Vacations are supposed to be relaxing. But when you’re leaving behind everything you own and possibly a menagerie of furry friends, the stress can be considerable: Who will take care of everything while you’re gone?
If you can’t find a friend or family member to volunteer, you’ll have to trust a stranger in your space—and that’s terrifying.
When seeking out a trustworthy house sitter, consult with your friends and family – do they have a responsible college age student looking for employment, or have they used someone that they like? If that’s a bust, think outside the box and ask the people you do business with: does your realtor know someone? How about your hairdresser or someone at your gym?
When all else fails, you can try one of the online services such as Trusted Housesitters or House Carers.
To stanch the anxiety associated with handing over your keys to a stranger, these sites thoroughly verify sitters to ensure they won’t make off with your favorite heirloom necklace. For instance, Trusted Housesitters requires, at a minimum, a driver’s license and one personal reference. For a more-vetted sitter (and for more money), you can find someone who’s been through an identity and background check.
When going this route, do your homework.
Read through the sitter’s bio. This will give you a better idea of their personality and whether or not they’d be a good fit for your needs. Any individual who can’t take the time to fully fill out their profile probably isn’t someone you want watching your home.”
Before confirming the booking, meet with the potential sitter—ideally in your home.
Pay attention to the questions the sitter asks. Are they asking about how to make your pets happy in your absence and about keeping your home’s routine? Or about who can use your pool, and can they have friends over.
Take a peek at their social media profiles to get a feel for their personality and past job experience.
Make sure to describe the situation appropriately, and make a list of everything you expect the housesitter to do in your absence.
Outline your pets’ behaviors: Do they need special medicine? Where do they sleep? Do they get along with each other, and how do they behave on walks?
Make sure your expectations are clear and your instructions are thorough—otherwise you may come home to a dead vegetable garden, or worse. Print out instructions, emergency contacts and neighbors’ phone numbers on one sheet for easy answers to questions your sitter might have.
Let you neighbors know that you will be away, and who is housesitting. Ask them to keep an eye out for any strange activity, or if they notice that your dog has been outside for extended periods of time, or is continuously barking. A doorbell camera is a great way to see who is coming and going from your home while you are away.
Source: Realtor.com
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