We are new to house sitting and the house owner who we are going to to sit for, has asked us to sign a long contract basically saying we have to look after his garden ( we agree to this ) but now we have to pay for any breakages and utilities ,
Would like to get any feed back on what is the norm for house sitting
safe travels
reglynn said
10:48 PM Feb 2, 2016
House sitting is to look after the gardens by watering, the pool if there is one,the animals as well as taking in the mail.
There should be NO CONTRACT at all, as you are saving the people money for grading,pool keeeping, boarding there pets and the mail delivery.
What we get is the saving of park fees and to explore the area.
Finally ALL care TAKEN no responsibilities taken for accidentals.
But wait there will be more helpful comments coming. Cheers
Andrea said
11:58 PM Feb 2, 2016
Trevor, as reglynn has already said, there should be no contracts, and very rarely have we seen any house owner ask for payment of utilities - about twice in the five years we've been 'sitting' - and we've avoided them! We've worked from the east coast to the west, in four states.
Say 'goodbye' to these selfish people, they don't deserve your help and plenty more jobs are available.
Come to think of it, perhaps you could offer your own contract: $20/hour, with a full record of all time spent caring for garden, mail, pets, etc. Perhaps they would reconsider taking you for a ride!
Good luck!
Andrea
-- Edited by Andrea on Wednesday 3rd of February 2016 12:02:39 AM
Peter_n_Margaret said
12:00 AM Feb 3, 2016
The owners can ask for whatever they want.
So can you.
If you can't agree on something you are both happy with or you are uncomfortable for any reason, walk away.
Don't agree to something you are not prepared to comply with or can't afford if it all goes wrong.
Pretty simple really.
Cheers,
Peter
dorian said
07:14 AM Feb 3, 2016
Who's being selfish? You are getting free accommodation in return for minor duties. In fact these are the same duties that a renter is contractually bound to.
The last person I want occupying my house is an ungrateful freeloader who is not willing to pay for the things that he breaks. Go away.
tezza said
09:14 AM Feb 3, 2016
Each to their own. The owner is quite entitled to ask for contract and whatever else he wants. You are entitled to accept or refuse. It is absolutely up to the parties involved. We have been sitting all over Australia for 11 years and have encountered many scenarios. One contract we signed even said that the owner could not return to the house until the specified date. In short, please yourself
RodLainie said
09:50 AM Feb 3, 2016
We have been housesitting for 4 1/2 years not as long as Tezza, but we look at it this way. It is meant to be mutually beneficial not one sided. If you add up $35 per day per animal for boarding fees, $30 per hour for house cleaning, $30 per hour for gardening, $45 per hour for security and not taking into account mail collection etc you'll see that the owners would be well out of pocket to cover these expenses. If you were housesitting for 6-12 months you could have a discussion to find a mutual cost to cover excessive utilities but that's up to you.
Take into account that it would cost you around $250 per week, some discounts may apply for a caravan park where your site fees include electricity, utilities etc Also no gardening, no house cleaning, no animals to mind and far more relaxing. Is it really worth housesitting? We do it because we like to help people with multiple animals who want to take a holiday and can't afford to board them or want their animals to have their own environment. We treat their home with respect and treat it like our own as we do their animals. All things considered we do not do housesits that expect us to pay for utilities. We work extra hard doing housesits doing repairs for the owners, from mowing acres to landscaping gardens, as has been agreed with the owners. We even pay out of our own pocket for things the animals require on a daily/weekly basis. Not to mention their home is extremely clean to a professional standard on their return. The owner is getting a bargain!
Dorian your ignorance is evident. Don't ask us to housesit for you as you would get a resounding NO.
Trevor don't agree to anything you are not comfortable with, let them find someone else, it's not worth it. There is plenty of other housesitting opportunities out there with reasonable owners.
Safe travels and enjoy life. That's what it is all about.
L & R
dorian said
09:50 AM Feb 3, 2016
I would feel honour bound to make restitution for any damage that I caused, accidental or otherwise. However, I would not be willing to sit in a house that wasn't insured. For example, I would not want to be held liable if the house burnt down as a result of a kitchen fire. However, I would feel obligated to compensate the owner for his excess and any loss of no-claim bonus. In fact I would think that the same terms should apply to sitters as they do to renters. Damage done by renters is taken out of their bond, so why should sitters feel that they should be treated differently?
I think the rule should be that the property should be left in the same state as it was received, with allowance for normal wear and tear. It's too bad that we need contracts to enforce the kind of behaviour that one's conscience should dictate.
wendyv said
03:04 PM Feb 3, 2016
Use house sitters regularly, anywhere from 2 to 9 months at a time. No contracts involved, but there is a paper trail about what is involved and expected (lawns mowed, pots watered, pool checking). There is not a great deal of time involved in these - in winter in our area, the grass does not grow much. We have always required our sitters to pay the electricity and gas bills - and for any long distance calls on our land line; they get the free local calls, and broadband internet attached to same. We always have sitters who are frequent or full time sitters. None has ever objected to these terms.
Trevor law said
03:23 PM Feb 3, 2016
Thanks everyone for the input like I said we are just new to doing this we have no problem doing what is required we just were not sure if a contract was the norm. As for being called a free loader and to go away said Dorian I resent that comment I am not a free loader how dare you suggest otherwise . We are going to do the house sit and we are at the moment talking with the owner he contacted us to say it was an oversight on his part putting in the contract to pay for utilities he said the cost of having us there to house sit is far cheaper for him than putting the dog into the kennel and as we are staying in our van at the house sit the breakage clause is not really relevant . Like a few of you have said a little bit of negotiation is good for both parities.
Dorian I suggest you you get your manners in check and keep the name calling for the playground.
Trevor law said
03:27 PM Feb 3, 2016
Also a rental agreement is different form a house sit agreement as a house sit no bond is required . Rental tenants are covered by the rental agreement as is the landlord I am not renting the property just offering a service , that suits both parties .
Aus-Kiwi said
07:38 PM Feb 3, 2016
I would expect to pay for Elect and water though ? Can't really put an hour rate on it as if your renting you would be required to do the same ., plus I assume the house is furnished ??
Trevor law said
08:10 PM Feb 3, 2016
What...... I am not renting I am house sitting looking after a dog and a house not staying in the house staying in my van in the driveway a rental agreement is totally different to house sitting renting is paying a landlord to rent the house as per rental agreement law . House sitting is a service industry not rental . It's a service . I guess you can put it like babysitting the house and the animals and a willingness to keep the garden and collect mail and what not . You would not ask your babysitter to pay for power and water would you.
daffyfrancis said
08:10 PM Feb 3, 2016
dorians comments may appear a bit harsh but I think you should look again at his advice on insurance and your potential legal risks if the property under your care is not insured or insured & is damaged, destroyed or a public liability claim arises. Also consider the breakage clause as it may not have to be you that causes any breakage for you to be liable (I agree with dorian that you should expect to replace any breakage you cause & you must consider why the owner would want the clause in the first place ie: most insurance policies have restrictions on theft or breakage by people invited into an owners home so you or your friends would appear to be invited guests)
Also remember that any form of agreement might be ok until something goes wrong so if I were in your position and intending to do house sitting i would pay for some one off relevant legal advice .
David.
Trevor law said
08:22 PM Feb 3, 2016
Thanks everyone for the input
kandagal said
09:30 PM Feb 3, 2016
W have been house sitting for many years & now get requests for us to return. Only once have we been asked to sign a contact & after reading it we declined the house sit. At present we are house sitting for 3 months in Burrum Heads. Be sure to get a reference each time you house sit & eventually these 'good' references will help allay the house owners fears. Our aim is to leave the house in as good condition if not better than when we arrived. Cheers Alice
Bruce and Bev said
09:52 PM Feb 3, 2016
We have also house sat and never paid for utilities as they either want large lawns mowed and flower/vege gardens to be maintained and/or their pets loved and fed.
Kennels charge a minimum of $35 a day and you cant put a price on the lawn mowing and gardening as it depends on the size of the block.
But the utility charges you run up for them (remember most house sitters are single folk or older couples and not high users of electricity/water/internet) is far less than they would pay otherwise and their house has no live in security.
Our last sit sent us an email a few days after we left thanking us so much for taking good care of their lawns (they had o gardens) and in fact getting rid of the dead spots on the lawn by fixing their retic and how happy their two dogs were. In the past they had used kennels, friends and close family to look after the dogs and said it always took about a week after they returned before their animals calmed down.
Never signed a contract and we've never broken any of the house owners china or whatever.
We've found that VIC and NSW house owners are always struggling to find a sitter (older people) and when we sit on that side of the continent we are always being "hit on" from people desperate to find sitters - we use Aussiehousesitters site.
Now, having said all that, we are staying on a metro small hobby farm in Perth. They have level sites (yep - 3 of them) with 15amp power and water to each and toilet/shower/washing machine. It costs us $100 a week here - but we do absolutely nothing to their properties (but we do spoil their 4 dogs lol). We pay because available house sits in Perth are fairly few and only for short periods of time. Many CP's here have now been turned in houses or are full of ferals. The few that are left are on the fringes of Perth which doesn't suit us work wise. So we are prepared to pay $100 a week.
Aus-Kiwi said
11:11 PM Feb 3, 2016
Yea ok . I guess there's many ways of saying house sitting ., it more the garden and animals ..
dorian said
07:17 AM Feb 4, 2016
Trevor law wrote:
Also a rental agreement is different form a house sit agreement as a house sit no bond is required . Rental tenants are covered by the rental agreement as is the landlord I am not renting the property just offering a service , that suits both parties .
No, it's not a rental arrangement. It's much, much more than that. You are living in the owner's own home, not his rental property, and you are coming into a house that is fully furnished. You have all the benefits of rental, but without any of the costs. And now you expect the owner to lay down the red carpet and waive any responsibility because you are doing him a big favour. Sure, the arrangement has a mutual benefit, but you are getting 95% of the benefit while the owner is getting 5%. If you're not willing to accede to the owner's reasonable expectations, then pitch a tent in the bush, or set up residence on a park bench. Then nobody will care about anything that you break.
My own experience with house sitters has been mostly favourable, but the comments in this thread have confirmed my resolve never to accept another sitter (or renter) into my home. For many years I allowed a friend to live in my home rent free. He was a chain smoker with mental problems and was recently divorced (amicably). He had helped me in the past when I was in fear of my life, and had allowed me to stay with him until I found my own way. He did not want any rent but I nevertheless contributed a half share. I never forgot his generosity. Sadly, he didn't look after my house very well, although he didn't do any damage.
The second house sitters were two female coworkers. They were lesbians, so I knew that I wouldn't have any problems with boyfriends. They looked after my house much better than I would have, and they created a garden for me. I did originally intend to draw up a contract, but in the end I just let it go. They lived in the house for several years and saved up enough money to purchase their own.
dazz49 said
08:40 AM Feb 4, 2016
Dorian provides a thoughtful, balanced and intelligent insight.
Thank-you Dorian
Daz
Trevor law said
08:47 AM Feb 4, 2016
Dorian seriously what are you talking about this is a service that is wide spread all across Australia in fact it is world wide how do you possibly think the owner is only getting 5 % benefit I am sure the homeowners are intelligent people that would not on the scale house sitters are used only enter into something with a 5% benefit really. Our situation is we are not staying in the house we don't pitch tents in the bush we don't need to sleep on a park bench . We are in our 25 ft Crusader parked on the gentlemans driveway looking after his 12 year old dog mowing and maintaining his 2 acre lawn tending to the garden collecting mail and also more importantly, the owner has stated a presence at the property so they can go away with peace of mind knowing someone is there . So don't put me in the same catogory as your situation I am NOT living in a friends house or renting if I was then I would pay as a renter, I say AGAIN housesitting is a service offered and terms agreed upon with the house owner and the sitter, if you had read previous comments my house owner had put in the contract in error a breakage clause, he omitted it as he said we are not in the house. Had I been in the house I would have agreed.
I agree with the previous comment as more and more references attach to my profile the more peace of mind a homeowner will have. I can imagine that not all house sitters have good intentions, I AM NOT ONE OF THEM. House sitting works for both parties equally for services the homeowner wants i.e. Pets looked and loved gardens cared for a presence at the house and any other task that is agreed upon,free power and water how is that not a fair deal ?????
Bruce and Bev said
11:36 AM Feb 4, 2016
Trevor - I agree with you 100% !!!!!!!!!!!
If the home owner doesn't think he/she/they are getting sufficient benefit from a house sitter, than they wouldn't take one. On the web site I use, there are 100's of owners in each State looking for sitters - many have used sitters for years
Wanda said
04:23 PM Feb 4, 2016
Dorian
You need to get out more, and stop taking those pills!!You certainly, in my opion, have a twisted view on things, well this one anyway!
Trevor
Personally I would probably walk away, "contracts" really, give me a break, I think the home owner is missing the point of the whole house sitting scenario
regards
Ian
Aus-Kiwi said
04:55 PM Feb 4, 2016
I guess it depends on each situaltion ?? There have some who sell off things while house sitting .. The man hunt in Vic a few month's back from memory ., A contract to say your not to sell anything etc ., As it could be an issue latter on ..
Trevor law said
05:22 PM Feb 4, 2016
Oh my goodness this is getting beyond a joke , those people your talking about in Vic were known criminals and if I remember they were not house sitters they were farm hands working and if I have right pair they destroyed stuff . I am sure they are not a member of house sitting club. Really all I asked was we are new to house sitting and was a contract the normal procedure. My God really
Trevor law said
05:23 PM Feb 4, 2016
I am not in the habit of selling people's possessions !!!!
Moorey said
05:54 PM Feb 4, 2016
Trevor
As with any forum there will always be people who for some personal not have a life reason will instigate an argument for a very simple inquiry by a new or old member. But if you step back a pace when you are reading the replies it doesn't take long to filter the genuine from the rubbish. Keep asking questions and don't let them upset you there are a lot of members who are always ready to supply helpful information. All the best with your house sitting.
Dave
Trevor law said
06:50 PM Feb 4, 2016
Thanks Dave I agree these certain members are not on this forum for its intended purpose it is a shame that a few of us who have in fact dropped the forum for that very reason .i enjoy this forum and I have got some great tips help and had some good conversations but it does however leave a sour taste. But such is life I can and will ignore the twaddle and enjoy the tips help and good conversations. With fellow like minded people.
Dougwe said
07:36 PM Feb 4, 2016
How, Trevor.
I have sat in the back stalls reading this thread with interest as I do some house sitting myself, I don't belong to any group or website, just go with word of mouth only. I wasn't going to say anything but think now is the time.
I have been around here for some time now and have seen many "stirrers" and some trouble makers arrive, do their thing then go for whatever reason, some get banned by the Webmaster, some might be given the opportunity to leave peacefully and others just leave. Some are still here though. Then there are the ones that leave because of the trouble makers and decisions made by others. I have had a couple over the years try and annoy me so I go but just ignore them, thank goodness for the mouse.
I got very close to leaving late 2014 and again late last year but that mouse got a good workout. I also late last year took a break from "tuning in" but returned when some members got concerned I wasn't around.
Mate, just give your mouse a workout. You will very quickly work out who not to click on and not take notice of.
Keep Safe on the roads.
Trevor law said
08:55 PM Feb 4, 2016
I could not agree more I have learnt a lot on this thread . Like you say I will know who to converse with and who to give the bird .
We are new to house sitting and the house owner who we are going to to sit for, has asked us to sign a long contract basically saying we have to look after his garden ( we agree to this ) but now we have to pay for any breakages and utilities ,
Would like to get any feed back on what is the norm for house sitting
safe travels
House sitting is to look after the gardens by watering, the pool if there is one,the animals as well as taking in the mail.
There should be NO CONTRACT at all, as you are saving the people money for grading,pool keeeping, boarding there pets and the mail delivery.
What we get is the saving of park fees and to explore the area.
Finally ALL care TAKEN no responsibilities taken for accidentals.
But wait there will be more helpful comments coming. Cheers
Trevor, as reglynn has already said, there should be no contracts, and very rarely have we seen any house owner ask for payment of utilities - about twice in the five years we've been 'sitting' - and we've avoided them! We've worked from the east coast to the west, in four states.
Say 'goodbye' to these selfish people, they don't deserve your help and plenty more jobs are available.
Come to think of it, perhaps you could offer your own contract: $20/hour, with a full record of all time spent caring for garden, mail, pets, etc. Perhaps they would reconsider taking you for a ride!
Good luck!
Andrea
-- Edited by Andrea on Wednesday 3rd of February 2016 12:02:39 AM
So can you.
If you can't agree on something you are both happy with or you are uncomfortable for any reason, walk away.
Don't agree to something you are not prepared to comply with or can't afford if it all goes wrong.
Pretty simple really.
Cheers,
Peter
The last person I want occupying my house is an ungrateful freeloader who is not willing to pay for the things that he breaks. Go away.
Take into account that it would cost you around $250 per week, some discounts may apply for a caravan park where your site fees include electricity, utilities etc Also no gardening, no house cleaning, no animals to mind and far more relaxing. Is it really worth housesitting? We do it because we like to help people with multiple animals who want to take a holiday and can't afford to board them or want their animals to have their own environment. We treat their home with respect and treat it like our own as we do their animals. All things considered we do not do housesits that expect us to pay for utilities. We work extra hard doing housesits doing repairs for the owners, from mowing acres to landscaping gardens, as has been agreed with the owners. We even pay out of our own pocket for things the animals require on a daily/weekly basis. Not to mention their home is extremely clean to a professional standard on their return. The owner is getting a bargain!
Dorian your ignorance is evident. Don't ask us to housesit for you as you would get a resounding NO.
Trevor don't agree to anything you are not comfortable with, let them find someone else, it's not worth it. There is plenty of other housesitting opportunities out there with reasonable owners.
Safe travels and enjoy life. That's what it is all about.
L & R
I think the rule should be that the property should be left in the same state as it was received, with allowance for normal wear and tear. It's too bad that we need contracts to enforce the kind of behaviour that one's conscience should dictate.
Dorian I suggest you you get your manners in check and keep the name calling for the playground.
dorians comments may appear a bit harsh but I think you should look again at his advice on insurance and your potential legal risks if the property under your care is not insured or insured & is damaged, destroyed or a public liability claim arises. Also consider the breakage clause as it may not have to be you that causes any breakage for you to be liable (I agree with dorian that you should expect to replace any breakage you cause & you must consider why the owner would want the clause in the first place ie: most insurance policies have restrictions on theft or breakage by people invited into an owners home so you or your friends would appear to be invited guests)
Also remember that any form of agreement might be ok until something goes wrong so if I were in your position and intending to do house sitting i would pay for some one off relevant legal advice .
David.
Kennels charge a minimum of $35 a day and you cant put a price on the lawn mowing and gardening as it depends on the size of the block.
But the utility charges you run up for them (remember most house sitters are single folk or older couples and not high users of electricity/water/internet) is far less than they would pay otherwise and their house has no live in security.
Our last sit sent us an email a few days after we left thanking us so much for taking good care of their lawns (they had o gardens) and in fact getting rid of the dead spots on the lawn by fixing their retic and how happy their two dogs were. In the past they had used kennels, friends and close family to look after the dogs and said it always took about a week after they returned before their animals calmed down.
Never signed a contract and we've never broken any of the house owners china or whatever.
We've found that VIC and NSW house owners are always struggling to find a sitter (older people) and when we sit on that side of the continent we are always being "hit on" from people desperate to find sitters - we use Aussiehousesitters site.
Now, having said all that, we are staying on a metro small hobby farm in Perth. They have level sites (yep - 3 of them) with 15amp power and water to each and toilet/shower/washing machine. It costs us $100 a week here - but we do absolutely nothing to their properties (but we do spoil their 4 dogs lol). We pay because available house sits in Perth are fairly few and only for short periods of time. Many CP's here have now been turned in houses or are full of ferals. The few that are left are on the fringes of Perth which doesn't suit us work wise. So we are prepared to pay $100 a week.
No, it's not a rental arrangement. It's much, much more than that. You are living in the owner's own home, not his rental property, and you are coming into a house that is fully furnished. You have all the benefits of rental, but without any of the costs. And now you expect the owner to lay down the red carpet and waive any responsibility because you are doing him a big favour. Sure, the arrangement has a mutual benefit, but you are getting 95% of the benefit while the owner is getting 5%. If you're not willing to accede to the owner's reasonable expectations, then pitch a tent in the bush, or set up residence on a park bench. Then nobody will care about anything that you break.
My own experience with house sitters has been mostly favourable, but the comments in this thread have confirmed my resolve never to accept another sitter (or renter) into my home. For many years I allowed a friend to live in my home rent free. He was a chain smoker with mental problems and was recently divorced (amicably). He had helped me in the past when I was in fear of my life, and had allowed me to stay with him until I found my own way. He did not want any rent but I nevertheless contributed a half share. I never forgot his generosity. Sadly, he didn't look after my house very well, although he didn't do any damage.
The second house sitters were two female coworkers. They were lesbians, so I knew that I wouldn't have any problems with boyfriends. They looked after my house much better than I would have, and they created a garden for me. I did originally intend to draw up a contract, but in the end I just let it go. They lived in the house for several years and saved up enough money to purchase their own.
Thank-you Dorian
Daz
I agree with the previous comment as more and more references attach to my profile the more peace of mind a homeowner will have. I can imagine that not all house sitters have good intentions, I AM NOT ONE OF THEM. House sitting works for both parties equally for services the homeowner wants i.e. Pets looked and loved gardens cared for a presence at the house and any other task that is agreed upon,free power and water how is that not a fair deal ?????
If the home owner doesn't think he/she/they are getting sufficient benefit from a house sitter, than they wouldn't take one. On the web site I use, there are 100's of owners in each State looking for sitters - many have used sitters for years
You need to get out more, and stop taking those pills!!You certainly, in my opion, have a twisted view on things, well this one anyway!
Trevor
Personally I would probably walk away, "contracts" really, give me a break, I think the home owner is missing the point of the whole house sitting scenario
regards
Ian
As with any forum there will always be people who for some personal not have a life reason will instigate an argument for a very simple inquiry by a new or old member. But if you step back a pace when you are reading the replies it doesn't take long to filter the genuine from the rubbish. Keep asking questions and don't let them upset you there are a lot of members who are always ready to supply helpful information. All the best with your house sitting.
Dave
I have sat in the back stalls reading this thread with interest as I do some house sitting myself, I don't belong to any group or website, just go with word of mouth only. I wasn't going to say anything but think now is the time.
I have been around here for some time now and have seen many "stirrers" and some trouble makers arrive, do their thing then go for whatever reason, some get banned by the Webmaster, some might be given the opportunity to leave peacefully and others just leave. Some are still here though. Then there are the ones that leave because of the trouble makers and decisions made by others. I have had a couple over the years try and annoy me so I go but just ignore them, thank goodness for the mouse.
I got very close to leaving late 2014 and again late last year but that mouse got a good workout. I also late last year took a break from "tuning in" but returned when some members got concerned I wasn't around.
Mate, just give your mouse a workout. You will very quickly work out who not to click on and not take notice of.
Keep Safe on the roads.