Hi @SuzAndy , If you are ever looking to compare notes I Just thought I’d let you know that you are not alone!, @Debbie is another fantastic sitter that does sits with her family -
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Thank you for that. 
Would love to compare notes even if @Debbie is in the UK (I am in Australia).
Best wishes,
Suz
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Hi @anon27523372 (and thanks for thinking of us and tagging us @Colin).
We do sound as if we are similar sitters. We joined THS after our friend’s dog died. We’d looked after her during their holidays since before our boys were born. We really wanted to be able to continue to care for pets, but felt our life was too busy during school term time to have a dog of our own.
I’m lucky enough to work in a school, so my holidays are similar to the children’s. However my husband was working full time and only had a few weeks holiday a year. I soon realised that if we did fairly local sits, it might be possible for Nigel to go to work and also join us on housesits. We’ve discovered new places within an hours drive of our home, and got to know other places much better.
We also started with short sits of less than a week. Lately most sits are a week in length or just a day or 2 more. So they just fit into the shorter school holidays.
Despite saying that we would stick to sits within a couple of hours from home, we wouldn’t resist a wonderful sit in Scotland we were invited to this Easter (we are in the South West of England). It looks a fantastic area.
I love that your family spent their holiday chasing the hotel cat! That is exactly what my boys would do. They are now 13 and 11, how old are your children?
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Hi Debbie!
We certainly do sound as though we are similar sitters especially with our love for animals.
I was lucky to work from home during the lockdown and even after it was lifted but I am currently on maternity leave so making the most of house sitting until I have to return. Hubby can get to work if I find something close to the city or in a suburb that isn’t too far away from the work location.
It is good that your occupation allows you flexibility.
You are so lucky!
I don’t have the opportunity to travel to another country like you do but if I lived in the UK, I would not pass a Wales, Scotland (like you!) or Ireland sit.
My ideal location in the UK is Bath (was there in 2011) but I fell in love with York and surrounds, Scarborough, Whitby all were fab.
Our most recent house sit was to the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) so we did travel interstate which was good and I loved arriving to a home with a cat and a dog after a long drive.
My daughter is 7 and son is just on 10 months.
I look forward to our chats.
I much prefer longer sits!!
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Sorry if this is something that has been answered before.
I am needing to go away for 8 weeks in Sept/Oct and I’m genuinely unsure if anyone wants to sit for that length of time if it’s not a ‘premium’ home/location?
I’m in York, UK so it’s a big tourist area with great transport links, easy access to the North York Moors for hiking, or to many cities, as well as all the tourist-style attractions of York itself.
However, my home is a 1-bed flat in a less-than-desirable area (it’s on a council estate) although the actual flat is nice enough and has fast wifi.
I’m just really anxious having never done this before but I really don’t want to put my two cats in a cattery for so long. Any advice much appreciated.
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LOVE York. It’s one of my favorite cities in England. Historically, I wouldn’t take a sit that’s less than a month and would generally aim for 2+ months. I know I’m not alone in that. My situation has changed now, but back in the day I’d have jumped at this chance, especially with cats as they generally mean an easier sit. Just make sure your listing is solid with good pics and details and I don’t think you’ll have a problem.
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Hi @MamaSarah and welcome to the forum.
Please don’t be too concerned about ‘council estate’ location. Sitters come from all backgrounds and all walks of life. Many also come from modest homes. The priority for sitters is that the home be clean and the homeowner be considerate of a sitter’s basic needs. You might want to read through this post:
Fostering a good stay for sitters
Your photos will be important. Make sure the areas are well lit and as tidy as you might keep your place when you are expecting visitors. Many sitters are turned off, for example, when the photo is of an unmade bed. A small thing perhaps, but it can make a difference.
Once you’ve done your listing you can share the information on the forum and ask for feedback. You can embed it in your username, or just add the location as shown in your listing and the date range. Forum members will be happy to give you constructive feedback.
Francine,
Voluntary Forum Moderator
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Long sits are usually much sought after and we prefer sits lasting between 2 weeks and 2 months. We work from home and don’t have much time for sight seeing so the location isn’t the most important thing for us. Mostly we like to take longer walks in nature to get some time off the screen. Small flats can be quite cozy and easy to keep tidy. We’re confident that there are many other people that feel the same way.
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Hi @MamaSarah,
I suspect many new homeowners wonder if sitters will be interested if their home is “ordinary”.
For many sitters it is all about the pets and the home is secondary. It’s wonderful if it is one of those swanky riverside apartments, or a Georgian townhouse, but actually most of us just want somewhere clean and comfortable that meets our needs.
I’m from York originally, but haven’t lived there for a long time. I do remember that the council estates were perfectly OK places to hang out!
Lots of sitters will be interested in a sit in York, especially a longer one with cats. We’re a family of 4 tied to school holidays so it’s not for us though. Focus on the positives. You’ll no doubt have some shops, parks, pubs nearby, some friendly neighbours and decent public transport into town and elsewhere. Make sure you include this sort of information in your listing. Good luck!
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Hi @MamaSarah, I’m sure you’ll get some good advice on here.
York is a fabulous city in the UK. Definitely big up all the great things there are to see and do there, and how easy it is to get to them.
Think about the characters and care needs of your cats; are they friendly or aloof, do they stay indoors or go outside, can they be left during the day? All of those things are useful to know. Someone working from home may look for fusspot lap cats to keep them company, whilst a long-staying tourist may search for independent cats who can be left at home while they go exploring.
For your flat, it is often the case that council flats are more spacious and better proportioned than private ones. As long as the block is safe it wouldn’t bother me. Are there families around? A sense of community?
Think about the presentation for photos. Tidy of course, nice pics of the cats, any outside space.
You only have a few words for your heading so put York in it, then think about the appealing characteristics of your cats.
Good luck!
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I’d love to do longer house sits but my family’s availability doesn’t really permit plus we have a pet.
We try to find weekenders, public holidays, school holidays and anything close to my hubby’s work or mine that is accessible via the highways or public transport. We did a sit interstate which was good and hope to do one later in the year.
It’s a great way for the kids to feel happy and comfortable with animals and being supervised but have a break away from home!
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Hello and welcome @MamaSarah!
As my wonderful peers have said definitely yes!
Quite a few of us do extended stays in a variety of settings. There are always folks looking for places such as yours so post away, the sooner the better as long term travelers at times are booked doing long term sits. Others don’t but your needs will be the perfect fit for someone.
The longest sit I’ve had with TH has been 3+ weeks, but I’ve also done strings of shorter sits that add up to 6 weeks or so.
But when in grad school I spent 2 years house/pet sitting - on the eastern side of LA county and in the San Bernardino mountains of southern California - a full year in Crestline at about 5000 feet above San Bernardino.
I do look at month+ sits now but it would depend on where, the animals and such.
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We love longer sits. You can really settle in and immerse yourself in the local community. Our longest (and very first) sit was for 3 months in Ontario, Canada, in the dead of winter. Oh well, we had to start somewhere to build those references!
We are currently on our longest sit ever. Five months in Brisbane, Australia.
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I miss York. I visited the place in 2015 and hope to return with the family one day soon. Loved the Shambles, castles, shops and eateries.
@anon27523372 (love your jolly username) my wife and I visited several times before we had our daughter and it’s somewhere we’ve always wanted to take her. I’m excited to say we’ve been invited to a summer sit just outside York looking after cats, so we’re really thrilled to be heading there during the holidays.
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Hi all, I’m new to this conversation thread but heartened to see that there may be folks happy to spend 5 weeks on a sit in Vermont in December/January! My question is this: for a sit of this length and especially one like mine that will be over the holidays, what’s the best timing for posting? Do sitters like to plan a long sit or plan for the holidays further in advance? I had so much trouble finding someone for my last sit (3 weeks), I want to time my post right. Sitters, please let me know your thoughts!
Now! 
Some like to book holiday sits well in advance and Vermont I feel will be very attractive for many sitters.
Last year there were many looking for holiday sitters last minute and found it challenging.
Personally I am booked so get it set up and ask if you have any other questions.
Best wishes @Bellabliss
You have a very attractive listing and I would post your Christmas sit sooner than later. Like @Amparo, we are booked for Christmas and NY, and have been booked since early February. Full disclosure, I am an obsessive planner
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