Langkawi Gazette

Housesitting

from Tony McDonald - Housesitter in Langkwi

Keeping your home and pets safe when you go away

Leaving your home, pets and garden when you go away on holiday or business can be a worry and employing the services of a house sitting agency or taking your pets to kennels could add a substantial amount to the cost of going away. 

There is a unique way that many people are not aware of to keep your home safe, your garden looked after and your pets loved in their own surroundings, eliminating not only the cost of keeping them in a kennel but also ensuring their well being.

There are many experienced housesitters willing to look after your home and pets free of charge while you go away for weeks or months. Housesitters do this in order to save on the cost of holiday accommodation but also to enjoy home comforts and live within a community instead of staying in a hotel room.

Websites like Trustedhousesitters.com enable you to find a house sitter worldwide, for little or no cost.

Trustedhousesitters.com profiles many experienced housesitters keen to look after homes and pets to save on the cost of holiday accommodation. This provides a great win-win for all.  

Homeowners can securely advertise and search for housesitters. They can also view references, photos and other information about potential housesitters so that you, the homeowner, has peace of mind when you leave your home and pets in their care.  

Some of the reasons homeowners prefer to have housesitters looking after their property include security, pet welfare and garden maintenance. Burglary is a problem when you leave your house empty, even with security lighting and having a house sitter and pets cared for at home helps prevent this. Homes left unoccupied for long periods of time could also void an insurance policy.

It may be difficult for expats to find ideal kennels locally for their pets. Exposure to unwanted disease, such as kennel cough, is also a major issue. Pets generally do not like the upheaval of being moved away from their natural surroundings and can get stressed when placed in close proximity to other animals.

Another reason for having housesitters is to ensure that you come back to a garden that has been maintained in your absence. The housesitter can manage the work and payment of gardeners and other employees ensuring that the work continues at a high standard and they can also help out in the garden and look after houseplants and the swimming pool. Tropical climates have their own issues such as pests and heavy rains and winds and housesitters will be monitoring and addressing potential issues that may arise.

Trustedhousesitters.com helps puts homeowners and reliable housesitters in touch with one another. Homeowners and house sitters usually pay a small subscription to join (currently the equivalent of €10 for a month, to €42 for a year’s membership), although homeowners only pay if they find sitters they’d like to contact. With the promotional code TM34 Trustedhousesitters.com are currently offering homeowners 6 month’s free full-membership if looking to find a house sitter and a 25% discount for anyone who would like to register as a housesitter.

My wife and I have enjoyed a wonderful 3 months housesitting in the Alpes-Maritimes in the south of France. We stayed in contact with the owners throughout the period, have sorted out issues as they arose, answered the phone and taken messages,  forwarded their post, watered and weeded the garden, cared for their pet and kept the house clean and secure. We are now enjoying three months in Langkawi! It is a truly win-win arrangement for home owners and housesitters. Housesitting has given us an opportunity to travel the world and experience places. When we come to the end of our housesit in Langkawi, we start another housesit in Sydney, Australia, so housesitting has become a way of life for us.

Trustedhousesitters.com has a list of many people like us who would be happy to have an opportunity to experience life in Langkawi for a few weeks or a few months and in exchange would mind your house and garden so that you can have a worry-free holiday or business trip.

Tony McDonald