House Rules

Getting House Rules and knowing how to follow them
 
During any house sitting job you will no doubt be give a set of house rules to follow. It’s important that you follow these word for word as the owner will have put a lot of effort and thought into making sure they are correct.

Here are some tips to follow with house rules:

• If you have any doubt about any rules, question the owner before they leave. It may be hard to do this after the owner has left.
• If the owner has put something that you strongly disagree with or don’t think you can do, make it your top priority to let them know. You don’t want to be forced into something you can’t/won’t do.
• Make sure you have a copy of the house sitting rules always on hand. Check back to them regularly so that you know what you are doing at all times.
• If you find yourself in a situation that isn’t present on the rules, bring it to the attention of the owner on your next discussion with them. Only contact them if it’s an emergency situation.
• If your language is different to English, make sure you read the rules before agreeing to them. You may not understand them and realise you don’t until after the owners leave.
• Follow every single rule as it is set out! Don’t assume you can bend a few rules just to make things easier for you.
• If there aren’t rules on there that you think should be, then bring it to the attention of the owner. This could include usage of phones and internet, or even how much of their food you are allowed to have.
• Find out about rules such as what hours you are expected to work and when you are expected to have certain tasks finished. This will make it easier for you to work around and organise your day. Find out when to go to the vet in case of an emergency or about the behavior of pets if you are a house pet sitter.
• Sign a copy of the rules when you are both on agreement with them so that nothing wrong can happen on their return. If you have signed a document and have followed everything they have set out and not broken any rules, they can’t bring something else up when they return.