The name of this site suggests that it is the home that is being looked after, but so far, it is pets that are the focus.
With the alarming increase in ‘squatters’ invading and damaging homes, even when the owners are away only for a short time, this website should see a significant increase in interest even if there are no pets involved.
Have you found that to be true?
So far, I’ve done one sit and am in the middle of my second - both for pets, but I would be interested in knowing if there is need or requests for just home sitting through this forum?
They do come up
but very rarely … For example at time of writing this there are currently 7770 sits with dates listed worldwide -only 3 of these have no pets .
We have two confirmed sits ( for same owner) in U.K. this year without pets . The owners started using THS when they had a dog , dog has now passed . They go away frequently and continue to use THS .
There are a few, but they do tend to have some responsibilities that necessitate someone to live in the home instead of just having friends drop in from time to time. You can often expect yard work, indoor plant maintenance, pool and/or hot tub maintenance, home security or even just being there during hurricane season/winter to prevent or deal with weather related issues.
As for squatters and things, that is one such security issue homeowner’s might worry about, but it would be dependent on where the person lives.
We were set to do a home-only sit in rural Tasmania to look after plants and monitor any weather-related issues but they ended up getting the bad weather before they left and their roof collapsed. Grateful we weren’t there to deal with that.
All this to say, pet-free sits can be more work than pet sits, and trusted 'house’sitters is sort of a misnomer that is too late to change.
Some folks have pets listed but take their pets with them thus rendering the search feature useless.
I don’t think anyone is worried about squatters here with the ability to interview applicants and I find it comical that you raise that topic. Almost like you’re looking to raise trouble given the rest of your post
Sounds like wishful thinking. I don’t think that’s happening as much as some folks are alarmists and, no, there’s been no apparent rise in pet-free sits because homeowners are supposedly alarmed.
We did sits in Sri Lanka & Çeşme that had animals but were totally about home security for big ocean villas @sulynsi - the SL one had dogs that didn’t walk & liked to bite local men given half a chance! Spain has a big squatting problem so sitters are common for house occupancy there too. As someone mentioned, the SL HO wanted us to be caretakers with help/tasks way beyond any other sit we have done so be careful what you wish for It was all good in the end though. Palms, ocean waves, coconuts and tuk tuks #allpartoftheadventure
THank you@coolcataunt - I appreciate that you read my post and gave me the benefit of the doubt.
I have been hearing a lot about this issue and it is very alarming.
Obviously, I wasn’t suggesting that THS people would be squatters! I myself am a member - currently doing a sit that is such a nice experience. I was just curious if folks who are worried about this issue might turn to THS as an option to protect themselves.
I am a happy member and current sitter - I am certainly NOT suggesting that members here are squatters. I was wondering if HO who might be anxious about that potential, might come here even if they didn’t have pets - the name suggests that as a possibility.
@sulynsi The vast majority of sits include pets. In over 100 sits in 5 years we’ve only ever done 1 sit without pets. This was due to the house being half way through renovations and it could not properly secured.
Most sitters are not looking to squat anywhere- we love our freedom too much!
@Lokstar - I don’t know why people think I’m implying anyone in THS would be a squatter - certainly not what I said - I was wondering if there may have been an uptick in requests by HO for security purposes, whatever those may be.
I know I like the idea of someone staying in my home while we are away - just as a presence - keep an eye on things like power outages to avoid frozen pipes if I’m away in the winter - in other areas, it might be things like break-ins - and I don’t have a luxurious home - but it is nice to have someone occupying the home - i certainly don’t have grounds to water, a pool to maintain etc - I was surprised to see my homeowner’s insurance has a clause that indicates coverage may be refused if the home is left empty for substantial periods of time without someone looking in on it. So, I was wondering if some HO might consider using the platform for just the peace of mind of having someone in situ.
Great response, @coolcataunt - that makes sense - although I was thinking there may be folks like myself who just like the fact that someone is present - just coming and going about their normal activities - nothing particularly to do besides maybe water a few plants.
I enjoy looking after pets - i work from home so HO find that an advantage - I can offer to be around for animals that are used to having someone at home much of the time - but I there are times when I’m in a location away from home, I’m attending an all day event for several days on end and would need to be away much of the day - I don’t like to do that with pets - a few hours or half a day, maybe, if its ok with the owners but generally, I like to be around most of the time. If it were just the house that was being minded, I wouldn’t feel anxious about day trips.
@sulynsi my last comment was a little tongue in cheek (sorry!) but there is also truth in it. A while back there was a long thread where some members wrote about their fears of squatters in some American neighbouhoods I believe- where tenancy rights are easy to assume. Other members tried reassuring them with comments like mine above
But yes -absolutely you can request a sitter for security purposes and winter homecare. That’s is a good reason. I also gave an example of a sit we did for protection & giving a presence. Pet free sits are rare opportunities which will always suit someone.
thank you for the reference - I hadn’t seen that before - I see someone else had an issue with insurance
I appreciate your bringing my attention to that others had asked a similar question and that my query was not really that strange - someone here had even suggested my question should be ‘taken down’ and that I was trying to ‘make trouble’ by asking - its a relief to know that not everyone misunderstood me.
We recently applied and were accepted for a house sit in another country where the homeowners did not have pets but were looking for a presence in their home while away. We were very excited but unfortunately had to cancel due to an unexpected health issue. Another lucky sitter will have the opportunity which is good but sits without pets are rare on the site.
Yes, sits without pets are popular, especially the longer ones.
I once did a week in Bologna, where the pet owners decided to take their dogs with them because one of them needed injections. So I had a very relaxed week! No worries about getting back in time to walk the dog and things like that. So I could take day trips by train to Ravenna etc.
Many cat sits are also easy and quickly reaching THS review status, but there is still the feeding and the litter box to take care of.
thank you for your feedback - that makes a lot of sense - for me, I don’t mind the work with pets - I am a former groomer and used to board dogs in my home - my anxiety rests with leaving pets for too long - when they aren’t mine, I worry more and fuss more. HO are always reasonable but its me putting pressure on myself - but some times I need to be out of the house looking after an elderly relative or attending a work event and it would be nice to not have the time constraint I put on myself
It was all good in the end though. Palms, ocean waves, coconuts and tuk tuks 
