Kiwi House Sitters

The largest pet & house sitting site in New Zealand
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House Sitting Etiquette

Handy hints for home owners

Communication is the key to any great relationship…and this includes the sitter/owner relationship. In this Kiwi Update we focus on handy hints for homeowners organising a job with a new sitter!

Have you covered everything?

Try your best to be upfront and include details about all your house sitting needs in your homeowner ad. This helps our sitters to know what is needed when they first apply. This way you will only have sitters with the necessary skills and experience apply for your ad, saving you time and helping you to find a house sitter that meets all your needs.

What can you expect from your house sitter?

Make sure you have realistic expectations about the amount of house, pet and garden care involved in your job. House sitters usually work in return for free accommodation, however keep in mind what you would consider to be a reasonable ask. If you feel your job may be over what you would expect a normal sitter to be responsible for, you might think about providing a small weekly payment. If you have many animals to take care of, or a lot of outdoor maintenance on acreage, then you may choose to remunerate your sitter for this. If you pay the sitter a small amount, they will feel appreciated and work extra hard to do a great job!

Don’t forget to keep in touch!

Once you have placed your ad, please check regularly to see if you have any messages from sitters. You will receive email notification when there is a message waiting for you in your ‘My Messages’ on the site. It’s best to reply to a message as soon as possible, so the sitter knows if you are interested in them, and so you can fill your job quickly. This will also help your reply rating.

Looking for help with your holiday rental?

We don’t recommend you rent out your property (through airbnb or other sites) while engaging a house sitter. If you do choose to do so, you may want to consider paying the sitter for their extra work and responsibility. Please note that if there is an issue while the sitter is minding your home while another guest is staying there, it would be difficult for Kiwi House Sitters to provide adequate support.

Thinking about charging cheap rent?

Kiwi House Sitters is a house sitting website only. Unlike holiday letting or rentals we don’t usually accept members charging house sitters for accommodation. If you do place an ad like this, then we will have to remove it.

Three’s a crowd!

Our site is primarily for homes that need house, pet and garden care. We do not allow sitting jobs where another person is still residing in the home. It is important that the house sitter has their own privacy while undertaking a house sitting job. If there is an issue while a sitter is minding a home, and another person is also residing there, it would be difficult for Kiwi House Sitters to provide adequate support.

Building a strong house sitting community!

The sitter and owner relationship is based on mutual respect. It is important to communicate positively with your sitter in order to build trust. Remember that sitters want to do a great job for you, so negotiate respectfully, clearly explain what you need them to do, and you will both enjoy a successful house sitting experience.

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