc. on the basis of that commitment so you have to bear that in mind if your plans change. i.e. You can't really just cancel them at short notice without IMO offering to reimburse them for any expenses they may incur as a result.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| foxtrotzulu wrote: |
@richb67,
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which I hope will help attract people.
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No idea where your house is or how much kerb appeal it has but we've always found it very easy to attract people. Usually, get 3-4 applications in the first 2-3 days. Be aware, the house sitters may also be applying for several houses so if someone good applies then move fast.
One detail to point out. If you commit to a house sit then your sitters may well be booking flights, holiday time etc. on the basis of that commitment so you have to bear that in mind if your plans change. i.e. You can't really just cancel them at short notice without IMO offering to reimburse them for any expenses they may incur as a result. |
yes, that's exactly the situation we could use the holiday let for. With COVID anything could happen so worst case if our holiday is cancelled they could have the holiday let. We'd make that clear at the start.
Kerb appeal is all personal but it's a fairly remote 15C thatched cottage in the Exmoor national park (4 houses and then 4 miles to the nearest shop but only 1.5 miles to the nearest pub!), it's a beautiful area but I'm sure how many people would want to spend a month here in the winter hopefully someone, we do get holiday let bookings all year round. Also, we have good internet so people can definitely work from here. My wife and I both WFH.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Our neighbours use Trusted House sitters and speak v highly of their experiences.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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thanks @Perty, looks like that is the one to go with
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Marking for future reference for going to live in India in 6 months....
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Another +1 for trusted house sitters - we are very good friends with a couple who have been house sitters for years. It seems to work very well for them seeing new places, and very well for the people who they have sat for, because most seem to ask them to come back!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yet another TrustedHousesitters user!
We've had Australian, French, American and British sitters. We've got another booked for when we're in Mallorca later this year and they're happy to look after 6 dogs and to keep an eye on my mother next door...
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You need to be very clear on what you expect/need from your sitters. Feeding cats and chickens once or twice a day should be no problem for anyone. But with dogs, do you want someone who will look in twice a day for feeding and walkies, stay most of the time but go out occasionally for shopping / meals, or stay 100% of the time?
We have family who thought they were paying for the last (or at least the middle) option, but were then delivered the first - and the dog wrecked the house!
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| ecureuil wrote: |
You need to be very clear on what you expect/need from your sitters. Feeding cats and chickens once or twice a day should be no problem for anyone. But with dogs, do you want someone who will look in twice a day for feeding and walkies, stay most of the time but go out occasionally for shopping / meals, or stay 100% of the time?
We have family who thought they were paying for the last (or at least the middle) option, but were then delivered the first - and the dog wrecked the house! |
I took a look at the website and I noticed that people are very specific. There was someone in Italy advertised as on the edge of Florence, great location etc but then stipulated that the dog couldn't be left for more than 2 hours. You can't do much sightseeing in that time.
It's easy with cats and chickens as we have automatic feeders so our plan is to tell people they can stay away one night pw as that's what we do. We figure any medium term sitter staying on Exmoor needs to have some flexibility.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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thanks @Leonard Smalls, asking someone to keep an eye on my mother would be above and beyond what we'd expect. We live hundreds of miles away partly to avoid her
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| richb67 wrote: |
| There was someone in Italy advertised as on the edge of Florence, great location etc but then stipulated that the dog couldn't be left for more than 2 hours. You can't do much sightseeing in that time. |
Some people are completely unrealistic in what they expect. Who is going to take a one-night stay, for instance, apart from somebody who is literally homeless (they've probably let their own place out on Airbnb). Beware, there is plenty of scope for things to go wrong. Trustedhousesitters has insurance, but only to cover otherwise-uninsured damage. And the excess is $1,000.
Personally it bemuses me that people will let a complete stranger into their own home, with the likelihood of red wine stains on the carpet and your favourite knives in the dishwasher, for the sake of an over-pampered moggie. There are some serious houses available on that site. Swimming pools, acres of gardens, dozens of bedrooms etc. Might be a dull world if everybody were like me, mind!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| James the Last wrote: |
Personally it bemuses me that people will let a complete stranger into their own home, with the likelihood of red wine stains on the carpet and your favourite knives in the dishwasher, for the sake of an over-pampered moggie. There are some serious houses available on that site. Swimming pools, acres of gardens, dozens of bedrooms etc. Might be a dull world if everybody were like me, mind! |
well we have a holiday let so complete strangers are let in every week It's very uncommon for there to be an issue, but it does happen. Usually broken crockery.
Ideally we'd have used family but that's not feasible. We'll be careful who we choose but things do go wrong and that's what insurance is for. Our home insurance has just been renewed so I checked to see if we'd be covered. I was told that there would be no additional fees and cover wouldn't be affected. Interestingly the insurance company would rather we have a house sitter than leave the place empty, the former is considered a lower risk and they won't cover extended absences of more than 31 days unless someone is in the house.
As you say everyone is different, for a week or two we have someone pop in once a day so for us it's not just the pets. For a prolonged absence we need someone in the house during the middle of winter, making sure our insurance is valid, providing security, ensuring the heating is working, checking we don't run out of LPG, Keeping the water flowing through the pipes etc etc.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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IMO a holiday let is different. You are running a business. There is income to offset the inevitable losses, and if you have a couple of disasters a year then it's not too bad - and you've probably got a deposit from the tenants too. And the house is fairly idiot proof. One's own home is different. There's the precious ornament you inherited from your wonderful great aunt that is inevitably the thing that gets knocked off. etc. etc.
In my experience generally home insurance is valid for extended absences provided *somebody* goes into the house every 31 days; it's a misnomer that the person has to live there. Of course I cannot comment on your policy, but well worth checking.
I take your point about frozen pipes, but in a house that is that vulnerable then they're perfectly capable of inadvertantly leaving something running and causing damage that way. Let's not mention the trusted housesitter who was asked to water the roof garden in a flat. The hosepipe was attached under the ktichen sink, and had a trigger spray at the far end. They watered the garden, left it still 'on' under the sink - though off at the trigger - went out for the day and by the time they got back they had flooded the flat beneath... Easy mistake. Expensive excess, and whose fault is it?
I guess it's my view that insurance is *not* for that sort of thing. If you claim then your premium will go up, you may have your excess loaded against future water damage.
Anyway, good luck! Hope you find somebody wonderful, I'm sure you will.
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just a quick follow-up on this.
we used Trustedhousesitters as mentioned by a number of SHs above. It worked really well so thanks everyone who recommended that company.
We were away during the recent storms and it was invaluable having someone in the house who could move outdoor furniture etc and put them in the garage before the storm hit.
We weren't sure if anyone would want to spend 3 weeks in winter half way up a hill miles from anywhere but we had about half a dozen applications. There were a few who I'm sure would have been fine but we narrowed it down and had facetime calls with 2 prospective sitters before choosing one. Both had lots of positive reviews.
we'll definitely do the same whenever were away for more than a week or so.
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You know it makes sense.
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Very interesting to hear that it went so well, @richb67. I have no experience of Trusted Housesitters (I have no pets and two lodgers so the need doesn't arise) but my daughter and family have been doing home swaps for some years now, and it has always been a great success. Raises some of the same issues.
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