House sitting is an arrangement for
someone to live at your home and look after it while you
are away.
Short term house sitting is a situation of mutual help,
neither party wishing the other to be out of pocket
because of it. The house sitters gain by living
rent free for that period while the owners of the
property can maintain security and have
pets cared for while they
are away.
What are
the benefits of being a house sitter ?
The ultimate house
sitting situation for the travelling caravanner would be
a property with an area big enough to park their
caravan, thereby saving on storage costs for the caravan
for the duration of the house sitting period.
Some of the
advantages for the travelling caravanner would be -
Not having the
expense of caravan park fees
Caravan can often
be in a secure area of the property ie behind fence
boundaries
While staying, you can drive and
explore the local area
What are the benefits of having house sitters
while you travel ?
having your home, pool and garden tended in your absence
having your home occupied in your absence, without
the security concerns of leaving an empty house.
(some insurers do not cover homes unoccupied for >
30 days);
having your pets cared for in their familiar
environment, without having the cost of boarding
them at kennels or a cattery.
What do you have to consider when having
house sitters while you travel ?
are they reputable – do
you need to do police checks or do they
have references. If so, ring and
talk to the referee.
what do you want the
house sitters to do for you while you
are away eg:- compile a list like
feeding livestock, minding pets, mowing,
watering plants, collect mail, put out
garbage bins
provide food for pets or
livestock plus details of such things
like food times, dietary and medical
requirements. Provide contact
details for the vet.
set up a written
agreement of what both parties agree to
do and in exchange for what and for how
long
will you give them access
to your home or say just the toilet,
shower or laundry while you are away.
If so, arrange keys/burglar alarm code.
where will you let them
set up their RV on your property and is
there power available for them
do they have pets and are
you okay with their pet being there
let your neighbours know
you have house sitters and introduce
them
make other arrangements
for payment of bills or collection of
mail if necessary
let your friends know
where and how you can be contacted
As a house sitter what do you need to be
able to do to house sit?
list yourself with a
house sitting agency or RV network
obtain references, a CV
or a record of a police check
have a clear
understanding of what you have to do in
exchange for what eg: looking after
pets, mowing etc in exchange for
electricity for your RV plus laundry and
bathroom facilities and for how long.
Better still enter into a signed
agreement or letter of understanding.
if looking after
livestock or pets obtain details of
their dietary requirements, medication,
food supply, feeding schedules and vet’s
name and address
are you physically able
and do you have the experience to do
what is required
obtain house keys and
alarm code password (if any)
ask the property owner to
show you where the mower and fuel is
kept
ask the property owners
to show you how to shut off gas,
electricity and water in event of any
emergency
obtain car keys for any
other vehicles that may need to be moved
in case of fire or other emergency
obtain the property
owner’s mobile telephone or other
contact details for when they are away
have the property owners
introduce you to their neighbours so the
neighbours are aware you are there
make sure everything is
clean and in order when the property
owner returns
obtain a reference from
the property owner if they are happy
with your house sit
Finding a
House Sitter
To find a house sitter do a Google Search
and type in 'house sitters Australia' and scroll through the
various sites available.
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