Housekeepers or House Sitters
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Sittercity Home Care Search
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House sitters seem to have the most ideal job there is. All they have to do is to live in your house, where they can have full use of the facilities. Not only do they get to have free accommodation, they do not have to tackle arduous tasks like maids, nor do they have to deal with the same problems as babysitters. After all, the house isn’t going anywhere soon.
But when you have to go out of town for some reason with the entire family, you may realize the value of house sitters. With nobody watching the house, it becomes more prone to robbery. Valuables such as heirloom pieces of furniture and household appliances are at risk. If you have pets, there will be nobody to feed them or take them on walks. Plants will not receive regular watering and may wither and die. The whole place may accumulate cobwebs and dust. All these considerations are such a headache that some families cancel their trips altogether. This will not be necessary if you can just find a good house sitter.
The first step is to look for potential housesitters. Distant family members or a relative that is coming to town for a vacation are ideal. Family friends or people you trust are always good bets. However, they may not always be available. In this scenario, you could always go online and scour online agencies. The same agencies that provide you with babysitters or pet sitters may also have databases for housesitters. At least, you will be able to ensure that they are trustworthy, since all their personal details are held by the agency and can easily be tracked down in the event of foul play.
Invite the potential candidates to see the house and have an informal chitchat. Just make sure you don’t keep it too informal. They should know exactly what is expected of them. Brief them on the following details:
- What times they are expected to stay in the house.
- If they are allowed to bring friends inside the house, and the number of people they are allowed to bring in. Remember that the more people in the house, the harder it will be to control them. The person you hire may be trustworthy but you can’t always be too sure about his friends.
- Extra duties such as tending the plants, cleaning the pool, or feeding the pets. If this is part of your agreement, be sure to brief him or her on the particular feeding and watering schedules, and some clear do’s and don’ts. If you have other people to do this part-time, then acquaint the house sitter with their schedules and contact numbers.
- If you expect your housesitters to also act as temporary housekeepers, make sure that the person is okay with that. He or she may have to be paid above the regular fee, since this is not always in the scope of house sitting duties. If a temporary housekeeper comes in on certain days, make sure the sitter knows the schedule. Leave a list of the ground rules you’ve discussed, so that your sitter doesn’t forget them.
Assess your candidate’s responses, and avoid hiring somebody who seems irresponsible or juvenile. You may think it doesn’t take much to watch a house, but a lot of damage can be caused if the sitter accidentally causes a fire or puts together a house party. Remember, maturity is not based on age. A middle-aged sitter may be just as likely to be negligent as a young man or woman.
In case the sitter falls ill or has to cancel at the last minute, always have a back-up sitter. Make sure the sitter knows where to reach you in case of emergencies.
Hiring house sitters takes a moderate amount of planning, so do take the time and effort for it. After all, you would want to return to find your residence intact, and as good as new.
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Sittercity Home Care Search
Enter your zipcode to find a housesitter or house keeper in your area: |
