A Guide to House Sitting in London
Housekeeping means taking care of someone else’s house (and often their pets) in exchange for staying on the property for free for the duration of the housekeeping job. With prices for hotels and apartments in London rising all the time, it’s a great way to stay for free in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
Where can I find accommodation in London?
Most London house sitter jobs are posted on the following websites:
- Homesitters
- Mind My House
- Nominator
- Sit Match House
- Trusted homesitters
These websites enable homeowners from around the world to create their home care jobs and post members. Anyone interested in taking over the caretaker of the home can contact the homeowner directly.
Of the five sites above, Trusted Housesitters typically have the most home care options in London and typically several hundred in other UK cities and towns. Competition can be fierce as London is a very desirable place to live given the cost of a normal residence.
To apply for home caregivers with Trusted Housesitters, you must be a member (which costs $ 89 per year), and ideally, you want to apply quickly as soon as the position is announced.
Every other site regularly offers opportunities in London, but Trusted Housesitters are usually the best for this particular city. Mind My House and Housecarers are usually in second place.
Aside from these homestay sites, it is possible to find work elsewhere, especially classified ad sites. In the UK, Gumtree tends to be the most popular. Craigslist has a small following in London, but it is not as popular as Gumtree.
House Sit Request
Once you have found a house sit that interests you, the next step is to request it.
Whether you are applying through a classifieds website or a home website, it must present itself as trustworthy and trustworthy.
Some of the things you can do to attract landlords are:
Get a police background check – In the UK, this is as easy as walking into a police station and filling out a form (the process is similar in the UK). USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand). It takes about two weeks, and costs around £ 10, but a criminal record (proof that you have no criminal record) will go a long way in convincing owners that you are the right person for the job.
Get References – If you’ve never taken a stay at home job, you don’t have references, but that doesn’t stop you from being proactive and building your profile. Get in touch with friends and family who have pets and offer to take care of them around the house. In addition to doing a friend a big favour, you will also get your first referral. (Often, a reference to your name is sufficient.)
Connect: Do your best to connect with the owner. Some of the easiest ways to do this are to explain why you are interested in that particular housekeeping and to tell them a little about who you are. The owners are very interested in meeting the person who will live in their home during their absence.
