Our reliable house sitters are practically-oriented and accustomed to taking care of homes like yours. Highly respectful of your privacy, they are also (as applicable) professional pet carers and can cope with domestic problems as sensibly as you might while at home. We do a thorough risk management assessment at the commencement of each assignment, which includes you going through our Homeowner Checklist with our sitter in detail. This will usually be when ‘handing over’ prior to your departure. The checklist includes many aspects, such as location of your electrical board and water stopcock, contact details of your repairmen/veterinarian to contact in case of emergency, dietary, medicinal and exercise requirements of your pets, their health history, age and so forth. Our sitters can also call on our Head Office 24/7 in need.
Our sitters provide their own food although our homeowner clients are usually happy to supply any consumables on hand and the basics. Bed linen and towels are provided by clients, and if possible returned clean at the end of the house sitting assignment.
Yes, we are fully covered against public liability, which includes pet cover; this is subject to our terms of service. Your own home insurance also remains in force as your home will be occupied during your absence.
No, but our sitters will stay in your home while caring services are supplied by your appointed carers (who are responsible for their own cooking, cleaning and so forth). We are house and, if applicable, pet sitters, we do not “sit” people.
Your sitter(s) will take loving care of feeding, administering any medication and generally looking after your pets in your absence. This is included in the daily rate per pet. If exercising of your pets is required though, this must please be separately negotiated with us (or if you prefer, a third party).
Our sitters will take care of watering your indoor plants during your absence. Please see the Rates page on our website for information on any additional services you may require.
Your sitters’ responsibility is to live in and care for your home as if it were their own. This includes enhancing your house security, mail and telephone call handling, lovingly caring for pets, the occasional contingency odd job inside your home, and anything else the homeowner and we agree on as per our Rates website page.
Yes, to homeowners in the UK. We spend on Internet advertising every day and also advertise on social media. That said, most of our new business comes from organic search traffic, word-of-mouth referrals, and we have a number of homeowner clients who use our services again and again (as can be seen from some of our many reviews).
Yes, all quotations are free and without obligation. Once accepted though, there is a mutual commitment by all parties to honour their agreement as binding. Certainty and security are mandatory with us.
Although this has been suggested by our members, we opted against having a rating system outside of independent client reviews on Facebook, Trustpilot and Google – please simply click on these to view them. A rating system just has too much downside for some to undermine our great spirit for no real benefit. Rating a house sitter, or for that matter a homeowner, is very subjective; someone who one party will admire and respect may not as easily be to the liking of another. Overall though, at least 99.5% of the time house sitting is a truly positive experience for all parties concerned. Our website and community values are based on love, generosity, responsibility and respect. We work hard to affirm and maintain these values. It is really difficult to find a bad house sitter, especially since our sitters have been subjected to such a thorough vetting and interview process, and although there may be the occasional misunderstanding when, for example, something has not been clearly explained, but overwhelmingly almost every house sitting assignment ends with both parties feeling very happy. Naturally, the success of our company has always depended entirely on having the right people.
Your and your family’s privacy is of paramount importance to us, and respecting your confidentiality in all matters is one of the primary values imbued in each of our sitters. In fact, our reputation for privacy has resulted in our landing some prime assignments, including a celeb house sit at a Kent Manor House which you can read about here. A unique feature of House and Home Sitters compared to other house sitting agencies is that neither the profiles of our homeowner clients – nor our house sitters – are exposed to the public at large as they are on other house sitting websites. Your personal address and contact details will be disclosed to your sitter(s) only, after being appointed to your house sitting assignment. That’s how focussed we are on your privacy.