24 Jun A house sitting job – house sitting Melbourne
If you have some kind of ‘base’ in your accommodation – if you own your own home, or live with your parents, or even if you think you could get away with subletting your rental accommodation on Airbnb (I am not saying this is a great idea and I wouldn’t have done it), you could consider a house sitting job in your city, state or country. I have been house-sitting in Melbourne for these past few months and this article will tell you more about it.
There are a few different websites that allow you to contact homeowners who are going away and need someone to look after their precious pets. In Australia, some of these sites might suit you:
I have found that once people know you are looking to do a house-sitting job, and you start to get some references, then opportunities can start to flow regularly into your inbox. And for every weekend or week that you are out exploring a different suburb in your city, or city in your country, (or even overseas?!?), you can put your base accommodation on Airbnb and make some extra money that you would not have made otherwise.
What kind of work is involved in a house sitting job?
Depending on the pet, the house, your mood, and the weather, it can feel like a lot of hard work to take care of people’s pets for them for zero financial compensation. In return, you can get accommodation and a base to get to know another locality outside (or even within) your own.
I love it because it helps me to make up my mind about whether to get a pet or not. The latest dog sit that I did in Fairfield, Victoria made me realise that I think it is cruel to get a dog in an apartment (especially without a private balcony). The dog I was looking after got two walks a day. But that is what (?!), an hour or so a day of being outside, and 23 being inside those four walls? It felt like no kind of life for a dog. And I am not sure I would want it for a creature that I loved.
The fact that the dog was badly trained was probably a consideration. If I had a dog, I would want to take it out shopping and for coffee and lunches. But this dog just jumped up and put his feet on the table when the server came to the table and barked relentlessly at most other dogs. It meant that I couldn’t take him out for a lunchtime walk as well as the morning and night walks. And I do think that three walks minimum would be good for an apartment dog. I know that Pansy would take Moki for three walks a day and she lives in the same kind of apartment as me (except with a courtyard).
Exploring other suburbs – house sitting Melbourne
And while it can be a bit exhausting moving around all the time, if you get enough regular breaks at home, it can be so nice to be able to explore another suburb in a deeper, more intimate fashion. It is so funny how familiar a particular locality becomes when you have lived there for some time (for me this year is eight years!). And while it is always fun to go and see a show or get dinner in another suburb, it doesn’t let you get to know a locality on a much deeper level. House sitting is perfect for that.
Take your time – is house-sitting your thing?
It can be quite demanding, moving around all the time (and travelling regularly), so I would suggest taking your time and dipping your toes in. I have done a few short long weekend stays and a longer stay for my downstairs neighbour. It can help to decide if this kind of adventure is for you, and if it fits in with your lifestyle.
At the moment, I am taking a bit of a break from it, to take stock, and get into a rhythm with my new support work role. That is why I feel it is so helpful to have a base, where you can go to decompress and make these decisions.
Any downsides?
One thing I should mention is that house sitting can involve quite a bit of cleaning. You will have to clean your house (to inspection standard) every time an Airbnb guest stays, and also clean your house sitting house to the same standard. If you are okay with that, then it might be something you would really enjoy,
It certainly feels like an adventure!
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