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House-Sitting is a lot like baby-sitting, but a lot less involved, and more fun (in my opinion, anyway). I’ve had the opportunity to house-sit twice in the past year, both for rather affluent households (the most recent was a restored 15th century chalet in France). While I felt some pressure (oh God, please don’t let me break anything, and don’t let the house burn down!), it was still a great deal of fun, with big chunks of leisure time mixed in with the work I had to do.

First of all, how can you get one of these posh positions? Well, the people I house-sat for were personal friends/employers, so I and my family were the first ones considered for the job. Other than that, there are some great websites online where you can find and post house-sitting jobs. http://www.housecarers.com/ is a good one, but they do charge a fee for communicating with potential job partners. You can find jobs on Myspace, Facebook, Craigslist, and similar sites (check the classifieds for your area on the social networking sites). You can also post your offered services on these and other classifieds sites, or in your local newspaper. Once you have successfully house-sat for someone, they will be likely to ask you again, and/or pass your reputation on to others.

After you have a job offer, your potential employer will probably want to know a little about you: how responsible you are, if you have a criminal record, if you’re also able to take care of plants or pets, what experience you have in house-sitting or even just taking care of your own house. If you’re house-sitting for the first time, get references from your landlord, boss, or someone else who has observed how you take care of your things and your overall character. A background check provided to the host free of charge and before they ask is a great thing to offer.

What kind of people make the best house-sitter? A house-sitter may NOT be:

-nosy

-a blabbermouth

-irresponsible

-a slob

-thoughtless

-a thief

If you are:

-conscientious

-responsible

-thoughtful

-neat and organized

-able to keep information to yourself

-able to mind your own business

-able to follow the rules

You just might make a good house-sitter.

Before your host is ready to leave, make sure you find out:

-How to contact them in case of an emergency

-The authorities (police, fire, ambulance, etc) to contact in case of a major emergency

-Who else you can contact in case you cannot reach your host especially for small things (like a power outage, veterinary emergency, etc) where they may not want you to interrupt their travels

-Where to shut off gas, electricity, water, etc. in case of an emergency

-What things (washer and dryer, refrigerator, tv, phone, sauna/pool, excercise equipment, computer, etc) you are allowed to use

-What rooms are off limits and where you are expected to sleep, prepare meals, etc.

-How to use the stove, heat, air conditioning, etc.

-Where cleaning supplies are stored

-What other tasks they expect to be done (cleaning, pet care, plant care, checking the mail, etc)

-the policy on answering the phone/taking messages. It is helpful for you to have a cell phone or some other way for them to contact you so you don’t have to answer the phone and they know they can reach you

-Who is allowed or expected to come to the house while they are gone (repairmen, relatives, cleaning lady, etc).

-How to work any alarm system (and what to do if you accidentally set it off

-make sure if their system contacts the police that you are on the authorized list of people to be in the house!)

-What (if any) food you are allowed to take from the kitchen

-Where any trash goes (many people are recycling/composting these days and you might need to separate things)

-If things (like the tv and computer) need to be unplugged during a thunderstorm

-Write down all information and rules so you don’t forget anything.

You should also give them:

-Your driver’s license number, social security number, passport number, or similar information for their peace of mind

-Emergency contact info for you, someone to call if they come home and YOU had a heart attack

-Decide what you expect in compensation

- if you’re just starting off, I recommend offering your services for free (remember, you’re getting a free place to stay!) until you build up a reputation as a responsible house-sitter. If they expect a lot of service like cleaning or extensive duties, you can ask a small fee.

Once you are house-sitting:

-Never, ever break the rules! If you are not supposed to use something, or go in a room, don’t. You might never be found out…but imagine if you use that Wii, and you scratch the game. Or if you knock over the favorite statuette in the sitting room that you weren’t supposed to enter. You would never be forgiven (or forgive yourself!) and you would have to pay for the damages and risk your reputation. Just keep away from the temptation.

-Keep all information you find to yourself. It’s no one’s business how much wine your hosts drink, how many Barbara Streisand cds, weapons, valuables, and that sort of thing. And of course, you should never give away security codes or combinations. Doing so is not only unethical, but could get you in big trouble with the law and lawsuits if someone was to break in later.

-Of course, it goes without saying that you should not steal from your employer. But remember that a sip of whiskey or a piece of paper from the printer is as much stealing as taking pictures off the wall or money from the drawer. Bring your own stuff and keep it separate from theirs. Don’t use or take things that don’t belong to you, no matter how small (unless they told you it’s OK!)

-No photographs. No blogging about specifics, names, etc. This is not your house, it’s someone’s private place. It’s just not right.

-Don’t bring over friends, kids, pets, etc. Unless they were specifically mentioned as OK as part of your contract. But as a professional, it’s just not a good idea.

-I really recommend not smoking, inside or out. You should never smoke inside without asking, and I just wouldn’t do it anyway.

-Don’t leave the house alone. That’s the whole point of your being there (there are some jobs that want you to check the mail, feed the cat, and water the plants. That’s a bit different. If you’re supposed to stay in the house, though, STAY). While you’re gone for just a few minutes, someone could break in, or a fire could start. It’s not likely, but that’s why you’re there.

-Clean up after yourself and maintain the house in such a way that if your employers show up unexpectedly you will be totally cool with it. Don’t sit around in your underwear, and don’t leave your dirty dishes laying around. If you keep up after yourself, you won’t have to stay up until 4 AM the night before they come home making sure everything’s clean (not that I’ve ever done that! )

-If you have used things that get refilled – firewood, the sugar bowl, toilet paper, etc., fill it up before you leave. It’s so nice to come home to a house that’s ready to go.

-If you know your host well, and you know exactly when they return, it is nice to have things ready and waiting for them–the heat on, coffee made, the paper brought in, maybe cookies or homemade bread made, etc. But if it’s more of a professional situation, skip the personal touches and just make sure things are tidy.

-If anything non-emergency happens (burnt out light bulbs, non-urgent messages, un-expected visitors, you break something, etc) write it down and be ready to tell your host or leave them a note if you are to leave before they return.

-Be sure to say thank you! They received a great service from you, but you sure had fun, too, didn’t you?

Photo courtesy of Melodi2 on Morguefile.com