An advert for house-sitting might read something like this: “Enjoy a tropical paradise in Mexico. I’m looking for a responsible person to house and dog-sit for the summer. I have a maid so no housework. Plants need to be watered. I have a 1,800-square-foot home 10 minutes from the closest beach and 15 minutes from town.”
Sound too good to be true? Well, sign up with an agency like mindmyhouse.com or trustedhousesitters.com and you could find out. As long as you are handy with a watering can and don’t mind lavishing love on a cocker spaniel, you could shortly be sitting in palatial luxury in Mexico. All it will cost you is a flight and your food.
Becoming a house-sitter generally starts with signing up to an agency for a small fee. At housecarers.com for example, you pay $50 (around €35) to register which allows you to access the adverts and respond.
But is house-sitting really a passport to a few weeks for free in a luxury pad or are there any hidden catches? Briton Angela Laws and her husband have been house-sitting for four years. She explains the reality of being a house sitter.
“I registered with three international agencies; trustedhousesitters.com was my favourite. My first sit was in West Sussex in the UK for three months. I had numerous telephone conversations prior to meeting the owners, a lovely couple with a springer spaniel, Woody, and a cat, Denzil. It was a great experience.”
Angela spent her time exploring Sussex, walking for miles on the Downs with Woody and indulging her passion for horse riding at a local stable. It was the start of a house-sitting tour which has taken her all over the world including Australia, France, Canada and the US.
For Angela, the advantages of her new life are manifold. She says, “House-sitting is cost effective; good quality hotels or apartments are expensive.” She also likes the fact that she can avoid impersonal, busy resorts. “Even a suite at the Mandarin Oriental can become claustrophobic after a couple of weeks.”
House-sitting has really changed Angela’s life. She says, “This has become my second career and the home owners’ are my clients and often become friends. I find myself in demand at an age that some consider ‘over the hill’”.
But it’s not all chateaus in France and villas in Tuscany. You could find yourself in a location that doesn’t suit you or with a list of unexpected demands. Angela has only been stung like this once. “The home was situated in an area and left in a condition that I was not prepared to accept. After making certain the house was secure, I left. I later had a letter of apology from the owner.”
Sometimes there are additional costs involved. Angela says, “With most long term sits, I expect to pay something for utilities. I do not charge for my services as I consider staying in a home of my choosing while having the company of family pets as payment enough.”
David and Mirabelle have also been house-sitting for a few years. They travel in a camper van, so they have their own accommodation if they get into difficulties and they use the time in people’s homes to write.
David says, “In its best form, the deal is one of mutual convenience and no money changes hands. House-sitters bring peace of mind regarding security and pets. The house-owner pays bills as usual. House-sitters pay their travel to the location, telephone calls, food and possibly a contribution to winter heating.”
He explains that house-sits vary dramatically. “Accommodation ranges from a room with shared facilities to the run of a château. The variation is a major attraction, as are part-time pets and a regular change in scenery and local colour.”
David and Mirabelle have stayed everywhere from a Buddhist retreat with a cat in the Cévennes to an Italianate villa in Kent. They’ve had some luxury lets, including a magnificent Spanish farmhouse and an apartment by the pool in an Italian villa shaded by 800-year-old olive trees.
David urges prospective sitters to be realistic though, saying, “More commonly, bearing in mind we opt for rural places, has been hard beds, wobbly chairs and mice in the attic.”
While some house-sits mean all you have to do is turn up and enjoy, others might require a bit more work and agreeing this in advance is key. David explains that they are happy to do some chores around the house, such as pool cleaning, a little gardening and of course, meticulously looking after pets. They steer well clear of anything that involves caretaking for villas with guests, as this is effectively an unpaid full time job.
David has rarely had a bad experience, but one house-sit in particular sticks in his mind. “This was at a large property in France where, to our surprise, we were offered monthly cash for helping with certain small chores. We were soon working seven days a week because there was so much to do. A swim and time on our own became rarer as the agreement went by the board.”
The owner began calling daily, advising them that hundreds of plants were being delivered that would need planting and requesting that the eight-bedroom house be ready for 14 people the following week. David says, “I felt bad seeing Mirabelle on her hands and knees for hours at a time.”
In the end, the couple gave three days’ notice. House-sitting is a bond of trust on both sides and the owner overstepped the mark on this occasion.
Angela has some advice for people considering trying house-sitting. “Ask yourself why you want to do it. It has to be more than thinking you’re getting a free holiday because this is what house sitting is not. It’s a serious commitment between two parties based on trust.”
Once you’ve decided to go for it, she suggests collecting references (character and employment), completing a police check and preparing a profile so you can register with an agency.
She adds, “Try a short term sit first and be prepared for rejections. This isn’t personal, simply that there are many excellent sitters possibly applying for the same sit. Once you’ve secured a sit, communicate with the home owner as much as possible and once you have committed, do not change your mind unless the reason is absolutely unavoidable.”
When it comes to sits that involve pets, she says, “You must love animals and not just your own. Bear in mind that looking after a puppy or working breeds will require infinite energy.”
David and Angela’s experiences show that house-sitting isn’t quite a free holiday. But just glancing at David’s website (www.ramblingrose.eu) shows it’s also clearly a lot of fun; there are photos of him lounging by a pool, cuddling an enthusiastic hound or relaxing in an ancient orchard.
So if you’ve a few weeks on your hands, no major commitments in Malta and fancy a taste of the good life at no more cost than some minor chores and a flight, log onto an agency. It could be you sipping a tequila sunrise by a pool under the Mexican sun.