House/pet sitting

[notacooldad]

Does anyone do this?
I'll be getting blocks of free time off in the near future and its something I've thought about for a while but never acted on

Can people talk mecthroughb their expierences of being a house or pet sitter please.

I do pet-sitting as part of my business.

Don’t underestimate how hard it can be to be away from your home for chunks of time - it’s not like a holiday, you’re in charge of someone’s home and animals, are responsible for their health, well-being and safety and need to follow their routines too.

It’s also not something you can make huge amounts of money from but if that’s not an issue for you then you won’t need to worry about your income.

I don’t do many overnight sits anymore as I just find it too disruptive and I don’t feel like I can switch off properly in someone else’s house. The income was nice (I charge a minimum of £50 a night) but I also had to fit my regular dog walks in on top which often ended up more hassle than it’s worth.

While there’s no licensing system in place for pet sits I would strongly recommend you get insurance and do a course in animal first aid. Also think about what you would do if one of the animals got sick, or escaped, or worse. It happens, sadly.

as has been said, being away can be hard for you. My first Christmas with my partner, we were both house sitting 45 miles apart, but planned for him to come to me on Christmas day for a few hours. the pets he had could be left, but as it was, the weather was so risky we did not see each other until New Year's Day. Recently I had a booked home sit and the area did not have reception. sadly, my dog was dying, but I could not let the lady down, so I had to come home to have the dog PTS.
Some houses I have stayed in have been really hot and unbearable, but I have also been in houses that are so cold. So, make sure you are savvy about the heating if food is not provided, and you bring your own. Also, check what cooking facilities they have. we ended up one a house that did not have a saucepan or baking tin, it seems they lived on microwave meals!
make sure you have adequate insurance. Make it clear what is included when you sit and where you are allowed. Get the pets' routine written down so you know what they are supposed to have done and when.
I am afraid people think they are going to be sat doing what they want but reality is very different

Thank you all, its something im thinking of doing in the 6 weeks holiday as im normally kicking around by myself.
You've given me food for thought!

I stopped doing overnight sits as I was miserable being away from home.

Be clear with what you're offering. Some people do an overnight from 6pm - 8pm, and charge their usual rate for walks or a lunchtime visit. Others are there all day and charge more for constant care. Dogs that can't be left make it very hard to pop home for a shower, food etc.
Ask to check where you'll be sleeping - sofas are not comfy, and if a house is grubby on a meet and greet don't expect it to be clean when you arrive for a stay.

Ask about cameras, I've heard of camera being found by sitters in bedrooms unexpectedly.

I've never cooked at a client's house, so factor in lots of convience food.

Ask about cameras, I've heard of camera being found by sitters in bedrooms unexpectedly.

Thats interesting about cameras.
A few years ago my friend would house sit regularly for a very well off couple just outside our village. They had loads of other people who had house sat for them before but would never be asked to do it again or were turned down when they directly asked if they could sit again( they had an amazing house)

My friend was the only one they repeatedly asked back and had a good relationship with for years, in fact still friendly even though all the people involved don't live in the village anymore

She thinks it was a trust thing. She was told which rooms were out of bounds and not to go in. They weren't locked but she respected their request and never once attempted to have a sneaky peep.

It dawned on her later when people asked why she kept getting asked back it was they probably knew she hadn't gone into the rooms. She then wondered about cameras. Friend wasnt worried about it, she said she just looked after the cats and watched telly!

cameras are not unusual as people do have them to keep an eye on pets, often just generally, such as when they are at work. having them in private areas like bedrooms is a bit creepy and would make me refuse to go.