LITTLE ROCK — The website HouseSit-World.com offers a sample housesitting agreement. It advises that all parties share their full names, addresses and driver’s license numbers, clearly state the effective dates, and at least touch on the following rules: The housesitter should have the owners’ home ready to welcome them upon return.
Pet care should be delineated in the agreement. So should the pet’s veterinarian.
It should state which areas of the house are off limits to the housesitter.
It should address smoking, social gatherings and use of the home’s amenities (such as hot tub or exercise equipment).
Can the housesitter leave the house unoccupied for any length of time?
Can the housesitter divulge the whereabouts of the homeowner?
How will the bills be paid?
If the homeowner is reimbursing the housesitter for expenses, the latter should keep receipts.
If the furnace or an appliance breaks down, what should be done?
A homeowner should also check with an insurance representative who can clarify the company’s policy regarding housesitting.
This site and Housecarers.com recognize that some homeowners might feel more secure if, along with the contract, a security deposit is held in abeyance by a third party until the end of the arrangement, though no housesitters spoken to for this story reported ever doing so, or being asked.
HomeStyle, Pages 38 on 07/28/2012