jenpen87 Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Hi there, looking for bit of advice from those who are currently house sitting or have done in the past. We are currently in the UK and move to Perth on January 15th and want to house sit rather than rent. We signed up for two house sit websites (housecarers.com and australianhousesitter.com.au) aprox 2 weeks ago, and still have not heard anything from home owners, and of the two people we actively contacted who would have been suitable, we have not had any joy with. Do you think it's just a case of early days at the moment? Me and my husband will be 26 when we move and are unsure if our age may put people off? For those who have done the same, how long did it take for you to secure some house sits? We don't want to turn up and have no wear to live, and we're unsure when to start looking at Plan B. Experiences and advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks:cute: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyNook Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 There are usually at least 5 times as many sitters as houses available so house owners have a lot of people they can pick and choose from. I wouldn't be that confident that you can get a house to sit for the dates you want. Most house sitting jobs are only for a few weeks anyway. Are you planning to go from one to another moving every couple of weeks? Where will you go in the inevitable gap periods? If I was looking for a sitter, I'd certainly be wanting a person (or couple) with experience and references. And preferably someone who had been a house owner and who would know what to do if there was a problem with the house. What would put me off is that someone newly arrived in the country wouldn't necessarily know what to do or where to go if there was a problem. If I was you, I'd be going with Plan B. :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmaroo Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 How long would you be looking to house sit for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenpen87 Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 How long would you be looking to house sit for? Hi, obviously the longer the better but we are flexible. Overall, for at least 12 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenpen87 Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 *bump* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 I know a lot of people who house sit and to be honest you are going to struggle, nothing personal, but to get the bookings to match up for a 12 month period will be nightmares, where will you live when you haven't got a house sit? In theory it's an excellent idea in practice not as good. A friend of mine got a house sit for 3 months the day before the family cancelled, it was too short notice to get any other positions and it cost her 3 months in a hotel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenpen87 Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 Doh I feel like my plans have been foiled! But I'll persevere and wait for some more experiences and advice:cute:. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenpen87 Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 *bump* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Think you might just have to pay rent like most of us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenpen87 Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 Haha well thanks everyone for your useful comments and for your personal experiences of house sitting . Nothing ventured, nothing gained:cute: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 In my experience (this is based on in the UK and my MIL and one or two others in Aus) people like a) older/mature people and b) usually a single person, not a couple, who is full time employed. Also with fully checkable references and with experience of house sitting in the past. Often also house sitters have their own place to live but short stay in other peoples homes to cover holidays and so on and can sometimes charge a fee to do so if taking on pets and so on so its kind of like a job for them. Trying to use it as a way to avoid renting for a year I don't think would work. As has been said, too often people change their plans and things can fall through and you'd have periods where you would not have anywhere so would have to rely on hotels etc. Also as the house sits can be all over the place you could end up with a 2 hour commute or some such if you take a place just as a roof over your head. I'd have another plan to cover your housing for the first 6 months and get to know people, how the system works, have some references in Aus behind you and then consider trying to go the house sit route again but I'd really not rely on it for a roof over your head on a regular basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wendyu Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 Hi there, I moved across to Perth in January and I am an Office Manager for a pet & house sitting agency though most of our clients have pets. Obviously you must be pet lovers. We put sitters into peoples homes to care for them while they are away. It would mean moving around more than you probably wanted to but we can look at giving you sits in certain areas close to work etc. If this is something you are intersted in then let me know & I will tell you whats needed and can go into things in more detail. Kind Regards Wendy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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