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Dilemmas often arise about who will look after our homes, pets and gardens when we go away
24.11.11 - 20:05 -
Dilemmas often arise about who will look after our homes, pets and gardens when we go away. An increasing number of homeowners prefer not to put pets into kennels, and house sitting services can cost in excess of €300 per week.
Trustedhousesitters.com provides an alternative whereby you can find experienced house /pet sitters with police checks, willing to look after your home and pets without cost, in exchange for a place to retreat to, ensuring that your home and pets are safe and cared for when you go away.
Registered house sitters with www.trustedHousesitters.com include veterinary staff, retired police, magistrates, retired head teachers, animal rescue centre workers and medics, many who use the service to find house sitters for their own homes.
Trustedhousesitters.com already helps many homeowners in Spain enjoy peace of mind when they go away, enabling them to securely find experienced house sitters.
Gillian, a homeowner from near Malaga has used TrustedHousesitters.com several times. She found an English couple (a volunteer from an animal trust, and a retired police officer with a degree in animal welfare) keen to look after her home and dog. “They took excellent care of Lulu (our dog) and of our house and garden, I thoroughly recommend them and the website for providing the perfect solution to when I go away.”
Trustedhousesitters.com enables you to search for experienced house sitters and read references from other house sitting assignments, review pet care experience, photos and video profiles.
Why use a house sitter?
Vets agree that keeping animals in their home environment is less stressful than putting them into a kennel. According to Veterinary Surgeon, Katie Blackburn, “Pets generally prefer to remain in their natural surroundings. Cats in particular can get highly stressed when out of their natural environment, especially when put in close proximity to other cats. My rescue greyhound also gets very traumatised when hearing other dogs barking, so I prefer not to take him to kennels, plus there can be issues with finding suitable kennel facilities close-by".
Many expats in Spain also worry about burglaries when leaving their home empty, and if away for more than 30 days, home insurance can become void. Insurance companies generally prefer the use of a house sitter so that a home remains occupied while away.
Having a house sitter will also ensure any domestic emergencies are promptly dealt with, while you are away. From air conditioning breakdowns, to power cut problems, if left unattended, these could prove to be costly as well as inconvenient. Your plants and gardens will be taken care of as well - otherwise it doesn’t take long before the grass grows and can provide a natural advertisement to potential burglars that you are away.
All of this also applies to holiday homes just as much – if left unattended do you really want to spend half your holiday clearing the house and garden when you have limited time and just want to relax?
Le Sur readers can create a secure and confidential listing to find a house sitter free of charge, simply enter ‘Sur’ into the promotional box when registering to receive six months complimentary membership.
Helpful Dos and Don’ts - when finding a house sitter in Spain
Below are some helpful do’s and don’ts when looking for your ideal house sitter:
•Do choose your own house sitter. You don’t want to be sent someone from an agency that you may not get on with or has a different attitude towards pet care.
•Do double check references yourself once you’ve chosen someone, just to ask any specific questions you may have – and to be prudent, ask for a copy of the sitter’s passport and any police check information to be sent to you.
•Don’t think that paying for a house sitter necessarily means a better candidate. An individual’s natural caring qualities count far more than fees charged. Agencies command high rates and the sitter usually only gets a minimal payment.
•Do provide a good understanding of what is required during the assignment. A written agreement can help (Trustedhousesitters.com provides this for members), including any specific duties to be carried out in terms of pet care, exercise and any dietary requirements, household maintenance and gardening.
•Do take the time to communicate with a house sitter prior to the assignment commencing. If distance prevents meeting beforehand, easy-to-use technology such as Skype, really helps.
•Do compile a re-useable information pack for your sitter. Include contact details while away, and local emergency contact. Also provide practical information, eg. rubbish and recycling collections, dates and times of cleaning services; alarm, heating and home entertainment systems and internet access. It is also considerate to include local area information such as shops, restaurants, library, transport maps, dog walks and places to visit.
•Don’t forget to consider your house sitter’s needs. Provide space for them to store any belongings and ideally your house sitter's first meal in your home. You may find that this kindness is reciprocated and a meal waiting for you when you return!
A high calibre of house sitters usually helps gives peace of mind. Phil and Rita, a magistrate and ex bank manager from Cheshire, are seasoned sitters and have looked after dogs, cats, chickens and even ducks. “We enjoy looking after a variety of pets, travelling to different places, and meeting new people. Now that we are both retired, we like the fact that we feel valued by providing a trusting and responsible service.”
“Retired from work but not from life,” Angela and John volunteer with an animal rescue organisation and use house sitters via Trustedhousesitters.com when away house sitting themselves - in the UK, Canada, USA, Australia, Spain and France. “The world is still our oyster” Angela says.
Readers of The Sur can receive 6 months complimentary membership with www.trustedhousesitters.com to help them find the ideal house sitter with promotional code “Sur”.
