Would you let someone who couldn’t be trusted be your house sitter while you were on holiday? Or a stranger to take care of your pets? The answer (we hope) is no. Instead, we expect that you want only a trusted house sitter to look after your home and pets, wherever you live in New Zealand.
You can get a FREE, no-obligation quote for reliable house sitters through The Housesitting Company. Every sitter is vetted, insured and will take great care of your home.
For many reasons, some homeowners decide to find their own house sitter. Sadly for them and their pets, it doesn’t always work out well, as we hear from time to time. One of the most recent accounts we heard was particularly distressing. We’re sharing it with you today in the hope that others don’t experience what this homeowner did.
What happened when The Housesitting Company wasn’t used?
The homeowner we heard from decided not to use one of the many trusted house sitters from The Housesitting Company. Instead, they advertised locally for someone to look after their home and pets as they went on a holiday they’d been planning for months.
When they reached their destination, a time when they should have been able to relax, they found out their home had been abandoned, money stolen from it and food taken too. What’s worse, their dogs had been abandoned too. It’s a horrible situation and our sympathies very much go out to anyone who experiences anything like this. If you’re thinking of using a house sitter, there are some important checks to be done. The Housesitting Company is very strict on following these. And we do it for every sitter we use.
- A Ministry of Justice background check of the applicant.
- The applicant supplying at least two written references that the client will also see.
- The applicant agreeing to our Terms and Conditions.
- The applicant undertaking a formal interview with one of our team.
The nightmare of finding out your house sitter wasn’t reliable
You may have heard recently about a Christchurch couple who allegedly had property stolen by a house sitter who had not been hired through a housesitting agency and had instead been privately arranged.
It deeply saddens any reputable housesitting business when they hear of situations such as this one. If you're a homeowner wondering what to do with regards to hiring a house sitter, you should get advice from a caring, responsible housesitting operator. Remember to ask what house sitter background checking process is involved, as this is a crucial part of what an agency must do.
House sitters need to be more than just reliable, they need to be insured
Accidents happen, no matter how diligent a person can be to avoid them. That’s why The Housesitting Company carries Public Liability Insurance. It covers ‘accidental loss or damage to property caused by the sitters’.
The sitters we use are very careful, but having insurance gives you a little more peace of mind when you’re away (particularly as some insurance companies do not cover accidental damage caused by a housesitter).
If you have any questions about finding a trusted house sitter, check out our FAQ about house sitting.
And remember, you can get a free, no-obligation quote for a house sitter from The Housesitting Company. You can call us too on 0800 748 837 if you’d like to speak to one of our team.
