Couple70, Retired
65, Carpenter/Joiner
Steve and I are experienced house sitters (Australian & British). We left the UK in March 2015 to go travelling and house sitting. What was meant to be a 6 month break became an extended odyssey!
We are now living in Kakanui, near Oamaru, where we have purchased a little cottage: a home of our own after over 6 years of house sitting. We will be busy for a few months as we've taken on a bit of a project and Steve has relocated his carpentry business from Wanaka. However, we hope to be house sitting in the South Island again in future.
More background below:
We have completed successful sits in France, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and Boston, USA, looking after dogs, cats, donkeys, horses, goats, pigs, cattle, sheep, hens, ducks, geese, fish and aviary birds. We have also taken care of several large gardens and one smallholding, ensuring lawns are irrigated, crops and pot plants watered regularly.
We've been in New Zealand since 2016 and are now officially residents of this beautiful country. We are fit and active non-smokers who love the countryside and have a great affinity with animals. We treat every pet in our care as if it was our own and always ensure that we hand a house back to its owner in a clean and tidy state. We will also communicate regularly with a house owner if required for the duration of the sit - checking their post or emails and giving updates on any pets in our care.
Before embarking on our latest travelling adventure we both ran successful businesses in South Devon, UK. Steve as a fully-qualified carpenter/joiner and Sue as a professional gardener and painter/decorator. Between us we have several years experience maintaining and upgrading holiday homes. Sue started her working life with horses - as a groom and show-jumping rider; she then spent 5 years as a general assistant working in a mixed Veterinary Practice in Somerset. Her career path has been diverse, to say the least, from promoting film locations in the SW of England to packing chocolates in the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Colorado. She has a Royal Horticultural Society Level II Certificate, a BTEC HND in Public Administration and BA in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Steve has worked as a carpenter/joiner nearly all his life and has comprehensive knowledge of the building trade. Steve was born in Australia where he worked as a lifeguard before travelling throughout Europe and the UK. He has experience in swimming pool maintenance. He is also a qualified grounds man with a certificate in cricket pitch maintenance and is excellent at mowing lawns!
We offer our house sitting services free of charge but are also open to discussing projects such as carpentry work, small building jobs, gardening, landscaping and painting/decorating. We can provide photos of our work and references on request.
Sue & Steve were great all round. They delt well with some unanticipated issues & communicated well about this. We came home to a spotless house and the 2 dogs were barely excited to see us which I interpret as, they were very happy without us! Thank you Sue & Steve
I don't often give 5 stars but Sue and Steve were absolutely brilliant. Our young hyperactive dog was given lots of exercise and love ... and finally trained not to jump up on meeting people. And my aged and slightly damaged chooks were given the gold service ... plenty of hand fed food and fresh bedding when we returned. The house was immaculate and throughout our time away we got regular updates and videos of activities. Sue and Steve made our time away so much better knowing everything was ... MORE
Sue and Steve have been very caring, considerate and communicative during their time sitting at our place in Wanaka.
Our dog isn't the best initially with strangers, and with this difficulty, they overcame without causing us stress to the situation. We believe this shows great knowledge and understanding of animals through experience, and we have really appreciated their response to this.
They regularly updated us with photos and descriptions of walks with our dog, and it was great to see ... MORE
Firstly, thanks so much Sue and Steve for taking such good care of Finnegan and Fergus while we were away. This was the first time we'd left them with house sitters in our new home and we were very happy with how Sue and Steve looked after the boys and our home. We came back to an even more well-behaved doggie and the place was cleaner than when we'd left it! They're very kind and trustworthy people. Highly recommend Sue and Steve, looking forward to having them come and stay again :)
Sue and Steve were excellent sitters and we would not hesitate to ask them back again. They took very good care of our 2 dogs, cat and chickens. The dogs had obviously enjoyed going for extensive walks each day. Sue also picked up our horses' poo, something we had not expected but made one less job for us to do on our return. We came home to a very clean house and well manicured lawns. Steve also did some carpentry work for us which was of a high standard. Communication before we left and while ... MORE
Sue and Steve are wonderful house sitters, I highly recommend them. Excellent communication right from the first contact through to my return home. I was away for two months and my dog, Nala, my house and garden were all very well cared for. Sue was in regular contact while I was away, posting pictures of Nala, which was a great reassurance for me.
Nala had a wonderful time, heaps of walks, ball throwing games, and they took her out with them in the car regularly. She obviously became very ... MORE
Sue and Steve took excellent care of our dog Buddy, and our home, while we were in Nelson. Buddy became very attached to Sue and they went on daily walks which Buddy loved (I saw the photos!). Sue has a love of plants and tended to our roses and house plants which I really appreciated. Sue and Steve easily adapted to Buddy's routine and when we arrived back home he was happy to see us but sad to see them leave. I hope our paths cross again with Sue and Steve.
Sue and Steve were fantastic house sitters. Communication was excellent and they had a prepared list to help us give them all the information that they needed.
We came home to a well looked after house and garden and two happy cats.
Steve and Sue were incredibly trustworthy and reliable. I would highly recommend them
Sue & Steve were excellent house sitters. I came home to a clean house and a happy dog. My chickens were in fine form and Sue also did some weeding for me. Steve had mowed the lawns too. Sue was in constant communication and when my dog had a problem, very kindly took her to the vet. I thoroughly recommend Sue and Steve to look after your property!
Sue and Steve were fabulous. Everything in great shape on our return. Despite the worst weather in 20 years they had gardened, mowed the lawns and walked the dogs. Our daschund looks the fittest she ever has. Our young springer spaniel had issues with barley grass and a torn paw pad. Sue dressed her wound, took her to the vet, and spent time training her. She kept us informed while we still felt reassured she had everything under control. A lovely dinner awaited us on our return and the next ... MORE
Sue and Steve are very experienced housesitters and
we were very impressed with their knowledge and care of our animals and house.
We would have no hesitation in recommending them
as they are excellent and caring animal lovers.
Cheers
Ron and Beryl
Sue and Steve were fantastic to deal with from their first response to my add on the site all the way through till they departed after the sit. Great with prompt communication and very accommodating of our needs. Sue updated me while we were away which was much appreciated. We returned home to find the house spotless and pets happy and relaxed. On top of this Sue and Steve had completed a massive amount of weeding around the place. A totally unexpected but greatly appreciated bonus.
No ... MORE
We've had a few housesitters and Sue and Steve would be up there with the best. They looked after the cats and the house etc perfectly, and enjoyed their stay as well - which is important. When we arrived home after a long drive the fire was on, they had cooked a chicken tagine and we had a lovely evening with them, as they are great company. We will certainly ask them to house sit again and will keep in touch with them as new friends.
Sue and Steve left everything perfect. The house was pristine and the animals all seemed happy and well cared for, chook houses all clean and fresh too. Would highly recommend them and would happily have them back to sit for us again.
Honestly cannot praise Sue and Steve enough. Communication was easy and very responsive. The house and garden were fantastic and in better condition than when we left! I highly recommend these folks. They were reliable and responsible house and pet sitters.
Sue and Steve have been great sitters for us, they have set up info sheets that are a great reminder of all the questions home owners often forget when we head away on our break. They communicated well with us as well as our farm staff who were working while we were away.
Our pets are now looking at us wondering why we aren't walking and playing with them as much as while we were away.
The house was lovely and clean, flowers placed in vases and even the recycling had been taken to recycle ... MORE
It is with extreme satisfaction that we write this letter of reference for Sue and Steve.
We connected with them through Kiwi House Sitters as we were after someone to take care of our pets and animals (2 cats and 5 chickens) while my husband and I were out of town on holiday.
This was our second experience using house sitters and they made the process a breeze. They were open, receptive, communicative and flexible as we worked through the arrangements for the house sit. As part of our ... MORE
Sue and Steve are a lovely couple. They looked after the property and pets extremely well and the house was immaculate to come back to. Thanks so much for looking after things guys. Wish you all the best.
It was a delight to return home to a very happy cat, lush gardens and immaculate house. Sue was super-prompt with her clear communications and made this experience very easy. May thanks again Sue and Steve. Thoroughly recommended house-sitters.
We would like to thank Steve and Sue very much for their exemplary homestay here. We have 2 dogs, one elderly (13yrs) and the other just 18 mths, and a large home on 5 acres. Our doggies were extremely well looked after, we arrived home to 2 very happy, healthy, relaxed pets, in fact they were looking in better condition than when we actually left! And our home was immaculate, a real bonus. We would wholeheartedly recommend Steve and Sue to anyone, particularly those who are as concerned we ... MORE
We were lucky enough for Sue and Steve to housesit for us from July to August this year. We have an energetic two year old dog, an arthritic cat that needs daily medication, and six chickens plus a regular customer who needs their weekly egg delivery.
It was such a blessing having such a thoughtful couple stay in our home. Steve was based at home every day which is really good for our dog, who hates being on her own.
They went out of their way to ensure they were at our place shortly ... MORE
Had a relaxing week away with no need to worry. Came back to 2 happy dogs. Thank you so much. Highly recommended
Sue and Steve were by far the best house and pet sitters that we have ever had. Our old dog had been really loved and the house was just as we had left it. We would genuinely recommend them to anyone looking for quality house sitters.
Steve & Sue sat for 2 weeks looking after my nervous, ageing cat LB. They were super well-organised and setting up the sit was easy. Communication before, during and after the sit was timely and informative including contact with me when there was a burst pipe problem which Steve sorted out with no drama or fuss. I highly recommend Sue and Steve and wouldn't hesitate to have them sit again if the opportunity arose :)
Sue & Steve are true professionals. They are not just honest and reliable but they went the extra mile to make sure they understood our needs for our two dogs. They came to visit twice before we left to better understand their routine.
We even received update emails from them when we were away and some pictures of the dogs on outings.
When we came home the house was spotless and you could tell the dogs had really taken to them.
We highly recommend them and have already booked them in for ... MORE
Sue and Steve were very thorough and professional in their approach to house sitting for us and as this was the first time we had had house sitters, we felt confident in leaving our house and cats in their care. Due to a change in circumstances they were able to stay on a few extra days which was very helpful and it was lovely coming home to a spotlessly clean house and content cats. I would definitely ask Sue and Steve to housesit again for us and would highly recommend them.
Sue and Steve were exemplary sitters for the two months we were away. The house was as pristine when we returned as when we left. Our cat had nothing but good things to say about them, and Sue even went the extra mile in the garden.
First class sitters.
Sue and Steve looked after our house, our energetic standard poodle/lapradoodle mix and cat Maple while we were away for a week. We shared our house with them a few days before hand. We found them very organized and thorough in finding out routines and what works best when we are away. The animals loved them and the house was clean and tidy when we came back. On top of that the two of them were very good company, painted our fence (!) and I hope they will seek us out when back in Wanaka. Can ... MORE
Sue and Steve immediately impressed us with their down-to-earth personalities. After skyping them, we felt comfortable to let otherwise complete strangers into our house. They kept thoroughly in touch with us beforehand and were very comprehensive in what they required for a successful house-sit. We came home to a tidy house, happy animals, and a new office cubby space which Steve built for us (as arranged) while we were away. We would highly recommend them to anyone. Thanks so much.
We would gladly have Sue and Steve back to sit our house and pets again and again. They are an absolute pleasure to deal with, maintain regular communication while keeping your pets happy and healthy and everything at home in order. We travel a lot and have had many house sitter experiences and these two are stand outs, quite literally the best people we have comes across and they left the house in immaculate condition. If you are presented the opportunity to have Sue and Steve look after your ... MORE
Sue and Steve were wonderful , reliable house sitters that cared for our 2 dogs, Amber( golden lab) and Bella( chihuahua) and they had a great time. They were walked regularly and when we came home, the house was spotless clean and the pool very clean. Steve enjoyed cleaning our pool and you could tell. Nice surprise just before Christmas. Glad you could stay on for a few more days. I would love them back and would recommend them to anyone seeking a house/pet sitter anywhere. Kind regards, ... MORE
We can highly recommend Sue & Steve for any house sit especially if you have animals. We found them to be extremely conscientious, caring and easy to get on with making it easy for us to take a holiday and relax knowing that our pets were in safe hands. We had quite a specific routine for the day to day care of our animals which they happily adapted to so our beloved pets had minimal disruption while we were away. Sue was very competent with handling and feeding my horses and caring for our ... MORE
A house sitter provides loving, full-time, home-based pet-care while you're away.
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