Pet or plant-sitting... official MoneySavingExpert.com discussion

PandaPants_2

Where i would i get insurance for pet-sitting? Im thinking of offering the service to my neighbours (lots of whom are wealthy and travel regularly). I wouldn't know where to start looking for insurance though....

V_Chic_Chick

PandaPants wrote: »

Where i would i get insurance for pet-sitting? Im thinking of offering the service to my neighbours (lots of whom are wealthy and travel regularly). I wouldn't know where to start looking for insurance though....

I've never bothered as I get them to sign a lengthy disclaimer and they can't sue me anyway (being under 18 it's not legal to sue me & only having a few hundred in the bank . . . it's not worth it)

What you need is public liability insurance. There is some useful information here which would suggest you didn't need it as you are going into customers homes, not the other way round.

Ani-Mate_67

I currently run a dog walking and pet sitting service. It is my only income and I earn about £19K a year but that is down to extremely hard work and working 365 days per year (yes even Christmas Day) - I've not had a holiday (or even day off) for 4 years. That is what you need to do to make it work and is why I'm giving it up. However, if you are doing it as pocket money then it is probably a good way to earn extra money. To cover some of the points in these posts. There is no law that says dog walkers have to be insured and no-one can check you out. (If you are providing animal boarding on a commercial basis as your main business then The Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1965 requires you to be registered with your Local Authority but that isn't going to apply to anyone posting on here.) If you are running a business then you should be insured for public liability and if you are running a pet based business then you should have business insurance that is tailored to pets (most cover you and your employees not animals) - Cliverton is the largest. This is obviously your choice - you can run the risk of someone sueing you and if you are only doing for pocket money then you would probably risk it (do think about what you would do if you have keys to a property and it is broken into though). It is also sensible to have a contract with the pet owner so that there can be no arguement about what they are paying or what service you are providing and also to state what you would do if an animal that has free access to outdoors disappears (I know of a cat sitter who was threatened with being sued because a cat she was going round to feed went missing). To get work is more problematic, newspaper ads are very expensive and don't yield much work (so for pocket money you would probably spend more money than you earn), word of mouth won't really happen if you aren't doing it on a full-time basis so cards in pet shops and vets is probably the best option. If you are going into people's homes then a lot would ask for you to be police checked (it only costs a tenner). Always meet the people and their pets before you quote a price - you'd be amazed at what some people want you to do when all they've said is 'I want you to come round and feed my cats'. One small point that I've never investigated as it is of no relevance to me is that various people on here are talking about children making money by 'pet-sitting'. I'm not entirely sure this would be legal - it isn't legal to sell pets to people under the age of 16 now so it would be logical (although when has law ever been logical?) that you can't employ them to look after animals either. Of course what is legal or sensible is irrelevant if you can find someone to pay you - there is a guy local to me that walks up to 10 dogs at a time and he isn't insured or police checked and doesn't pretend to be but people still employ him (strangely he isn't cheap either). If you are going to walk dogs I really think you have to be insured - if a dog you are in charge of causes an accident (barks at a cyclist who wobbles into the path of a car maybe) then you could well find yourself being sued. If you aren't an experienced dog owner I think you should steer clear of dogs - other people's dogs are not necessarily well behaved and if you can't let it off the lead do you really want to have your arm wrenched out of its socket for an hour in the wind and rain for £7? If you stick to small animals and treat it as an additional income then it is a good way of making some extra money.

Ani-Mate_67

lilylady wrote: »

Hi, I was pensioned out of work with fybromyalgia and Irritable Bowel 4 yrs ago and am on IB. I was thinking I might b able to try dog walking, house or pet sit over the summer months and was wondering if it would affect my IB. Would I need to even inform the Benefit Office as I would most likely only be doing it here and there depending on how I was feeling and if I would feel up to it. Thought it would help my self-esteem and at the same time I would feel as if I would be contributing something (even if small) as my partner is only one working now. Excuse me if I am not where I should be with this but first time in Forum

Firstly, I'm glad that your health is improving and that you feel well enough to consider some work but please contact your Benefit Office. There are so many points here. How are you going to walk dogs 'as and when'? (If a dog is at home all day with the owner expecting you to walk it then you can't just 'not be up to it'.) Are you going to be paid? Paid work will affect your IB and will also affect what the owner will expect of you. Also, as you are claiming IB you are stating that you are unfit for work. There is an option to do therapeutic work but that has to be agreed by DWP doctors. I would say that this is not going to count but the only way you will find out is to contact them. The general public love to report 'sickness benefit' claimants that they feel aren't sick so if you are seen out walking dogs then you can be sure someone will shop you which will then probably mean you lose your benefits and even if you 're-qualify', I believe the new ESA (which is what IB now is) has much tighter rules. Ask for permission and if denied - don't do it. If they do allow it then try contacting The Cinnamon Trust - they are a charity that offers short term care/walking for pets that are in need of temporary care due to owners' illness or hospitalisation.

jaldijeno

I have been doing house and pet sitting for a few years, firstly for friends and family when I had ME, then self employed. Its not at all straightforward as a lifestyle choice never mind the issue of pay. I worry that people will get their hopes up seeing this on the site.

It suits people who have a lot of time and arent very active in their local lives or doing much else, as you have to be so removed from your own home life when on a booking for days or weeks at a time. You can miss important mail/housekeeping stuff by accident, and can lose out on the continuity of social life that comes from being at home.

You arent allowed to leave the place vacant for more than 4 hours a day or after dark, with the agencies I know anyway. This is not easy. I went and did it in London (I live very far from there) for the adventure, and I like my own company but only up to a point can I sit alone in a house 24/7 for a month! I had friends in surrey but could not meet them, as it takes that long to get anywhere and back again and in dec it gets dark at 4pm!

My insurance and overheads mean that I only just break even and live entirely on working tax credits. If clegg or cameron get in next week I am scuppered, big time. I do it because I am recovering from illness, love dogs and would do anything to avoid an office job as long as I can. And I can, because tax credits exist.

It actually costs you more being away from home for all sorts of reasons. You have to buy more expensive food. Some clients will pay you food expenses but if you have it in your terms and conditions to charge, the vast majority of clients moan and resent it. I dont drive which I admit is a disadvantage but its just unaffordable for me to have a car. Public transport is really pricey these days so I keep having to refuse farther afield bookings because of that alone.

Its very hard to get on the books of the agencies. I am however on the books of one, and they get me about two bookings a year. It serves them to have far more people on their books than bookings, obviously! hundreds are needed so they can cover the demand quickly, but it doesnt add up to an income. So I have to pay insurance for them plus insurance for me, coming to about £200 a year.

As I live alone and because the job means I am leaving my own home unattended, any advertising needed a PO box otherwise its an advert to burglars - and that costs me £10 a month! Not to mention other marketing costs...

NB The type of business that is mentioned is different from dog walking and pet visiting services some have alluded to here. I sympathise with the person who says they have had enough - they do seem to have a much better likelihood of making profit than the work I do, but work very hard. I chose the house sitting approach to fit around me. I can walk the dogs to fit my energy levels, (which fluctuate) but only up to a point! It doesnt make money as you can only have one client at a time and they have you nailed 24/7. Other pet services have many clients a day /week/month. Yet many would-be clients have assumed I am raking it in, just because it costs them 3 times what kennels do.

Having said this I am not giving up yet!
supply and demand are a big problem. one of me, and sometimes 5 offers, sometimes none for ages. I dont know any other people doing this. I would love to have a network of us doing it as we could share work and contacts and cut out the agencies and their mark up. If anyone is interested let me know!

silverfox13

Hi jaldijeno

Quoting your text "supply and demand are a big problem. one of me, and sometimes 5 offers, sometimes none for ages. I dont know any other people doing this. I would love to have a network of us doing it as we could share work and contacts and cut out the agencies and their mark up. If anyone is interested let me know!" are you still working on putting together a network of pet/house siters, if so I am interested.

Sharon

StacFace

Skint_Catt wrote: »

Are there any companies you can register with to do this on a casual basis? Like the Mystery Shop companies?

I would be interested to know this, as I work part-time in shifts so can never guarantee I will be available a certain day/time every week and obviously can't do ones where I can only be out the house for 3 hours at a time as my shifts are 4-6 hours long.

MSE_Sarah

Thanks for all your feedback so far. Please keep adding to this thread if you have any other comments on pet or plant-sitting.

MSE Sarah

liselle

I would like to offer to cat sit for free, in the owners home.I would just need to have my travel expenses covered.I am a house and pet sitter of many years experience, I have full insurance and love animals!
I am offering to do this as I know how expensive it can be to have your pet taken care of, and it would be great for me as, I'm not allowed pets in my current flat.