As a registered House and Pet Sitter I have comprehensive public liability insurance (£5m) which covers me against acts of negligence, if someone is injured or if their property is damaged. For extra peace of mind, my clients can arrange with their household insurer to extend their policy cover whilst there is a house sitter present. I am insured to carry out dog walking, dog, cat and small domestic pet minding, boarding in my own home – including collection and delivery of animals – house sitting, minding horses, donkeys and domesticated farm animals, pet-to-vet services, and light domestic duties including gardening (with a restriction to leaf clearance in respect of swimming pools). I am also licensed to sell animal feedstuffs. I also have £10k animal liability and £10k loss of keys and replacement locks insurance.

It can be daunting to be away on holiday or in hospital and have someone else in your home. Ultimately this is an issue of trust. As we get to know each other we can build on this trust. I have taken this issue very seriously and I can provide a copy of my full police criminal record check Disclosure Form if you request this. Most of my clients have been recommended to me because I have provided service for someone else and they have found me to be trustworthy, reliable and safe. If you are always clear with your instructions and state clear boundaries I will do everything possible to ensure that I meet your specific requirements, so long as what I am asked to do does not compromise the safety of myself or others.

Yes, an initial meeting is usually required before I can provide service to my clients; this is your opportunity to ensure that you are happy to hire me as your Sitter. I will come to your home, this way I get to meet you, and your pets if you have them. I’ll need to make notes about your requested tasks, locations of items to carry out those tasks, and if appropriate I will collect keys from you. If you require me to care for your pets at my home, then you may come to my property for our first meeting. I offer the first meeting for free. If you would like a follow-up meeting at a later date, there may be an additional fee for this to cover any fuel costs.

If you prefer to provide your own notes regarding your requirements this will be fine.  If you’re OK with completing forms I do have a Pet Information form (if applicable), a Home/Contact Information form and a Key Handling Agreement form to complete. I can e-mail you these forms in PDF format for you to either print out and complete by hand or you can complete them on your computer. If you don’t have a printer you can e-mail the completed form/s back to me. I can also post copies of the forms for you to complete and sign for me to collect at the start of service.

I need details on the tasks to be carried out, locations of items to carry out those tasks, arrangements for keys and holiday/emergency contact numbers, as well as security information about your property, if applicable.  For your pets, I will need to know their requirements for their routine, feeding, grooming, exercise, cleaning out, and any medication needs.  All information provided is NEVER disclosed or sold to anyone else.

New clients: If you have any questions that need to be answered, please use my on-line Enquiry Form and I will contact you, or you can phone me on 01473 831839 – this can save a lot of time! When you are happy to, we arrange an initial meeting to discuss details further. It would be helpful to know which dates you require before our meeting to know if I am available.

After we have met each other, and if arrangements have been agreed, and you are happy to hire me, I will confirm that I am available for the dates required. I may need a 50% deposit (cleared payment) for a firm booking to be made (depending on the service being provided). Alternatively if you are still deciding or you are waiting for confirmation of your holiday dates, you can contact me after our meeting on 01473 831839, e-mail, text or WhatsApp to request a firm booking and I will advise you then whether I am available for the dates required.

When I have confirmed my availability you are sent a Booking Form as confirmation of a booking and asked to sign it, and this, together with a copy of the Terms & Conditions signed by me on the reverse of the Booking Form, is our contract. Please provide as much notice as possible should you need to cancel the booking. There is no fee for cancelled services at the present time.

Existing clients:  You can either send me an e-mail, text or WhatsApp message or ‘phone me and I will get back to you, according to your preferred method of contact, and tell you if I am available. Before your booking can be confirmed and your Booking Form either e-mailed or posted to you, I may need to receive a 50% deposit payment (depending on the service being provided).

I do advise in most cases that I do not hold your only spare key! You can either hand me the keys to your property at our first meeting or just before the day you go on holiday, or you can leave a key with a neighbour or friend. I can personally hand back your keys when you return from being away or some time shortly afterwards, or I am able to store your spare key permanently until such time as you no longer require my services. Leaving your key in your property on the last day of your holiday may not always be the best course of action because if there is too much of a delay in your return and I have already left your key at your property I will then not be able to re-enter should I need to do so. I am happy to keep a record of any combination to a key safe and collect/deposit your keys for each service period that way.

Clients’ keys are kept in a locked compartment when not in use and I ensure that keys are unidentifiable in the event of loss. I use a tag with a personal ID number on each set of keys I am given so I know which keys belong to which clients. My business insurance covers me for the loss of clients’ keys and new lock/key replacement.

If you think this situation could arise I will ask for certain information from you. I will make every effort to visit or to stay until your return if you request this, although in some cases I may be required at another booking. I will do everything I can to make alternative arrangements with another Sitter or a pre-specified contact of yours if you have one. In most circumstances I will have to charge for any extra time and/or costs involved, but I will use my discretion in some cases.

I stay in your house using your cooking, bathroom facilities and bedroom or other suitable sleeping arrangement as agreed by you. I will maintain your home to the level of cleanliness and tidiness that you require, and abide by your strict instructions including those that refer to any restricted areas in your home. I will respect your wishes to keep living costs to a minimum. I will take phone messages if requested. If you have pets, I feed, groom and exercise them and if permitted will provide extra outings for them. If requested I will carry out other tasks such as light cleaning and light gardening. We agree how much time I can spend away from your property each day if necessary.

You will need to provide adequate provisions for your pets including food, water, any medication, any bedding, dog leads/harnesses, litter, and your pets’ own toys, and treats if allowed. Please provide adequate cleaning materials for spillages and accidents in addition to brush and dustpan and appropriate bin liners. As your live-in House or Pet Sitter I will provide my own food and bed linen. I ask you to provide adequate cooking and bathroom facilities and suitable sleeping arrangements if I stay overnight.

You can tell me beforehand whether or not you decide to be kept informed about your pets and/or your home whilst you are away, and the best way to do this. Options include telephone call, e-mail, text or a WhatsApp message. In the interest of strict security, I do not under any circumstances use Twitter, Facebook or any other form of alternative electronic communication or social media to ”chat” with my clients. We agree before you leave whether or not I need you to contact me just before you arrive home, especially if I need to stay with your pet until you return or if I need to hand over your keys.

I will make every effort to make alternative arrangements with another Sitter or a full refund/credit will be given. If I become ill during service I will arrange for another House or Pet Sitter to carry on from where I leave off, but this will involve you having to abide by the terms and conditions of the alternative Sitter and possibly paying extra fees. You can also provide details beforehand of any person/s you wish to assume responsibility of your house and/or pets should this situation arise.

As your House or Pet Sitter I cannot be held responsible for your pets’ illnesses or loss of your pets through natural or unavoidable causes. I am not responsible for damage to your home which is beyond my control. I am not liable for any loss or damage in the event of a burglary or other crime that should occur.

I will call on your specified vets, or my local vets, to ask for advice in the event of a pet becoming ill or suffering as a result of an accident. They will not make a diagnosis over the phone but they will help me to decide what best action to take if I have any worries, particularly after hours, about the health of any pet. I am insured to take your pet to the vets and will do so in any emergency. I always ask you to give me all the information about your pets’ registered vet and their out-of-hours emergency procedures and clinic information. If you don’t have a vet, then please register with one for your peace of mind, it is free to do this. Some vets will allow you to pay on your return from holiday, otherwise you will be expected to reimburse me of any expenses within 14 days of your return.

It is advisable for you to provide me with details of preferred independent contractors to handle household emergencies including plumbers, electricians and service engineers. This means that you can be assured that in the event of any emergency I will know who to call. You will have to pay for all emergencies outside of my control that involve a fee for call-out and/or repairs, as you would normally do if you yourself had been at the property at the time of the emergency.

No, just remember to include a time slot that is sufficient to cover my time to complete all the tasks required. You must live in Claydon or Barham for 15-minute time slots. Unfortunately, if you live outside the Claydon/Barham area I will have to charge fuel expenses to travel to your home and back and these will be added to the fee for each visit, depending on the type of service being offered. I charge 30p per mile.  Any other expenses incurred during service which are either unavoidable or absolutely necessary to carry out my duties will have to be paid by you within 14 days of your return.  If possible you can inform me in advance of any expenses that you know are going to be necessary during your absence.

Yes, it is possible that I may be able to offer discounts, but only on certain services and this will depend on my work schedule and commitments at the time you request my help. Please use my Enquiry Form to briefly explain your situation and I will see if there’s anything I can do for you with regard to my pricing.