One of the difficulties associated with house sitting is getting your first assignment and proving yourself. There are a number of websites that can be used and the introduction from family and friends. We have used all these sources.Our first assignment was a little different from the rest. Our home in Melbourne sold much quicker than we anticipated and we needed a home for two months. We never thought of looking for an actual house sitting opportunity. Instead we looked for a short term rental which was much more difficult than we thought to find. Eventually we connected with a young family who were travelling to Europe for three months and wanted someone in their home paying a small rental to help meet the household costs. This suited us perfectly. We shifted into their completely set up home, paid in advance to cover a contribution for rent, power and gas and provided security and peace of mind for the homeowners. There were no pets to be cared for.
We had never lived in someone else's home before and at first we were a little uncertain. However it was a win/win situation for us both and we had had our first experience of house sitting, and we received our first reference which made it easier to get our next assignment.
The websites we have used are:
www.gumtree.com.au
www.happyhousesitters.com.au
www.aussiehousesitters.com.au
www.kiwihousesitters.co.nz
There are also a number of overseas based websites which we have checked out, but as yet have not subscribed too. These have included:
www.trustedhousesitters.com
www.mindmyhouse.com
www.housesitters.co.uk
www.seniorsits.com
All house sitting websites require the house sitter applicant to register and pay a fee. It is normally free for the homeowner to advertise their home. Some sites have a fixed fee which enables potential sitters to apply for any home advertised, others (e.g. happyhousesitters) divides Australia up into many areas and an individual fee is charged per area or a full fee charged for all of Australia. Subscriptions are for twelve months.
Happyhousesitters forward an email of every new home advertised. Other websites require the sitter to check the advertisements for possible sits or place an alert for specific dates or areas when an email of new properties is sent out. All sites require potential sitters to email home owners with information about themselves to be considered for the position. On the Aussie and Kiwi house sitting sites sitters provide a short personal summary and their experience and this is available for home owners to view on the website.
We are subscribed to three sites and have undertaken sits advertised on each of these sites. We do not recommend one over another - they all offer an excellent service.
It is not uncommon for us to receive direct emails or telephone calls from homeowners who have viewed our personal summary before they have listed their home - many assignments are filled using this method. Like the homeowner, the sitter can also be selective where they want to sit and also for the period of time they are available.
Other than our initial assignment we have never paid the homeowner although these requests are sometimes made in advertisements. We are not adverse to a small fee but this would have to be negotiated and agreed.
We consider that above all else a house sitter must be honest about their abilities i.e. don't say you are fastidious house cleaners if you are not, if you plan to be out all day either sightseeing or working advise the homeowner in your application letter, ask for consent to have any additional guests stay in the home, if you enjoy gardening and property maintenance advise the owners as this may be helpful to them if not they may need to consider a contractor. It is also important to be considerate of the use of utilities as these have a charge back to the homeowner.
Above all else - it is essential that you are honest and trustworthy with other people's belongings. Do not go looking through personal items and only use house hold items that are agreed on.
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