We are a couple, myself Jennifer, 64 years, and my partner Uwe, 75 years. We live on the island of Lanzarote which belongs to the Canary islands, in a house with 3000 square meters of land in the less touristy part of the island. Two dogs and a cat live with us in the house. Outside there are some feral cats that we also feed and care for. We are looking preferably for a couple who should not be technically unskilled and of course love pets. In March and April 2022 we need someone to look after the pets and the house. Our car would possibly be available.
The tasks include looking after the pets like taking long walks in the area with the dogs, feeding the cats, gardening and maybe looking after possible holiday guests.
We would be happy to receive answers and then provide more specific and detailed information. We’ll also send photos of the pets and the house.
HI @JenniferSrenk welcome to our community forum thank you for joining us from the beautiful Canary Islands and for your introduction.
I’m sure you will get lots of interest from sitters although any responsibility in hosting guests is against the TrustedHousesitters T&C’s, we have a strict no third party at any sit.
Arrangements are based on an equal and fair exchange ethos, hosting guests or excessive manual task expectations would be outside of that arrangement but if your rentals are closed then it wouldn’t even be an issue.
Thank you again for joining our community and enjoy connecting with other members from around the world.
Angela and the Team
Dear Angela,
Thank you for your mail. If it is not in accordance with your guidelines for a house sitter to take care of the guests in a separate apartment, then we will block the period. However, we do not understand the comment above from “Provence” that house sitting should not involve any work at all. We expect a house sitter to clean up and take care of the house and garden, as this is a very dry island and the plants will die very quickly without water. The pool is managed externally and can be used by the house sitters. We certainly do not want to exploit any future house sitter, but in our opinion these are basics. By “technically unskilled”, we mean that we do not want a house sitter to panic if the power fails or the gas bottles for the stove and shower are empty. We want to avoid that craftsmen are called immediately. We obviously have a different idea of house sitting. It’s not called pet sitting, but house sitting and involves a little bit of work. Maybe you could recommend another house sitting company.
Kind regards,
Jennifer and uwe
Hi Jennifer it was only the reference to third party which applied. Sitters care for the home and pets according to owners instructions and all of this is agreed before the sit is confirmed that way all expectations are managed. You are obviously a very caring owner and thinking ahead about what will work best for everyone.
We have cared for gardens and pools, communication is the key. By all means list your home and block out those periods you will get some wonderful applicants I’m sure.
… and welcome once again.
Hi @JenniferSrenk , no that’s not it at all. Of course your THS sitter will look after your home and pets and do needed tasks around the house, such as pool maintenance, managing emergencies and garden care. What @Provence was referring to was work that you would normally pay someone to do, like managing rental units. That is not part of your THS sitter’s responsibilities, although I know sitters have made arrangements to do this kind of work for pay. Your home sounds heavenly and I expect many people will want to sit for you. Welcome!
Hi Angela,
Ok, I’m sorry if I sounded a bit perturbed, but yes I agree that managing a rental unit involves a lot of work, and sometimes holiday makers can be very demanding!
Unfortunately, I can’t find a way to post a description and pictures of the house. I will have to call someone in order for them to help me!
Kind regards,
Jennifer
No problem Jennifer and please don’t apologise, the forum is here to help answer those questions we are not sure about.
I will send you a Direct Message and help you get your listing up.
Thank you 
Hi @JenniferSrenk . I have never been to the Canary islands but am having a holiday in Lanzarote in December.
I will await your April/May listing with interest!
Hi Itchyfeet,
You should come and visit us when you’re here!
HI Jennifer - I’m planning to be in Spain in March/April 2022 and would be happy to have you review my profile to see if it may be a match for what you’re looking for. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to chat. Thanks! - Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
Sorry for answering so late. I will do my listing today and then you can see how large the house is and decide whether its something you’d like to do. We are actually looking for someone to stay 4 to 6 weeks. I don’t know whether this is your intention?
Kind regards,
Jennifer
Hi Provence,
You are right, taking care of guests can be a pain in the neck and one should pay for this!
Watering plants and cleaning are part of the “job” in my opinion. Our house is very large, so we will see who is really interested. Otherwise, this island is gorgeous and the weather is good also during the winter months. It can rain a bit, but we need the rain!
Kind regards,
Jennifer