Can you tell me some more about how house sitting works?
Simply, house sitting is where a home owner goes away on holiday or for any other commitment and requires their pets, home and perhaps gardens to be looked after. House sitting can vary in time or length, from just one night, a weekend, and weeks to months. There are great advantages for home owners – go on longer holidays, the pets are happy, the plants, gardens and yard maintenance are taken care of, as well as collecting mail and keeping the home secure to deter crime until the home owner returns. Using house sitters is FREE and a fantastic way for home owners to save money on pet boarding and home minding costs, which can be anywhere from $30 to $70 per day, imagine having to add that onto your holiday budget! It also allows your pets to remain in their home environment, lessens stress on animals without disruption and gives them the company at home they deserve. It also provides home owners with peace of mind, keeping homes and properties highly secure.
House sitting is a great venture, which anyone can choose to take - including home owners! You can experience endless opportunities to travel, or immerse yourself in a variety of homes, animals, communities and to meet new people, as well as a great way to save money on rent, or even on holiday accommodation! House sitters are all types of people, there are locals, some who are young, traveling or looking to save money on rent or building a house deposit. There are couples or retirees house sitting on a nomadic adventure. There are also house sitters who seek properties to house sit as a way to receive free accommodation whilst traveling and exploring new places. However house sitting is a very big responsibility and choosing the most suitable house sitter is entirely up to the home owner.
****House sitters MUST be able to provide a current National Police Check and current references to home owners if requested. If you are wishing to become a house sitter or you are currently a house sitter, please ensure you have an electronic version and sufficient copies of these documents to present when asked.
So house sitting is free, are there any other costs?
House sitting is a concept where it is a free, reciprocal agreement that is mutually beneficial and extremely rewarding for both home owner and house sitter/s. Home owners are able to go away with peace of mind knowing their house is secure and pets are being cared for and loved, whilst the house sitter receives free living in return.
Rent, mortgage and water/rates are usually never the house sitter's responsibility, and general property bills are the home owner's, but this is a discussion to share with a house sitter. Most house sitters do not expect to pay the household bills as they do home owners a great, free service, though personal items like food or personal toiletries are wholly a sitter’s responsibility to bring. However, some house sits can last more than a few months, and as a home owner you may feel you want the house sitter to pay for their usage such as electricity in your home. The best thing to do is to sit down with your chosen house sitter and come to a mutual agreement, and any agreements MUST be agreed on in writing and signed by both parties. This ensures all clauses, agreements or detail about the house sitting assignment is clear, agreed mutually upon and signed.
As a courtesy or show of appreciation, home owners may wish to provide house sitters with a thankyou gift, voucher or gift payment.
How can I find a house sitter or a house sitting assignment in Tasmania?
Right here! Join as a member today to browse and start connecting: Click here to get started
So what’s in it for me if I join?
Plenty! As a member whether you choose 3 months for $19, 6 months for $39 or 12 months for $69 with us, you will have unlimited access to post ads or apply for assignments during your membership time frame. You can also access further valuable resources and receive news and updates. Also, as we keep mentioning, house sitting saves you money. We are also professional house sitters ourselves and we know good house sitters when we see them, we also know the concept well. We are also able to offer you 24/7 to support and assist our home owners and house sitters!
I am a home owner and I feel a little concerned about having a stranger in my home. What about insurance?
Good question! This is a very common worry, but we strongly advocate that you and your family to get to know your house sitter/s well before you depart. Meet them a couple of times then invite them to your home when you have completed your checks and/or feel comfortable and trusting! We know that your home and valuables are important to you. As a home owner, you are advised to make sure that you have a current Home and Contents and liability policy that covers your home for the duration while you are away. Most insurance companies will prefer that there is a house sitter at home providing "live in" security and they may even offer reduced insurance premiums. Some insurance companies will render your policy void if the home is left vacant for more than 30 days, so even if you have no pets and the home is vacant, it is at risk. A house sitter can alleviate unnecessary stress while you are on holiday! Please contact your insurance provider for advice to discuss having a house sitter.
And if you are a house sitter, you are encouraged to explore personal liability insurance. This is entirely a personal decision, and we recommend to seek professional advice.
What about a written agreement or checks?
As a home owner at the end of the day, it is ultimately your decision whom you decide upon for your sitter. It’s always best to err on the side of caution, and on the safer side so we highly recommend that home owners and house sitters meet first in a neutral location, such as a café to meet and discuss requirements. This gives both parties a chance to comfortably meet and get to know each other! We urge homeowners to ask potential house sitters for a National Police Check and current references, to provide peace of mind and remember – this is at your discretion. Once you have chosen your sitter it is recommended to invite them to visit your home and give them a tour, introduce them to pets and discuss everything together. If needed, this would also be a good time to come to a mutual agreement on anything specific with your house sitter/s in writing, signed and dated with a copy for both parties. We also encourage you to fill in a home owner’s checklist (see example) for house sitters to assist them ready for their stay. House sitters - we encourage you to use this checklist template, add further questions and create it like your own!
House Sitting Tasmania Agreement & Checklist Template (click here)
If there’s anything you think that is missing from this template, please contact Rachel, your personal house sitting concierge at housesittingtasmania@gmail.com
I don’t have a debit or credit card, or a Paypal account, how can I join?
Send us an email on housesittingtasmania@gmail.com and we will walk you through some other options!
Ok, so I have joined – what happens now?
Great! We are pleased to have you on board. By now you would have received our welcome email which will show you how to create a sitter profile or home listing. If you wish not to share a listing right now, that’s okay - you still have instant VIP access to our community and you can start connecting with others! Contact details of house sitters and home owners on our website are usually through email or phone, and make sure you respect any particular contact wishes. But we should tell you though, creating a listing provides you with stronger opportunities to find house sitters or sitting assignments! Bear in mind the listings that are available are not all there is, we have plenty of members behind the scenes just waiting to contact you!
I am having problems completing or loading my profile or listing, and I am getting so frustrated! Help!
Ok, don’t fret. We are here to help! We know technology can get up your goat sometimes – we get it! If you are having delays or a frozen screen: here’s your cheat sheet to a smoother experience with us.
- Fill in the important sections first, eg your title, dates and your contact details. Make sure the title does not include your name or address – describe your home to entice house sitters. Fill in your description and make sure you provide plenty of details as possible! Our members like to read lots of information. If you are struggling with it, send us an email!
- We highly recommend adding some photos to your listing, and this is usually what creates some delay. Sometimes we receive images that are a little too big for our uploader to handle, and they begin to flip upside down and do funny things! To ensure your listing is uploaded quickly and you can spend more time enjoying your cup of tea, upload images one at a time and check that they are 2MB or less. Don’t know how to resize them? Here’s a little trick. Email the images to yourself, and save them from there. That usually works! If you’re having a dreadful time, email them to us and we will add them for you: housesittingtasmania@gmail.com
- If your profile or listing has been completed, now it will come through to us for approval – yay! We have to make sure that you have included as much detail as possible and that you haven’t accidentally uploaded any photos that may be of inappropriate nature.
I have completed my listing/profile but now I have found a sitter, or I want to edit or delete it - help me!
See our handy guide below! We would like to kindly remind you that if you have found a house sitter, or your dates have ceased, or if you wish to remove your profile as a house sitter it is your responsibility as a member to deactivate or delete your listing on the website. 99% of the time we are not aware if you have found a house sitter, and neither do our house sitters so by making sure your listing isn't still active, you can save yourself the headache of being contacted numerous times!
We would also like to ask that you please note the best possible contact method for you. House sitters have been trying to get in touch with home owners who don't check emails regularly, and have had to phone. In your listing you are most welcome to request SMS or text contact if it is easier for you!
Listings that had past dates have been removed by us, but please read the following information about how to edit or delete your listing once you have found a sitter. If you get truly stuck, that's what we are here for!
How to: Deactivate, delete or edit your listing or profile on House Sitting Tasmania
Follow this step by step process!
1. Head along to the website www.housesittingtasmania.com.au
2. Select "Log In" (which is the 7th option along the top tab)
3. Enter your username and password (if you have forgotten, select "About Us'' and choose "I have forgotten my password" which will arrange a password reset for you)
4. You are now a logged in member. Select your position - either home owners or house sitters
5. You should now see this list, along with a second tab option "My listing" or "My profile"
6. Select View, Edit or Delete. If you just need to edit, click on Edit and change what you need. If you just wish to save as a draft, select "Save as draft". If it is completed, select "Submit for approval" and it will come across to us for finalising.
7. If you wish to remove your profile or listing completely, please select Delete.
Remember that as a member it is your responsibility to keep your information up to date and current for new members to see. Home owners, particularly once you have found a house sitter - you must remove your listings. This is very important because house sitters need to be able to view only available house sits.
Because connections made between home owners and house sitters on House Sitting Tasmania are direct, we don't know if all house sit assignments are filled, or if you choose not to be a house sitter anymore. So make sure you give us a helping hand! Still having some troubles or need our help? Please drop us a line, your friendly concierge will assist!
I am a home owner and I have joined, but no sitters have contacted me? How can I find a house sitter quickly?
House Sitting Tasmania is a place to list details about your home, the dates you need a house sitter, but also to advertise what you require! Joining as a home owner does not mean a house sitter will instantly contact you, or house sitters are organised for you. House Sitting Tasmania is your local platform to connect, so firstly - create a listing! Add photos to make it stand out from the rest. Talk up your pets and why they are so wonderful to live with and look after! Check out other home listings for inspiration, and regularly review your listing information. Adjust it, or add more detail if you are not getting responses. And lastly, contact house sitters! There may just be the perfect one available for your dates.
I'm trying to click on the email contact to be able to apply for a house sit and contact the home owners, or contact a house sitter but I am having troubles, please help!
Don't fret. This happens! Most likely what is happening is either
A: you are not a member of House Sitting Tasmania yet or your membership has expired, or
B: you are a member but you do not have a Mail function set up on your PC, laptop or computer.
Firstly, to answer A: you need to be a member of House Sitting Tasmania before you can contact other members. It is very simple! Joining House Sitting Tasmania is a matter of heading here: https://housesittingtasmania.com.au/join-us/
Solution to answer B: having a mail function installed or set up on your computer is one of the quickest ways to email and contact members, eg. through Microsoft Outlook or Mail via Mac. If you do not have mail functioning on your computer (and really don't want to bother setting it up) another quick solution can be to use our website via your tablet, iPad or smartphone. Clicking on email will automatically open your mail program or app there. if required, email us! housesittingtasmania@gmail.com
Can I ask you some further questions?
Sure! Please use our contact form to email us and we will get in touch as soon as we can!
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