Having now been housesitting for nearly 5 months we’re clearly experts at it 🙂 A number of people have told me they’re considering housesitting and so I thought I’d outline the pros & cons we’ve discovered so far.
The “normal” arrangement is a win-win with no money exchanged. The housesitter gets free accomodation while the home owner has the comfort of knowing their property and pets are being looked after. Having pets is usually the biggest driver for a home owner to seek out a housesitter. The cost of kenneling a dog is generally around $35 per day and so becomes quite costly if going away for a significant period. It becomes more complicated when other types of animals are involved. We’ve looked after dogs, cats and horses and are booked for a house with guinea pigs and fish. The other benefit for the home owner is that a vacant house is an invitation for burglars.
So, what’s it like being a housesitter? Here’s our list so far.
Pros
– Free accommodation. No rent or mortgage. Usually no utility costs either – gas, electricity, Foxtel (a big bonus as we’d never had it before).
– New places to explore. Taking the dog for a walk has become a constant adventure as each neighbourhood has different housing styles and often access to beautiful nature reserves and national parks close by.
– Most places you get to live in are quite nice houses.
– No house maintenance – gardening, repairs etc.
– Great opportunities for personal learning and growth. Overcoming the lack of certainty has been a big one for us. Learning to be adaptable has also been a clear benefit.
– People think you’re brave 🙂 or so they tell me.
Cons
– It’s easy to become disoriented. Having lived in one place for 11 years it took us a while to get used to not going there when on automatic pilot.
– Simple tasks take a lot longer than usual. Being in an unfamiliar kitchen means a simple thing like preparing a meal becomes a treasure hunt; trying to work out if the utensils we require are there and if so where are they kept? Getting to know an oven is a regular challenge and I’ve had a number of charcoal-coated cakes as a result.
– Travel times to places we go to often keep changing. Hence, being on time for appointments can be an issue.
– There’s a strong sense of being responsible for someone else’s animals and property.
– Less flexibility. When you’ve committed to looking after someone else’s animals you can’t decide to go away for a few days or stay with friends overnight somewhere.
– The biggest challenge is the lack of certainty. Having gaps in your bookings can be frightening. This requires a lot of trust and faith that things will work out.
We’ve decided we’ll stop living this way when it’s no longer fun and an adventure. They say “a change is as good as a holiday”. So far, it’s like being on a permanent holiday.