If you’re here, you likely have two questions about us:
Who are these people? And why should I trust them in my home?
Let us introduce ourselves:
Who are we?
Welcome to our About Us page. I’m Dave Price. In May 2013, my late wife, Linda, and I co-founded House and Home Sitters. Sadly, Linda passed away in January 2014 after a brief battle with aggressive brain cancer.
I lived in London for a time, near my eldest son and two wonderful grandchildren, Luca (13) and Gabriella (11). I’ve since been based in Portsmouth for over nine years.
British by birth, with family roots in Essex and Bristol, I spent much of my life in South Africa, where I worked as a corporate solicitor for a film studio in Cape Town. Linda and I shared a love for travel, which ultimately brought us back to the UK, providing a central base to explore the world. In South Africa, we managed two B&Bs for five years – a wonderful experience that included adopting five dogs, a cat, rabbits, goldfish, and pet birds from friends who emigrated to Australia.
My background spans property ownership, letting, leasing, property maintenance, and development, including building homes and a shopping centre. I even ran an estate agency that grew to be the third largest in our city.
Why trust us in your home?
Understandably, letting someone into your home while you’re away can feel unsettling. I understand this firsthand, having opened our own home to B&B guests in South Africa. House and Home Sitters has grown steadily because our clients know they can rely on us to care for their homes and pets with the utmost responsibility and dedication. Our clients’ positive reviews on our website, Trustpilot, and Facebook reflect the trust we’ve built over time. We’re proud to have organically climbed Google’s search rankings through word of mouth.
Clients rest easy knowing that their home and pets are safe with us. Our friendly, reliable, and professional house sitters are ID-checked, thoroughly vetted, and personally interviewed by me. Only those who meet our high standards in politeness and dependability join our team. We now have hundreds of sitters across the UK, each ready to keep your home safe and cared for while you’re away.
For peace of mind, our house sitters commit to spending the majority of time at home, following guidelines not to leave your property for more than four hours during the day or two hours after sunset. We’re insured up to £1m (including pet cover), and we’re happy to share our insurance certificate on request.
While friends or neighbours may offer to check in, we’ve all heard stories where things didn’t go as planned. In one instance, a couple returned to a flooded basement after leaving their home under a neighbour’s watch. Another client returned from a trip to find two chest freezers had thawed due to a power outage, leaving behind a difficult cleanup and a vow to always call on us in the future.
During each assignment, our sitters provide daily email or WhatsApp updates, including photos or videos, if you’d like. Every sitter also checks in with me daily, and we provide 24/7 head office support to our sitters.
Our Values
Our team lives by values that include:
- Friendliness and a helpful disposition
- Reliability, punctuality, professionalism, and respect for client privacy
- Treating every home and pet as if they were our own
- Continually raising industry standards
- Speaking thoughtfully and respectfully of competitors
- Upholding integrity in business and daily life
Read more about why you should hire a professional when it comes to your home and pet(s) here. This will also help you learn more about us at HHS.