House Sitting and Pet Minding Pros and Cons
Housecarers Positives and Negatives for Housesitting and Dog Minding
Feb 23, 2009
For those who have fantasized about seeing the world and of living long-term in a variety of exotic places, the recent trend towards housesitting must seem like a dream come true. Every year, thousands of people enjoy free accommodation for weeks, sometimes months, as they mind the homeowner’s house and, usually, their pets.
Recent House Sits Available
A scan of house sitting sites reveals these recent tasty offerings:
- 10 days in Kinsale, Cork, Ireland
- 6 months in a rural hamlet near Verneiul Sur Arvre, Normandy, France
- 4 months in Keri Keri, Bay of Islands, New Zealand
- 4 weeks inner London, UK
- 17 days, Brisbane, Australia
- 2 weeks Airlie Beach, Whitsunday Islands, Queensland, Australia
- 17 days Las Cruces, New Mexico, US
- 1 weekend Alberta, Canada
- 1 week Miami, Florida
- 4-8 weeks in rural area near Fermo, Italy
With venues like this, who wouldn’t want to drop everything and start the great house sitting adventure?
House Sitting Versus House Swapping
Many people confuse these two terms. House swapping requires a reciprocal arrangement, and ties both parties down to a time when both are free to travel. It obviously requires home ownership.
House sitting does not involve the recipient coming to the sitter’s house. The homeowner may be sunning themselves in the south of France or visiting relatives in Australia while the sitter is shivering in their winter-abandoned home.
Travel within a Country
There are dozens of opportunities to travel widely and cheaply within one’s own country. With careful planning and a modicum of luck, it is possible to get house sits almost back-to-back. As homeowners usually want to plan well ahead to secure the right person, the avid sitter can have a six-month itinerary laid out, hopping from state to state.
Saving for a House Deposit
In many cities, there are so many house sitting opportunities that young city-dwellers can move from house sit to house sit, within range of their workplaces, and put the considerable amount of rent they save towards a deposit for their own home.
Before readers rush to click on one of the housesitting sites to immediately register their interest in these plum jobs, they should remember that house sitting is not all frills and fun and free accommodation.
The Cons (Responsibilities) of House Sitting
House sitting is not a jaunt. The homeowner is not just being generous with their possessions to help poverty-stricken tourists. The home owner wants their home and garden carefully maintained. They expect the house to be spotless when they return.
Home Security
Having a house sitter is a security measure, as empty houses are quickly targeted by burglars. Unless the home owner specifically agrees to it, the housesitter cannot go off and spend a weekend in a neighbouring centre.
Imagine the homeowner’s chagrin if the home was plundered while the house sitter was goofing off sight seeing elsewhere. The potential house sitter needs to ask: “Do I want this level of responsibility? “ A window left open could lead to rain damage; carelessness with a heater could lead to fire; clumsiness could mean a priceless vase is smashed or a sentimental treasure broken.
Pet Sitting Responsibilities
Most home owners who seek house sitters do so because they have beloved pets. They prefer to risk having a stranger in their home than to send these animals to catteries or kennels where they might fret and certainly wouldn’t get the love and attention the homeowner would lavish on them.
The potential sitter needs to be very conscious of the fact that such people are often besotted with their pets, treat them as family (as children, even) and expect the sitter to respond accordingly. Who would want to be the person who left the door ajar and must admit that “Tiddles” won’t be coming home?
How Hard Is It To Walk a Dog?
The quick response might be “How hard can it be to walk a dog or feed a cat?” In some cases, it’s not hard at all. However, many pet owners ‘employ’ a sitter because it is hard.
Perhaps an elderly cat requires daily medication. Does the sitter have the skill to get a pill down a cat’s throat? The dog is old and needs to be carried up the stairs, where it, and its two siblings, expects to sleep on the bed with the sitter, because that’s what they’re used to.
Remember that real pet lovers rarely start stop at one. Frequently, the job description spells out that there are 3 Great Danes to be walked twice daily. Or the farmlet has 4 dogs, 5 cats, a goat, 2 rabbits, a donkey and a dozen hens requiring daily care.
Thus, people who just see house sitting as the opportunity for free lodging in exotic locations must realise that they are accepting a grave responsibility. It is not unknown for a sitter to be sued for damage or neglect of duty. Many home owners require a substantial bond, which is held by a third party. Dereliction of duty could ultimately cost more than hotel accommodation over a similar period.
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