HOUSESITTING & PET CARE

If you are reading this webpage you have probably been directed to it by an existing client/friend or by us as we do not advertise it and it is not designed to be found by search engines. Please read through the page and the FAQ’s and you can make initial contact with us using the ‘Contact’ form with your questions. We do not publish our telephone numbers etc. here, but full contact details will be included in any future communications.

This is just a brief initial introduction to us and we do understand, for those who may not have used this type of service before, that it may feel a little unusual to invite strangers into your house. However, the ease and stress free benefits of using us to look after your property and special pets, will quickly compensate for this. Please note that as well as looking after homes and pets when clients go on holiday or business trips, we also can care for properties awaiting probate, on the market, repossessions, between tenants etc.

About Us
We, Ann & Rick, are a diligent, retired married couple who having left London, now live in a fabulous part of the UK near the beach in Poole, Dorset between Sandbanks and Bournemouth. We have a daughter who lives in California with her family. Up to 2009 we were running a high profile contemporary art gallery in Clerkenwell in the City of London and have always been involved in the art and illustration business. Previous to this, besides London, we had lived and worked in Amsterdam, Stockholm, Sydney and Los Angeles – so we are a little bit gypsy by nature and make a real effort to see that the different stages of life are less predictable and routine. We still travel whenever possible.

The reason we offer a Home and Pet Sitting service is that we have spare time on our hands and miss having pets (we chose not to in order to retain spontaneity in our life), we also see this as a way of visiting different parts of the country and meeting new people. In keeping with this outlook we also provide a seasonal Airbnb service which attracts many overseas visitors and you can read their reviews of us here. This business has however declined considerably after the Covid years

We are both able bodied and non smokers and very security conscious. Ann (Ann-Kathrin – Swedish) is particularly good with pets, we are both animal lovers and Rick is capable of normal DIY and most emergency home maintenance. There are companies offering similar services who maintain they have checked their sitters references, however if you decide to retain us you will deal with us directly and therefore know exactly who will be looking after your property, home and pets. Furthermore the references we can provide are impeccable and live insofar as you will be able to contact our genuine clients directly and not have to rely on pre-dated reference letters or the word of a go-between or agent.

How It Works
We have been providing this service since 2012 for mainly London, Home Counties and Cotswold clients but are basically comfortable providing it anywhere in the UK or Europe – subject to negotiation. While house sitting we supply our own food and are mainly vegetarian. Our basic requirements are a bedroom, bathroom, WiFi access and car parking facilities (and a bit of room in the fridge and freezer). We keep the property secure, stay in regular contact with the client (if requested) care for animals, exercise pets and administer any medications required. We water house plants, keep records of who has called at the property, take in courier packages, put the bins out, deter intruders, keep an eye on owners vehicles and anything else that needs looking after. We are not cleaners but we will take great care of the property and leave it in the same condition as we find it.

We normally like to meet prospective clients (and they like to meet us) before a formal booking. We always try and arrange for this meeting to fit in with our normal travel plans but if we are required to make a specific long trip, travel charges may have to apply. If after this meeting clients definitely wish to proceed with a booking we would supply references and would consider the booking confirmed on receipt of the deposit. We normally do need advance booking – but please always feel free to ask.

Cost & Terms
Our charges are £50.00 per day for up to the first fourteen days (plus petrol money for over 30 miles travel) and for periods longer than that by negotiation. Public and Bank Holidays may incur extra costs depending on length of booking, location etc. When we have full information of your requirements and location we can quote with no obligation. We require a 50% deposit from first time clients when the booking is confirmed and the balance is payable after completion of the house sit. The deposit will be forfeit if the booking is cancelled within four weeks of the start date although we will credit you this amount if a further booking is made within 3 months – providing we do not have other obligations.

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FAQ’s
Q: Do you have a minimum charge or period?
For up to 30 miles of travel we can consider a booking of three days and for longer distances we normally require a booking of 7 days. However we try to fit in with clients requirements wherever possible so always please ask.

Q: Would you let dogs off the lead when you walk them?
We would require written permission from the owner to let dogs off the lead. However from experience we can normally do this after a couple of walks and would always attach our tag to their collar giving our mobile numbers.

Q: Would you consider looking after other types of animals besides domestic pets?
Yes we would consider other animals. Please ask.

Q: Do you stay on the premises at all times?
A. The benefit of having two people Homesit is that one of us will be there most of the time, depending on dog walking, shopping etc. However we never leave premises unoccupied for more than 3 hours at any one time.

Q. What happens if our return is delayed?
A. We usually leave a few clear days between bookings and can normally delay our departure until you return. In any emergencies we will do whatever we can to help and would never leave animals unattended.

Q. Will my Contents insurance cover any breakages?
It is very unlikely that we would break anything. However most insurance companies prefer that someone is at the property rather than leave it vacant and most Contents policy’s should cover guests but you may wish to check with your insurance company.

For further information and to have your queries answered please email us using the ‘Contact’ form giving your name, location (postcode please) and as much information about yourselves that you feel comfortable with plus number and type of pets if we do not already have that information.

We look forward to meeting you.

Ann & Rick

Please feel free to look around the Chineland website but you may not be able to find this page again as it is not directly accessible via the site so please keep a note of the URL.