Anyone use housesitter apps?

[hammering]

I'm thinking of signing up to the UK housesitter page - does anyone use it as a sitter or as a homeowner?

From either POV Is it weird having someone stay in your house/staying in someone's house with all their belongings in situ? I use air bnb all the time but it's a different kettle of fish. Anything I should be aware of?

Anyone?

Bump

Bump.. cos I want to know too!!

BIL planned to use one as he is away with work very often, but his home insurance said he wouldn’t be covered by them and the amount of insurance given by the house sitting company wouldn’t have covered any major thefts so he decided against it.

That's interesting. It seems pretty popular these days, I wonder if people realise this can be an issue?

I like the idea of staying in new places for free with a dog to walk, I just feel a bit odd about staying in a stranger's house that they normally live in!

What's putting you off?

I have read about it but havent heard any personal experiences, thats all!

My friend does it all the time. He WFH and can’t have his own pet so looks after dogs and gets a free holiday. He has been all over Europe doing it.

It's just the UK one I'm thinking of for now.

It's just the awkwardness of living in someone else's space that puts me off - I'm a bit weird about it. Guess all I can do is give it a go!

I've been house and cat sitting for years now. It's mostly fabulous and I highly recommend it. The vast majority of people I've sitting for have been lovely, really welcoming and friendly, lovely homes. We've had some amazing holidays and looked after some really sweet cats and had many repeat sits too where the people have liked us and we've liked them and it's worked all round.

Can you did down a bit into why you feel weird about it? It really isn't. Maybe choose carefully? I'm quite selective on what sits I apply for.

That should have said 'dig' down.

My sister has done it a lot. Real mixed bag. Some of the houses and pets are lovely, others are nightmares for various reasons. She's had:

• super control freak homeowners who monitor her comings and goings on their doorbell and are anal about what areas of the house she is allowed to use eg not allowed to use the home office.

• dogs who fight and aren't toilet trained.

• dirty houses.

• a fish that was on the brink of death the whole time the owners were away.

• dogs that insisted on sleeping in the (tiny) spare bed with her.

• cats that miaow all night long.

She's also had some really nice ones though with lovely houses and lovely pets. She's picky now about what she takes but when you're just starting out it's harder to be so picky as everyone wants the best ones so competition is high.

Edit: sorry about the formatting!

We've used the UK site a few times now. It's great. The people who looked after our house and pets were brilliant.

You can choose people/owners who have reviews so you know what they're like.

I use Trustedhousesitters, which was recommended by someone who uses them too. Fabulous deal for me - my two cats and two dogs would cost a fortune to put in kennels, and the house is secure too. There is insurance included for public liability up to £1m, damage and theft. Your pets are not covered. Sitters also have insurance.
As for the sitters , my first one was from Columbia and said she was taking a year, working remotely and exploring Europe this way. She had been housesitting in France before she came to me. My last were a couple who just enjoyed getting to know different areas of England.
Pictures of the home are posted online so you know what it's going to be like. You have to trust (hence the name) that the sitter isn't going to wreck your stuff or go through your personal bits and pieces. The sitter has to trust that they are going to be left in peace and not be given a rabid dog to look after! You write reviews and a bad one would end it for either party.

I think initially I thought of it as air bnb but with an additional dog...but now I'm thinking about it I've realised their clothes will be in the wardrobe/food in the cupboards etc, so it'll be like stepping into someone's life 😂

I don't think I'll have any problems getting house sits, I've got a good record working with dogs.

I've been looking at the ads on the UK one and I'm amazed how many homeowners are requesting sitters without putting any photos of their house on - that would be the main thing for me. I wouldn't want to stay in a house that wasn't better than my own. You could turn up for a week and it be a right dump!

Hmm, sounds interesting. I think I might sign up as a sitter/shifter.

@hammering yes I ignore the ones without pictures UNLESS it sounds particularly interesting and/or in a place I really want to visit, in which case I request pics sent privately which most owners are happy to do. Some people don't actually want to put pics of their house online but are happy to provide them on request.

Also most sits will clear some wardrobe and drawer space for you. Lots are quite well off people in big houses who have a guest room anyway, so their stuff isn't in the room you get. Also kitchens are much better than holiday rental kitchens because they have everything you need, plus many if not most owners will tell you to eat or drink anything you want while you're there. I really recommend it!

I'm another who has had house/pet sitters through Trusted House Sitters and also paid pet/house sitters.

They obviously do live in my house so I clean &tidy more than I usually would and make sure there's space in the food cupboards, fridge and freezer for them for the week. They sleep in my spare room so not much personal stuff in there.

The paid ones tend to be local and, obviously, do it as a job (often alongside a 'normal' one). The THS ones tend to be travelling, whether work or pleasure.

Those of you considering this where it's to pet sit, please do bear in mind the pet comes first. Only then are you free to work or do your own thing. Please make sure you understand what the pet requirements are and whether you can meet them. If not, this is not the sit for you: look for another one.

@DisplayPurposesOnly yes to this. I'm not sure it's the best option for someone wanting a holiday. My sister has been doing it in order to save money for a house deposit and she definitely feels like she's had to work for every penny they've saved because of it!

Totally this. And to look after the house, too. I look on it as I'm providing a service to the highest standards possible. I'm often asked back because I take the responsibility of it seriously.
The holiday aspect is my reward for doing it well.

That's very encouraging! Thanks

I'm in it mainly to spend time with the dogs, not for the house stay!

I do Trusted Housesitters, my partner and I have had some great short breaks hanging out with cats and we're about to do a 3 week one and then a two week one-a repeat, for a cat we've sat with before

I have an elderly dog who has always hated kennels and changes to her routine, so I would be inclined to use Trusted Housesitters because there is a fee to join. For some reason, that makes it seem "safer". My DSis has used them a lot and never had a problem. But because we've had an adult DC around until recently, we haven't really explored people sitting. We had a UK friend, now living in Australia, house sit a few years ago when she wanted to escape her life for a bit, and for her it was good. She had our 4-bed house so was able to invite her family and friends instead of being constantly on the move visiting others, and was extremely lucky to have wonderful weather the whole time.

And I put her on my car insurance (an elderly Golf estate) for the month so she was fully mobile. She was a UK qualified driving instructor so it cost £52. Much cheaper than hiring a car. Final para added after first posting.