AIBU to think I can start a house sitting business?

[Scotschic]

I came up with what I think of as a brainwave of an idea! I want my dp and I to start a home sitting service, what do I need in order to do this business? The background story is that just now I’m in a job I absolutely fucking hate, I’ve just applied to go back to college & if I’m successful then I would be starting in August/September of this year, it’s a full time course that finishes June 2019, my dp has been unemployed for 4 months so no income from him anymore and dunno how long it will go on for.

It’s obviously only an idea at this stage but any knowledge of house sitting services from anybody would be great, I’m in Central Scotland btw.

The fact that you said ‘how would they know’ concerns me. You would probably be tempted to allow DH and DD into the house which would not be on. I had a house sitter stay several times to look after the dogs. After the last occasion I inadvertently found out that a new unemployed boyfriend who I’d never been told about had also been staying. I didn’t use her again and wouldn’t recommend her either as it was dishonest to invite a man to sit around all day using my utilities e.g racking up my energy bills watching tv etc.

Look I have already said that I haven’t researched it properly and then I still got lots of comments on it! My daughter isn’t an issue for me housesitting but I’m going to go into the whys and how’s of that, it’s personal stuff.

Can you please just wait until I’ve researched properly and came back on before you comment now? Thanks

not going to go in to the whys and how’s sorry

Can you please just wait until I’ve researched properly and came back on before you comment now?

So we should stop responding to your thread until you've actually undertaken some research even though you started the thread and asked the question? Yeah, right

You think you can make money house sitting while still going out to work - you can't.

People more often than not want a house sitter to care for possibly a variety of animals. If they have dogs they need to be walked regularly every day and dogs should not be left alone for hours.

You can't take your DD with you to house sit without the owners' approval.

You mention the alternative is leaving your DD at home and your sister living nearby who can check up on her. I assume you realise that house sitting assignments are normally for a minimum of a week or more? Are you happy to leave your DD for on her own for two weeks? Does your Sister know she will be roped in to be in loco parentis whenever you are house sitting?

Research away.

Your all just jumping on me for no reason! I didn’t want to make it a life long career to house sit, it was just something that I had suggested, also you do realise that my dd will be 16 in June so I don’t know why your saying about leaving my daughter at home, I already said my dd isn’t an issue and yet you still mentioned it, I asked to research first and then get back to you and still you jumped on and said stuff! If I’m the op and I’ve nothing more to add on the subject right now then I don’t really see the point of a discussion being had without my input! I’ve seen many threads were the op has given information to end a particular thread and yet still people comment on it.

Again thanks for all the comments and information, I’ll be sure to look into it after this weekend, and when I do I’ll then come back here and write down what I know.

Thanks

stophammertime Exactly! What an irresponsible and dishonest attitude.

Pmsl. Do you have conversations often as you don't seem to know how they work. 😂

I have friends who use housesitters to care for their pets while they're away. One of the stipulations is that they (the housesitters) can't be away from the property for more than 3 hours in any one day. This is a stipulation of the company they hire through. What's the point of paying someone to look after your house unless they are there most of the time? It's a responsible job op, and good housesitters are like gold dust. Trust is everything.

One of the stipulations is that they (the housesitters) can't be away from the property for more than 3 hours in any one day.

If those are the conditions, I hope your pals are getting more than £10 a day.

Those 21 hours of confinement would sure pass slowly unless they're house sitting a mansion in the Bahamas.

Well, yes. The housesitters are very well paid, I think it's 50 to 80 quid a day. But, if you are being paid to look after people's pets, homes and the security of their house, why would you want them to be absent for long periods? Surely that is the whole point of having housesitters?

Just to add, I am retired and have a dog; I very rarely leave the house for more than 3 hours unless I have made alternative arrangements for my dog. I can't see why you think this is unusual?

I think OP thinks house sitting is a cushy way of having a holiday and getting paid for it

Why not just sign up to a house sitting site and see how you get on rather than investing in the idea

Well not going to work out for you it seems.

Would you think about managing peoples airbnb’s? There might be money in that. People who don’t live near their properties Igor like someone to magane keys, wash sheets and do tidy up? If you charged less than the bigger property managers or offered a better service?

Igor= might (?!!!)

Slane. I don’t think OP actually wants to do any work. From what she’s said, she doesn’t want to look after animals or do any cleaning. I think she expects to just stay in houses and get paid for her trouble. 🙄

We use house sitters - to look after our dog.

You can set yourself up as a house sitting 'business' - but if you want any gigs, the only way you'll get them is through the usual house-sitting websites.

When we need someone we go onto X site, scroll through all the names, see who's available for the dates we need, and then select a few that we like the look of.

I would never going onto ONE house-sitter's website, as I want to be able to scroll through and see who I like. And going into one's person's site - they're probably not going to be available on the dates I need them, so I want to be able to select from a long list.

If you don't want to look after animals, you're pretty much dead in the water.

And you can't bring someone - a child, say - on the basis that the homeowners won't find out.

You have no idea what sort of security they might have, how close they are with their neighbours, how many of the friends might wander by, to discreetly check on the place, etc.

You lie about who's at the house - your house-sitting reputation is in tatters. and your reputation is all you have going for you.

The entire thing is based on a trust model, so if you're even vaguely untrustworthy, you're not fit for purpose.

I can't see why you think this is unusual?

I don't think it's "unusual" as such but it could certainly restrict ordinary activities - i.e., going to the cinema and then having a browse around the shops or doing a food shop afterwards.

In fact, I'd struggle just to go to the cinema and make it back home within the 3 hour window.

If that's not something you would usually do, fine. But I'm not sure that I would characterise going to the cinema and browsing round the shops as being gone for "long periods" (probably means I wouldn't make a good house sitter).

Good to hear that the renumeration is higher than what I originally read. But as a PP said, I don't think OP actually wants to have to put in any exertion - she seems to think house sitting just involves lolling around on the fainting couch like Lady Muck.

I’ve looked into it and some people that want house sitters don’t mind your kids, nor do some mind if you work but they obviously definitely want you to stay overnight at theirs (obviously) and spend your social time there, again obviously or what would the point be of housesitting?!

Also some have cats and dogs and obviously not all do but I couldn’t handle having to feed a snake or any reptile for that matter, cats and dogs are easy but I do work full time but I am self employed so I could change my hours but housesitting was just something I thought of mainly for the upcoming summer holidays at the start of June, and only until I start college in September.

The money isn’t great though and that’s what puts me off the most.

Back to the drawing board...

ButchyResting how can you possibly say that it sounds like I don’t want to do any work? Where did it say that? Just because I didn’t want to take animals out then it doesn’t mean I don’t want to work, far from it, I was just surprised that animals were going to be part of it although not everyone would have animals.

I do not thinking that house sitting means sitting about all day, I think your obviously keeping the house clean etc, etc and generally just house sitting which, after cleaning up, then it really is just sitting in their house isn’t it, tbh the sitting about sounds boring but if your getting paid for it then why not? I love dogs but don’t like going out at night with them, in the dark etc, etc.

Anyway like I said I’m going to actually speak to a few people who have been house sitters themselves and see if it’s worth it, it’s something different isn’t it?!

Tbh I wouldn’t want to travel too far from where I am to housesit so I’m probably not going to get much work, if I decided to do it, this to me sounds like my mystery shopper career change that I did last year, I got 2 assignments though and I really liked it but anyway that’s another thread...