Nothing can be more exciting than getting ready for a well-deserved vacation to a paradisaical destination. However, an extended vacation can also be somewhat stressful when you start thinking about living away from your home for months.
Will your pets be okay with the house sitter? Will your precious garden be attended to? These are the kinds of questions that will prompt you to hire a house sitter before you leave. However, simply leaving a house sitter in your abode with vague instructions isn’t a good idea.
Instead, create a checklist covering all the crucial things they need to know and do when you’re away. With a handy checklist and some thinking ahead, you can stay on top of your home’s security for an enjoyable vacation and peace of mind.
Do You Need a House Sitter Checklist?
Picture this. For the first time in 2 years, you finally take a vacation and arrive at a luxurious beach resort in Maldives. You sit on the beach, dip your toes in the white sand, and enjoy the refreshing sea breeze while holding a glass of Champagne.
Then boom! Your phone beeps. A very long text from your house sitter with a lot of questions. What’s the Wi-Fi password? When do I feed the dog? Where are the gardening tools? Or, worse yet, a panic call (The toilet is leaking—Who do I call?)
What a terrible way to start off your vacation. The good news; you can avoid such scenarios with a comprehensive, well-crafted house sitter checklist.
House Sitter Checklist: What to Include
If you opt to enlist a house sitter, you’ll need to craft a house-sitting checklist to ensure nothing goes wrong when you’re away. Here’s what to include in the checklist.
1. Contractor Info
Leaving contractor information is crucial for many reasons. For instance, a leaky faucet, toilet, or roof could damage your house, leading to costly repairs down the line. Also, your property coverage may require you to make a reasonable effort to prevent damages when you’re away.
Having someone attend to the property issues on time could make the difference between having an insurance claim approved or denied. That said, you’ll need to leave the contact information of all your service providers. Write down the contacts of your preferred contractors, such as:
- HVAC professional
- Plumber
- Electrician
If you anticipate HVAC issues, scheduling essential routine heating system maintenance is a great way to ensure your home’s heating and cooling system is in good condition. In the event of furnace problems, your local ARS/Rescue Rooter professional can conduct a heater tune-up and replace the faulty parts to fix the problem, even when you’re away.
2. Emergency Contacts
Make a list of the contacts your house sitter can call in case of an emergency if they can’t reach you. Some important contacts to add to the list may include:
- A family member who lives nearby
- A trusted friend
- Your neighbors
If you’re a renter, you could provide the contact information for the landlord.
3. Garden Care
Be specific about how you need the house sitter to care for your garden. Do you need them to mow the lawn or tend the vegetables? Or just water the flowers at specific times of the day? Garden care can be a really important part of the house sitter’s duties. Be specific about their dos and don’ts and ensure they have the will and skills to care for your garden.
4. Home Security System
If your home has a security system, you probably have triggered it several times. Since you don’t want your house sitter to deal with a system they know nothing about, give them all the details they need to know about the system.
Teach them how to use and set up your security system. Show them how to reset the system in the event of a false alarm or power outage, and they’ll be more informed and alert.
5. Pets
You want to make sure your house sitter keeps your pets alive. So, prep them on how to keep them healthy. Describe when to feed the animals, take them out, and take them for health check-ups. Also, guide them on how to make sure the pets are neutered.
Wrapping Up
That’s it! A functional checklist for your house sitter. This list is by no means exhaustive. Other items worth adding to your checklist may include visitor’s policy, use of your vehicles, and rooms to be kept private. Any time-sensitive information should also be added to the list.
