Anyone used TrustedHousesitters website

longwalks1

Has anyone here used the above site?  We are due to go away in a few months for a fortnight and until recently, an elderly relative looked after our dog at their house.  

I think we’ve decided it’ll be minimal disruption and stress for our aging dog if someone moves into our own house to sit for her while we are away.  Kennels aren’t an option, and we think a new person and a new environment would be more strange for her.

anyone used TrustedHousesitters?  Was recommended it on a Facebook group for our breed of dog

breaking_free

I previously joined TrustedHousesitters as a sitter, rather than someone who needed their pets looking after. One thing that should act as reassurance was that I had to pay for the privilege of looking after other people's pets! As a sitter, we have to pay a not insubstantial fee to join the site and list ourselves. 

I got lots of takers because I listed myself as a local who wasn't looking for a free holiday (many sitters do in fact use house sitting as a method of getting free accommodation in return for pet sitting). My own motivation was wanting to look after other people's pets to decide if I wanted to get my own.

Many of the people I sat for had previously used other sitters and had been very happy with the service provided. I only heard one negative comment: a couple asked if it was normal for the sitter to help themselves to their alcohol, to which I responded "Absolutely not!" It was very normal for owners to invite me to help myself to items in the fridge, which would otherwise go off, but their grog cabinet, frozen food and tins were out of bounds.

I always met the owners in person before they went on holiday so that I could meet them and the animals to decide if we were a good match; this might not be possible if the sitter is a long way from your area, but at the very least it would be good to have a zoom call to introduce yourselves. 

I do think it is a very good service and it is much better for your dog if they can stay in the home, so it's a win-win all around. Best of luck!

prettyandfluffy

I would check your home insurance policy to make sure doing this would not affect the level of cover you have.

longwalks1

prettyandfluffy said:

I would check your home insurance policy to make sure doing this would not affect the level of cover you have.

Thanks prettyandfluffy, definitely something to bear in mind.  I will check before we travel

longwalks1

breaking_free said:

I do think it is a very good service and it is much better for your dog if they can stay in the home, so it's a win-win all around. Best of luck!

Thanks breaking_free, can I ask, if i sign up and pay as a pet parent the one off fee, is it right I will not be charged/have to pay the house sitter?  Or have I got that wrong?  
If we manage to find a house sitter for 3 week in November (we are on the Herts/Essex border) then I've said I will be more than happy to leave out food allowance/fill the fridge/do a large shop before they arrive - But do you sitters house sit for free?

breaking_free

Hi @longwalks1.

Unless things have changed, the housesitter does not get paid as they are getting accommodation and all utility bills paid by you in return for their pet sitting services. There is also no need to do a shop for them, again because this is a quid quo pro situation. The website should make it completely clear that there is no charge other than the one-off fee to the site owners. 

Everyone I sat for (I think 5 in total) left a welcome letter explaining where things were, what the feeding/walking arrangements were for their pets, and other useful information. But you should definitely exchange several messages or better still arrange a phone call with the sitter before handing over your keys so that both of you know what is expected.

thara1996

Heya. Arrange a interview. Discuss finances and everything else too. Make some brief summary notes. Best wishes. Show them around the entire house and make sure you trust them too. Your pet needs to be happy as far as possible. 

sheramber

I would not leave my house or my pet in the hands of someone I had not met nd had a conversation with.

Beana_3

I have used TrustedHousesitters and had great experience up until one stole from me (I didn't realise until a month after she left as I don't wear a lot of jewellery so never thought to check) and the next chap left a burn mark on my kitchen counter-top from a frying pan as he 'didn't realise' it wasn't heat proof, broke the door handle and lock on my bi-fold door which cost me £395 to replace and my cats were seriously underweight and none of their wet food used (presumably because he was a vegan and decided he wouldn't bother to feed them the meat).

My home insurance wouldn't cover me as I didn't opt for accidental and it was damaged by a third party. It's been over 3 months and am still waiting on the outcome to see if TrustedHousesitters insurance will cover me (even though I paid premium -just to ensure I would be covered).

After all this, I wouldn't recommend them as I rather leave my pets being cared for by a neighbour as they will be more respectful to the house and I know my pets won't be abused/neglected.

Hopefully you don't have any dramas if you do opt to use them, but be warned -when it goes wrong, it can go badly wrong.

KittenChops

I used Pawshake a few years ago. Found a brilliant local cat sitter - she came twice a day, fed cats, cleaned litter trays, fussed cats, open/drew curtains & sent me loads of photos on WhatsApp of the cats having a lovely time with her!  First time we messaged & made payment through Pawshake, then after that, stopped using the app & paid her a little less each time as Pawshake obviously takes a commission.

Lavendyr

niceyl said:

From the housesitters point of view, please treat housesitters as people and not your servants.  I personally try to avoid ads that have 'housesitter required'.  Unless you are paying your housesitter (something I have never done) please remember they are volunteering.  I make a lot of effort to take care of people's home and pets, but some owners are pretty demanding and on the verge of being rude. Most are lovely and I would happily go back!  Here is a 25% code for trusted housesitters if you are interested in that site - RAF175951

I would happily have a petsitter like you. You sound amazing! I do have a cat requiring medication though which makes it tougher (though he is very good at taking his tablet!).