House sitter, house minder and home swapping. All now common terms regarding people living in or looking after each others houses. No renting or paying for holiday accommodation

There are a number of ways to do this.

House Swap where one swaps ones house or apartment with another. You or you and your family enter into an agreement with another to stay in their house for a period of time. The Person or persons who you swap with for the agreed time will come and live in your house. There you have it, free accommodation for your stay.

House sitting on the other hand is different again. The house sitter will live in your house while you are away. The house sitter is obliged to care for your house as if it were their own. The house sitting includes care of animals, garden maintenance and forwarding of mail if required.

House sitting can be either a short term stay of a week or anything up to a year or longer. If you are sick of paying rent, trying to save for your own home or a holiday, why not look at house sitting. Looking after someones home and pets while having a change of scenery can be an excellent way. If you do have a number of pets then getting a house sitter is a great option. Not only do your pets benefit from less stress. You will save possibly hundreds of dollars by not having to pay boarding fees.

House sitting can be a free service, you get free accommodation in return for looking after the property. Or some house sitters may charge a nominal fee. There are no rules to say how much a house sitter should or should not charge. If there are any fees this will be discussed between the sitter and the property owner. Agencies who link up home owners with each other or act as a go between or directory will charge a registration fee.

The idea of a House swap can be very appealing for a family vacation. Holiday accommodation for a family can be the most expensive part of the whole trip. The home swap offers excellent value. Homes are fully furnished with everything you could need available. There are thousands of successful home swaps happening throughout the world each year. Once you have tried it you may never have to pay for holiday accommodation ever again.