House Sitting
House Sitting by Ned
Quick Summary:
- Live-in House Sitter
- Reliable & Professional
- Highly Recommended
- Competitve Rates
- Preferred Areas:
San Francisco Peninsula
or Marin/Sonoma Counties
Update: Nov. 1, 2012
As of November 1st, I will add two experienced house/pet sitters as associates: Catherine and Inanna. At some point in the near future, this website will be updated with all of their information.
Clients Have Noted:
Ned was the perfect house-and-cat-sitter during our 3-month-long overseas tour. The house was cleaner and neater than we left it: nothing out-of-place.
- Dick & Sharon, Lafayette
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I needed a house sitter for my 4 little rescue dogs and came upon Ned's web site. Ned promptly returned my call and set up an interview to meet me and my "babies." I've now used Ned's services 4 times. I endorse Ned as a house sitter/pet sitter without reservation. I know I can leave with confidence and return to happy dogs and a clean home.
- Pat K., Tiburon
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I was very impressed with Ned's attention to detail and his understanding my expectations. I returned home to find everything in perfect condition, plants watered and a very content cat.
- Lee L., Pleasanton
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Ned was pet-sitter for our three cats for the summer of 2010. Ned is trustworthy and reliable and a good communicator. He regularly let us know how things were going. We highly recommend Ned.
- Mary & Rich, San Francisco
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We've had Ned house sit for us twice this year. The second time, our poodle, Buster, escaped our car as we were leaving. He was found 2 days later and Ned brought him home and looked after him until we returned. Thanks, Ned, for taking care of Buster and giving us a happy homecoming.
- Betty & Mike, Menlo Park
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Ned got along splendidly with our two dogs, kept everything under control, and kept us informed with status update emails while we were in Australia.
- Amy & Dan, Novato
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If any questions or additional needs came up during our absence, such as when craftsmen needed to install a skylight, Ned took care of them and kept everything coordinated via email and telephone.
Ned made it possible to enjoy our summer and we were delighted to return home and find everything just as we had left it.
- Tim & Patty B., Menlo Park
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Ned was a wonderful house sitter. He made quick friends with our two neurotic dogs who became his constant buddies.
- Russell & Margaret P., Sebastopol, CA
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House Sitting Agreement
Here is an example of a house sitting agreement that I wrote up recently. Note that this is not some fancy legal contract, but a rather a plain English listing of responsibilities so that the homeowners and I have a written record of our expectations for each other.
Pet Sitting and Care of Pets
- Cat food bowl by kitchen entranceway, keep filled, Kitty eats when he wants.
- Additional bag of food kept in shelf on garage.
- Cat litter box is in garage, clean daily, dispose of soiled litter in trash.
- Kitty is an indoor/outdoor cat. Let him out when he wants. He will usually hang out by the back door when he wants to come in.
- If I leave the garage door open about 8 inches for Kitty to come in and out on his own, remember to securely close the garage door so raccoons do not get in the house at night.
- Feed the turtle every 3-4 days or so, add water to the indicated level of his pond as needed.
- Cat food and turtle food are kept in the pantry. There is enough supply for the entire vacation time.
House Plant and Garden care
- Especially on hot days, I will use the hose to supplement the automatic sprinkler system and water the raised beds in the back yard.
I will also water the potted plants in the driveway and add water to the two big planters of water plants just outside the back gate.
Ensure that this supplemental watering takes place every 2-3 days or so. - Every Thursday morning, two “mow & blow” guys come to cut the grass and clean up all the leaves, etc.
Later in the day on Thursdays, the gardener comes over to do pruning and general garden upkeep for several hours. - You have no house plants that require any tending
Mail, Newspapers, Garbage, Recycling, etc.
- Your mail will be forwarded to your vacation location, so there should be no mail pickup to watch out for.
- Likewise, your newspaper delivery has been stopped for the duration of your vacation.
- Garbage is collected early every Friday morning. Put the garbage can at the curb on Thursday night.
- Every other Thursday night, I put out the recycling containers for paper, glass, etc.
- Every other Thursday night, I take all the full yard waste containers (up to four of them) and place them at the curb.
Usage of appliances
- The laundry room is upstairs, use as necessary for linens, towels, clothes.
- Vacuum cleaners are in closets upstairs and downstairs, use as necessary.
- Since you have no air-conditioning system, on warm days, I can open windows during the nights and cooler parts of the day to keep the house temperate.
- I can set up my laptop (and printer) on your desk area where you have your laptop now. I will access your high-speed internet connection through your wireless router (You have given me the SSID and password). Other than your cable modem and wireless router, I have no need of and will not use any of your other office equipment.
- I am free to watch TV, play the music system in the back room, use the kitchen appliances and cookware, and even have visitors. “Feel at home,” you said, and that’s not a privilege that I would misuse.
Residency, Access, Compensation, Utilities
- The house sitting assignment will run for three months, from mm-dd-yy through mm-dd-yy.
- I will occupy your home as a live-in house sitter, and not leave it unattended for any absence longer than X days.
- My daily rate of compensation for sitting your home will be X dollars per day. 50% payable in advance, and 50% payable upon your return.
- You have provided me with a key to the house and a key for the basement, (should I need to get to the circuit breaker box there.) The other circuit breaker box is outside where you showed me.
- It is not required that I pay anything for the utilities.
- I will use the spare room upstairs (the sewing room) as my bedroom. I can use the shower facilities in any of the bathrooms, but you recommended the master bedroom bathroom.
- I can bring over my exercise bike and a small dresser. I will need some closest space to hang some of my clothes.
- I am to park my car inside the gate at night, to avoid ticketing by the police for the “no overnight street parking” ordinance.
- You will advise me of your exact return date, so I can remove my belongings, vacate your home, and have it ready for you the day before you return.
Communications and Contact information
- You have provided me with emergency numbers (gardener’s number, veterinarian for the cat, and one of your trusted neighbors.)
- You have provided me with your cell phone number so I can reach you while you are away.
- I won’t answer or use your phone. Let voice mail handle it. I will have my cell phone for my calls.
- I have provided you with my cell phone number and email address.
- Feel free to give my cell phone number to anyone whom you think should have it (your daughters, neighbors, whomever.)
- I have provided you with my brother’s contact information (for use in some unforeseen emergency)
- You already have Ms. M.’s (the woman who recommended me to the homeowners) phone number.
- I will keep you updated about every week with an email letting you know that things are OK.
House Sitter Update Reports
Here are some sample emails I've sent to keep homeowners updated with what is happening on their home front while they are away.
Sample House Sitter Report #1
The Atherton Glass company had two installers come over and replace the skylight. I let them in so they could do the work. It took them only a short while and they said everything was fine. I didn’t watch them, but took their word for it. Anyway, they just left, so that is done.
At the moment your gardener is pruning the roses and I will let her into the basement when she needs to adjust the watering system timing.
So far everything is shipshape in and around the house (I do a “watchman” tour every morning and night) and I’m starting to get into a good rhythm with my work.
I hope you are enjoying your vacation despite the inhospitable weather.
Sample House Sitter Report #2
I hope the weather has improved and you are enjoying your East Coast summer.
I’m actually taking my longest time away from your home, 2.5 days up at my mom’s for her 88th birthday.
However, before I left, I noticed some plants (not in the areas where I water) seemed to be drying out or shriveling up.
I notified your gardener by email, and on her weekly visit (which was Friday morning this week) we walked the entire yard and I pointed out, one by one, which plants I thought looked “sickly”. She educated me, one by one, that such and such a plant always looks like that this time of year, or this one has been transplanted several times and hasn’t found the best home yet, etc.
There was only one case where she agreed that the plants looked under watered, and that was for the two Fuchsias back by the redwoods – the whole section looked dry. She cut away foliage that was blocking the sprinkler heads, we gave that section a good soaking, and I let her in the basement so she could adjust the sprinkler timing.
There are lots of brown spots on the lawn, but the gardener confirmed my suspicion that the spots are from doggie waste and not under watering.
Everything else seems vibrant and healthy. The turtle splashes into hiding whenever I approach and on Friday morning I spied a another kitty eating from the cat food dish.
Everything inside the house is humming along nicely with one possible exception. Ever since I’ve been there, I noticed that the hot water is visibly brown. This is the same from every faucet, upstairs or downstairs that I’ve tested, so maybe the heater is rusting.
Not an issue for me, but just an FYI in case you were not aware of this.
Also, three pieces of mail have come through, but all bulk mail, which I’m saving for your return. The answering machine shows 14 messages. No idea what they are.
Well, that’s it for now. Things are basically boring, which I believe is the way we’d like them to be vis-à-vis the housesitting.
Sample House Sitter Report #3
Welcome back from Ireland. I trust the family reunion was fabulous.
Not too much news, but a few items:
New Electric Meter
A utility man came here last week and swapped out your electric meter for a “smart” meter. The electricity was off for a few minutes, but everything (most importantly for me: the wireless internet) started back up with no problem.
Picture fell – nothing broken
A few days ago, a picture fell off a wall. It was one of the Japanese watercolors in your bedroom, the one closest to the window, and more significantly (I think) the one closest to the clothes dryer. It looks like the nail went from being at a upward angle to a downward angle (that’s why I’m thinking vibration from the clothes dryer.) I was outside when it happened. I freaked out when I came back to the bedroom and the picture was on the floor. But nothing broken, neither frame nor glass.