We’re pondering a 4-6mth sit we’ve been invited to consider in Perth Australia near our son and DiL at the end of 2026. Winter in the UK/summer in Australia).
What should we be considering apart from all the usual questions. I’ve searched for other threads and picked up one question to ask the HOs about utilities bills. Also there’s the car question. What other things do sitters who’ve had experience of a very long sit think we should think about. Please offer advice if you yourself have actually had experience of a long sit like this. BTW it’s a sit with great house/location/dog/reviews… no red flags for us using our personal criteria for assessing sits. It’s at the very early stage right now with both sides exploring together what we each need to make this work. They’re nice people from the communications so far.
I have not had experienced such a long sit but I think the signs so far are good and you will probably be able to sort everything out together with HOs as there is plenty of time to get ready.
I guess te WG will have to be updated to include more long term maintenance tasks regarding the house and pets such as regular vet visits or possible repairs and or maintenance services.
Good luck. It sounds like a nice opportunity.
It’s just - if it’s such a long sit and it turns out you don’t like the house / sit / owners / location / pets / (add any annoyance here), then you’re stuck for a very long time.
A good test though for if we want to emigrate as retired parents later- that’s our ‘interest’ but yes certainly all the usual concerns multiplied x10
For Australia, delve deep into emergency plans (fires/floods etc.) and also the possibility of death of a pet - longer sit equals higher chances unfortunately.
We did a 3+ month sit in Sri Lanka that threw up quite a few things as a longer sit. Host was fairly new to having house sitters but used to having staff so had to push back on utilities and housekeeper type responsibilities that were announced (& rejected) on arrival in country. Changes in responsibilities mid sit and the announcement of Airbnb guests (also rejected). No emergency funds being left instead using split wise and the transferring money between us which was honoured but not ideal. Dogs needed vet visits in that longer time plus they escaped the boundaries onto crazy Sri Lankan roads but were fortunately fine and had to rebuild the fence with the house boy. Managing comms on such a long sit so that you can relax properly which should be less challenging in Ozzie you would hope. Also itchy feet after being in one place for that long but again, might be fine for you guys as family close by. We negotiated some overnight and weekend breaks once a month to give us a break. Overall it was an incredible experience but too long as a general rule for us. #itsgoodtoask
When we had our sitters for 5.5 months in Brisbane, while we were sitting in the UK, we made sure that our WG was very comprehensive to cover everything they needed to know including who to contact for any maintenance issues if we were uncontactable.
We had no pets to care for but I would want to know how pet food & supplies were going to be purchased by the owner for you. Most things can be ordered online by the owner and delivered to you.
We ensured all our utility accounts were set up to be automatically paid - we didn’t require any co-payment by the sitters but you will need to check that out with owner. It’s easy to take power and water readings in Australian homes if they want you to contribute for your use.
Our sitters had use of our car and we left it clean and full of petrol for them and asked for it to be returned the same way. They agreed to be liable for any insurance excess if there was an accident but this never happened.
We also suggested they have their mail sent directly to our address during the sit to make it easier for them. For our mail, they agreed to open our mail and send us photos of the contents which was very useful.
There were a couple of minor maintenance issues that came up that we were able to get resolved quickly that the sitters were happy to co-ordinate and we paid the accounts online so our sitters were never required to pay for anything. This will need to be openly & frankly discussed and agreed as you don’t want to be forced in to a reimbursement situation. Also, who will be responsible for the lawn mowing & pool care, if applicable? The owner can easily automate these things by having people come and do this maintenance.
We left a Bunnings (hardware chain) gift card to refill the bbq gas bottle if required so the sitters didn’t have to pay for that or if they needed to buy anything like batteries or light globes. We made sure we fully stocked up on all cleaning products so there was enough for the whole sit. Sitters did have to buy their own toilet paper and kitchen towel after the initial supply we left ran out.
Even though we were nervous leaving our place for over 5 months, it all went well largely due to good open communication before and during the sit.
I could only stay for a maximum of 90 days at a time in Australia. After 90 days you have to leave Aus and can enter again for up to 90 days as many times as possible within a year.
Having family in Aus does that entitle you to stay longer than 90 days at a time?
If you are able to do such a long sit, then what about your home in Hove? You can only leave it empty for a certain amount of time to comply with your home insurance
Wow! What great owners and so generous!
As a retired couple we can get a 600 visa which allows 12 mths stays in any 18 mths, we have a local friend who comes weekly to check the place when we are away and stays overnight occasionally but yes usually we’re only away for 3 mths at a time.
What about a retired singleton? What’s a 600 visa? Do you have to have family in Aus to qualify?
For the 600 visa-12 stay in 18 mths period.
You need to be able to prove you intend to go home, that you have sufficient funds to support yourself without working, police check and health checks. It’s mostly used by retired people with family there or friends. You have to show proof of accommodation. It takes 20-30 days to process the visa.
The 870 visa allows 3-5 years… I’ve become a bit of an Australian Visa Guru I could go on Mastermind with Retirement Visas as my specialist subject!
On the practical side, check the visa situation.
We’re Visa ‘nerds’ so all good 
sounds like an incredible opportunity if it works out!
you’ve probably already thought about this, but there’s also the practical consideration of whether there’s anything you might miss (back home) during that several-month span? my grandparents are elderly, and one of my biggest fears is that something would happen to them when I’m in the middle of a longer-term sit abroad. other events like weddings / graduations / baby showers can come up. planning such a long sit so far in advance, I would want to really carefully think through these potential back-home conflicts and decide whether I’m ok with missing them, and I might want to discuss worst-case what-ifs with the HOs (around questions like ‘what if my grandparent dies while I’m here? would it be possible to get alternative coverage for a week?’)
I didn’t know all this, thanks Bonny
You might be interested in this thread
@BonnyinBrighton Bonny you’ve been here before so you should have no qualms about what Perth can offer. As you know the weather is terrific as are the beaches. Long house sits are a pretty good way of chilling, not having to pack and move and in your case gives more access to your son. You could even travel to the south and see him compete in his sporting adventures!
We have had multiple sits at 6 months or more and loved them. The time flies. You can immerse yourselves completely.
The most important things are car usage (certain parts of Perth are not fully serviced by public transport even though the system is terrific where it does service), cost of utilities stay with the owner and you just be mindful not to abuse excess use of power, pets registered at vets with bills organised for owner payment should the necessity arise, owners to leave extra cash for emergencies, owners to leave list of tradesmen etc if repairs are deemed and agreed to be necessary, authorisations given to relevant bodies that you can speak on behalf of the owner if necessary and agreed upon.
Australian car insurance is on the car not the person. The owner simply puts you on the insurance cover at not extra cost.
Hope those points help.
Yes very helpful points pulled together -we’re no longer tourists in Perth having been there x9 times now….but pondering for the last 24 hours how we’d feel being tied to one house due to the dog. If we were in Perth for 6 mths and not sitting we’d be going away for a few days at a time and staying with friends on the East coast or down in Tasmania….I think we’d get bored maybe limited to one location. Anyway still considering all the issues/benefits.
I’ve not done this, but I think I’d be tempted to ask them (if the dog car travels well) if you can take him/her with you on some short trips to nearby places for a few days here and there. I’m sure there must be pet-friendly hotels around.
I’d also want there to be a plan in the event of a family emergency - would they try to find a new THS sitter? Is there a boarding kennel you could take the dog until things are sorted out? etc..