Top Three House-Sitting Tips
House-sitting is one of the best ways to travel a country, think of it as a home away from home wherever you are in the world. We wanted to spend 2 years in the UK, but we didn’t know where we wanted to settle down. After doing some research, we thought that maybe house-sitting would be the ideal situation for us. We would be able to explore new places while working remotely and eventually figure out where we wanted to set up our new home. This plan worked so well that 12-months in, we didn’t want to settle down anywhere!
Here are the top three tips we’ve picked up over the last 14 months:
SIT WITHIN YOUR MEANS
Basically, if you’re not a dog person, don’t take on the responsibility of looking after dogs. The same goes for cats, chickens, horses, goats, etc. This one is probably quite obvious, but the last thing you want is to be stuck in a tricky situation that you are unable to get out of!
GET TO KNOW THE OWNERS
The easiest way to do this is to have a phone call with the owners, which is a great way to have a ‘vibe check’ before you agree to the house-sit. Ask them some basic questions about their expectations, the local area, and past experiences with house sitters. By the end of this call, you will know if it’s something you want to commit to!
Check for extra responsibilities
Before you arrive at your house-sit, make sure to check if there are any extra responsibilities. This may be with the pet (medication, etc) or the house (watering the garden, mowing the lawns). While this is usually a given when you are taking care of someone’s beloved pet or home, it is good to double-check these things before arriving; the last thing you need is a surprise!
Most of these tips are self-explanatory, and the bare minimum you should be doing before you arrive somewhere. House-sitting is built on a high-trust model that goes both ways. Everyone should feel equally comfortable with the arrangement, and before you know it, you will have settled in and won’t want to leave!
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