I hear you, but I am one of those odd people who like to have a wander around the supermarket and see what is there. All kinds of stuff you never knew you needed 
We could have walked one way, but hubby feeling a bit under the weather so uber both ways was the easiest. It was such a giant Tesco I would have spent even longer there if I could have 
Yes, I love looking at stuff in supermarkets and drug stores when abroad, but I sometimes look and buy little in person and then order delivery, simply to save myself the carrying.
@Twogreys- what dates and location. We have 2 weeks coming up for 21 Ā£/day and thatās for an automatic.
Hello there,
I have a suggestion for you. We have used this company several times, for both long and short term car rentals. They are very honest, and you can have a choice of taking an older car (cheaper) which is still mechanically perfect.
They are based near Croydon, South London, and can easily be reached on public transport via any of the following stations; East or West Croydon, Norwood Junction or Selhurst.
They are The Garage Car Rental, located at Unit 19 Tait Road Industrial Estate, Tait Road, Croydon, CR0 2DP. Itās been going for many years, but not easy to find by just searching online if you donāt know their name.
Itās slightly āno frillsā, but we have never had a problem with any of their cars, and itās always been excellent value.
I have absolutely nothing to do with the company, and havenāt needed to hire for a couple of years now, but have no reason to think anything has changed. I wouldnāt hesitate to go back.
All the best
I lived car-free for years in multiple European citiesāeven in the southāand public transit + a bike covered everywhere I needed to go. If youāre used to UK traffic, just remember to double-check both directions before stepping off the curb. Unlike in the UK, other countries donāt put warnings on their sidewalks as to which way to look to check for traffic!
Plenty of European sits are transit-friendly. Use Google Mapsā transit layer to see stop locations, frequency, and transfers before you apply; many cities also allow dogs on buses/trams (check local rules by size/leash/muzzle). This is assuming you have a visa that allows you to work in those countries; house- and pet-sitting on tourist visa is not allowed in most Schengen countries. Otherwise, go for it: Most of Europe is built for getting around without a car (though sadly not all, as the OP discovered) and Iād hate for you to miss out on an adventure over the car issue.
I realize the point is moot as the OP has cancelled the sit, but in case itās a help to others, I came here to post both of these. Having travelled & rented cars extensively in the UK, Iād say these are 2 of my most valuable ātipsā as well.
Further, if you do take a train to a decent-sized town such as, say, Manchester or Liverpool, it can sometimes be even more economical to look for and rent from an alternate car rental location elsewhere in the city or in a very nearby town (ie offsite from the train station.) Just use a taxi to transfer once you leave the station. Itās literally cut the price to half or a third for me, on multiple occasions.
Two other potential money-savers:
ā AAA often has great discounts on UK and European car rentals via Hertz, and at least in the US, thereās no charge for an additional driver. (And do join the loyalty programs for the major car rental programs so you get access to their discounts.)
ā If you simply MUST book the trip & the car regardless of the rate, then do it ā but make sure itās cancellable without penalty, and then DO go back & re-check the specials & rates every couple weeks up until the week youāre traveling. I cannot tell you how many times Iāve booked a car months ahead for Christmas in Hawaii or Orlando at $1200-1500/10d, only to keep rebooking the same car class at a lower rate over and over as the date got closer ā with the final price ending up being between 1/3 to a quarter of the original booking, because they had more inventory than anticipated. (Just be sure to cancel those previous bookings each time, right after youāve confirmed the new one!)
Anyway, hope some of that might help folks looking for car rental tips & tricks for the UK. I do have a couple others, but theyāre just for rentals in the US. 
if you can get the host to allow you to use their car, this company do short term insurance for non UK visitors
@Colin, thanks for heads-up. As noted above, for us (UK citizens, non-UK residents) then use of car is often a dealbreaker on rural UK housesits (been there, done that, personal choice). Next time we come across an otherwise attractive property & car availability then we may checkout quote from sterling. curious.
Thanks for the advice- I missed a word, I should have said it puts me off a lot of the rural sits in europe! City sits or anywhere vaguely well connected are fine, as you say. Its just sometimes I have seen idyllic ones that say car essential that would be perfect for us!
Not a bad idea, ill bear it in mind should the opportunity arise!
I guess most sits In countryside would still have buses though.. you could utilize uber to a bus hub and then that would be less expensive.. ask HO if they can pick you up from closest station, do a food shop then all youāll need is uber or taxi to closest buses or trains if exploring for the day.. Iād ask their advice.. then put in address and google how to get to the shopping or interesting areas near them
All remote country places do have taxis too Iām from Uk , where will you be as everywhere can get uber or taxis..
I was added to car insurance for a sit that cost the owners an additional Ā£5.73 to cover but it means I can take the dogs on adventures so everyone wins. It wonāt hurt to ask. I regularly travel to the U.K. and usually use autoeurope or dououspain for car rental and often itās cheaper to wait til last minute to book. I always book a cancellable car and then keep checking on prices right up until the day before. Often it works cheaper then.
there wont be a ā $2000 dollarā excess, as it will be in pounds Sterling. The OP has clearly stated the sit is in UK.
a quick Google for Enterprise car, 22nd Dec to 29th Dec shows Ā£424 for a small car. Vauxhall Corsa size
Just to correct one point: Weāve been put on HOās insurance policy in the UK several times. It wasnāt expensive. In fact the last time, I asked what it cost, so we could pay - and was told āOh, about a fiver. Forget it!ā The HO was possibly just being nice.. But while Iām sure it can be pricey, it isnāt necessarily.
Driving in central London is a no-no for me, as with any big city. Itās not only expensive if you need to park or refuel - or pay a congestion charge - but itās stressful. The aggression of other drivers ratchets up several notches and itās just not pleasant. Especially if youāre not familiar with the road layout.
We were going to be in rural Scotland. Over Christmas and New Year. If thereās anywhere where itās gonna be hard to find taxis, we landed on it.
Interesting. Iām traveling to rural Scotland soon (October-ish) & have been seeing some rather-high prices as well, out of Aberdeen. Going to have to start getting more creative here soonā¦
@Debandbee, GBP5.73. Such a cost seems a rounding error. If a Pet Parent is unwilling to pay, or seeks reimbursement of, such a token sum then weād raise questions. Seems potential red flag for other costs (e.g. insufficient pet food, no cleaning products, ā¦). Once in a while, thankfully not often, we come across Pet Parents that spend a great deal on their trip but penny pinch on housesitters - odd values.
Thanks for suggestions of car rental companies. Will bookmark ideas. When in UK, we typically select sits with easy transit options or pet parent car. Car rental for non-residents can be surprisingly costly and thereās plenty of housesit listings.