[JoMarch]

Just reading another topic about a bad house sitter and got me thinking...

So my mum is going to be "renting" a house off a couple that she met through another family member. She will be there for 4 months while they are overseas. The house remains fully furnished with all their belongings etc, and she will be looking after their pets.

She will be paying discounted rent-$200/wk (I've been to the house & I'd estimate that it could get maybe $400/week as a rental. But, now I'm thinking....is she getting ripped off? Its really more like a house sitting situation, and from reading the other thread it seems like house sitters don't normally pay rent??? At the time that she organised it, DH & I sort of said to each other that we thought it was a bit steep, but I don't have much experience in the world of house-sitting so I didn't really think any more of it.

So WDYT?

[MakeLoveNotBacon]

We recently had a house-sitter for a few months. She was a friend of a friend. We pay rent. She was single, so we asked for half the rent in payment - this included her internet, electric, gas, local and national calls.

We had no pets staying at the house, the garden was on automatic sprinkles so nothing to care for there. Her only 'job' was to collect the mail.

It does seem a bit of rip-off in your mum's situation. I think if you are looking after pets, gardens, etc, they should be paying you a small amount each week (like maybe $50-$100?). Our situation was we were going to leave our house empty but then heard through our friend of someone needing a place to stay due to relationship breakdown so this seem to be a good solution.

[Justaduck]

Usually people PAY you to housesit and look after your pets?

[wesse]

I had a house sitter in for a month in April. She had two dogs to feed and to collect the mail - thast it.

I paid HER $150/week and left money for our weekly cleaner - and the house was immaculate when I returned home.

[Stellajoy]

I would PAY people to look after my house and animals for 4 months.

[Guest_Maybelle_*]

I would never expect someone to pay me to live in my house and look after my dog! If someone I knew was happy to do it for free I would be so grateful, but otherwise I would pay someone.

[elmo_mum]

a friend use to housesit cos she was "in between houses"

long story short - she either
paid nothing
or
paid utilities
or
she got paid (generally when pets were involved)

so yea
$200 per week to look after someone elses house...
i think she is being ripped off

[SylviaPlath]

My MIL has given some money ($100pwk) to people who have stayed in her house and so called "house sit". They had a dog to feed morning/evening but that was the only requirement. I thought that was a bit weird to be paying someone to house sit, especially given that she lives 8 mins on the express train into the city, in a five bedroom, two bathroom house etc. The perks are pretty good.

A lecturer I had at uni used to get one of the students to house sit for him 6 months a year. They were required to cover the utility costs but that was it.

I dont really have an opinion on this topic, only telling you of people's experiences.

[la di dah]

200 a week is only about fifty dollars shy of our weekly mortgage payment. And we don't have to be nicey-nice in someone else's house and the only pets to feed are ours.

I would say she's paying to work as a housesitter?

I am not sure about getting PAID to housesit, usually I thought it was just you get to use their place, no utilities, etc. but paying to do it? Seems really odd to me, no offense.

Unless maybe it was a really cool house right on the beach or something?

[soontobegran]

If your mum is also paying rent or a mortgage elsewhere then I think it is very wrong to expect a house sitter to pay.
IMO having a decent house sitter is doing the home owner/occupier a favour, not the other way around.
They could leave the house empty and accept the possible problems that may occur in that time and if they have pets they could pay thousands to have them put in a kennel but instead they get the benefit of security and pet minding. I can not see why house sitters should be charged rent for doing the favour and in essence possibly saving them a whole heap of money.