Vanessa & Ian
Vanessa & Ian
Professional full time house sitters with years of experience - let us care for your home and pets
About Vanessa & Ian
SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCE: Over 40 sits all with 5* Reviews, long or short term; all animal care including rescue pets and young and old; luxury property care; remote off-grid living; water management, solar, swimming pool and garden maintenance; tropical living; countryside living, UK and Australian Citizenship.
House sitting is our full time w...
SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCE: Over 40 sits all with 5* Reviews, long or short term; all animal care including rescue pets and young and old; luxury property care; remote off-grid living; water management, solar, swimming pool and garden maintenance; tropical living; countryside living, UK and Australian Citizenship.
House sitting is our full time way of life. Happy, relaxed, financially independent and positively motivated. We're also friendly, reliable and extremely trustworthy. Most importantly, your pets will love having us around to play with!
Now semi retired, we've organized our lives to enjoy an active location-independent life. Our occasional part time remote work involves publishing an online magazine for the house sitting community. This means we are home as much of the time that is needed, to give your pets as much love and attention as they deserve.
In our 50's, we are fit and active non smokers. We enjoy long walks, hikes and leisurely cycling. Daily exercise is part of our routine, so we love the company of active pets. But for those who are more relaxed or too old for exercise, we always have plenty of time to devote to play. love and cuddles.
We value our freedom lifestyle, but we also get a great deal of satisfaction helping you enjoy a stress free travel experience. House sitting is something we're passionate about, and as home owners who've used sitters ourselves, we know the reassurance you get knowing your home, and your pets are being cared for and loved while you're away. We want to help make that process run as smoothly as possible.
We have excellent references from our house sitting assignments all around the world. Our last property ownership was an off-grid (self-build) house on a small mangrove island in Panama, so we are versed in looking after remote off-grid properties and maintaining solar and other systems.
Why we want to house sit
We find the process of being able to exchange services based around trust and respect, extremely rewarding. And while house sitting allows us to travel and experience different cultures and countries around the world, with the company of pets, we love that we can help you enjoy your travel experiences too.
Travel and house sitting are two very different parts of our lifestyle. When we are travelling we do not house sit. When we house sit we use this time to catch up with our part time work, visiting local sights and generally enjoying our time with your pets, making sure their favorite walks and play times are continued without change.
We love travel and we love animals, both having owned dogs, cats and chickens, and we miss having those pets around us. So caring for your pets is the aspect of house sitting we most enjoy. You can be sure your pets will be cared for and loved throughout our stay, with as little disruption to their normal daily routines as possible.
You get a professional house and pet sitting service all the time you are away with status reports as often as you'd like. We'll also send pictures and updates to provide as much reassurance as you need. And when you return your house and garden will be just as you left it - we guarantee it will be well looked after.
Our experience
We're comfortable with all breeds, sizes and ages of dogs and have experience of administering insulin injections. Ian cared for and trained a team of 20 Alaskan Huskies so can deal confidently with more dominant or willful pet personalities!
Both of us are a little soppy about cats too, but equally fine with snakes, reptiles and other small critters. We particularly like chickens and not just for their eggs. We raised our own brood from chicks which was extremely rewarding! Hobby farms with sheep, pigs and goats are fine too. This year we've learned more about looking after ponies and horses and have 3 sits under our belts - which have included feeding, grooming, changing rugs, cleaning hooves, and making up hay bales. We do like to know there's an expert on hand though if anything were to go wrong as we aren't equine experts.
Having owned numerous houses and handled renovation projects in countries such as Panama, Spain, France, Australia, Canada and the UK, we're very aware of how to deal with general home and land maintenance issues that might arise in your absence.
Our previous island life means we can expertly manage off-grid properties in remote locations where water management is crucial. We also have a lot of experience of caring for luxury residences with pools and land and have excellent boat handling skills. Vanessa is also pretty good at growing vegetables, and has tended almond groves in Spain. We have also house sat olive groves in Australia and Andalusia, Spain.
We have provided accommodation through B&B and rental properties in the UK, Spain and France so we're qualified enough to look after your small to medium holiday rental property while you take a relaxing vacation. We have owned our own businesses and are very comfortable with managing staff and out of season maintenance projects. We speak reasonable Spanish and enough French to get by.
We've coped with forest fires in Australia, and a Category 5 cyclone in Fiji which involved securing the property, evacuating with two dogs, and the subsequent clean-up. We think we can now deal with almost anything house sitting has to throw at us :)
House sitting is all about trust and we really do appreciate this. Our standards of professionalism and cleanliness are high and we aim to provide a service that goes above and beyond the norm. Your property will always be returned fully cleaned and refreshed so that you can slip back into your own routine as quickly as possible.
We have our own website that shows all our sits across all the platforms we've used:
https://LongTermHouseSitters.com
You can view all our skills and abilities in more detail. You'll also find all our excellent references and a link to our introductory video.
We hope this will give you a greater insight into us as a couple and answer many of the questions you may have about us at this initial stage. However, we always welcome a video chat too to get to know you more and answer any questions you might have. We hope to chat with you more soon!
Reviews (46)
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Sarah - Herongate, United Kingdom
22 March - 25 March 2019
Cannot recommend Vanessa and Ian enough Extremely professional but also extremely friendly and relaxed .
The doggies were happy so we were happy !
Would not hesitate to have them any time ! We are already looking to book future dates with them !
Sarah & ChrisCannot recommend Vanessa and Ian enough Extremely professional but also extremely friendly and relaxed .
The doggies were happy so we were happy !
Would not hesitate to have them any time ! We are already looking to book future dates with them !
Sarah & Chris -
Belinda - Nutley, United Kingdom
13 March - 21 March 2019
Vanessa and Ian were just the best sitters ever! I can't find anything to say against them - reliable, organised, excellent communicators, neat and tidy, and the dogs LOVED them, particularly our elderly Border Terrier. If Vanessa and Ian were free, I would ask them again and again to come back t...
Vanessa and Ian were just the best sitters ever! I can't find anything to say against them - reliable, organised, excellent communicators, neat and tidy, and the dogs LOVED them, particularly our elderly Border Terrier. If Vanessa and Ian were free, I would ask them again and again to come back to us, as they are absolutely what my dream team house sitters would be.
- Organised
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- Reliable
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- Self-sufficient
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- Tidy
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- Pet care
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Wendy - Feckenham, United Kingdom
10 March - 12 March 2019
On this occasion we had to leave before Ian and Vanessa arrived but we needn't have worried as everything was fine. Once again the house and animals were looked after as we would do ourselves and we felt so confident and comfortable knowing Vanessa and Ian were sitting for us. There was handover ...
On this occasion we had to leave before Ian and Vanessa arrived but we needn't have worried as everything was fine. Once again the house and animals were looked after as we would do ourselves and we felt so confident and comfortable knowing Vanessa and Ian were sitting for us. There was handover to some friends midweek and they said the house had been left beautifully tidy and clean. Again I cannot recommend them highly enough.Many thanksWendy and Mark
- Organised
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- Reliable
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- Self-sufficient
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- Tidy
-
- Pet care
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About Vanessa & Ian
SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCE: Over 40 sits all with 5* Reviews, long or short term; all animal care including rescue pets and young and old; luxury property care; remote off-grid living; water management, solar, swimming pool and garden maintenance; tropical living; countryside living, UK and Australian Citizenship.
House sitting is our full time way of life. Happy, relaxed, financially independent and positively motivated. We're also friendly, reliable and extremely trustworthy. Most importantly, your pets will love having us around to play with!
Now semi retired, we've organized our lives to enjoy an active location-independent life. Our occasional part time remote work involves publishing an online magazine for the house sitting community. This means we are home as much of the time that is needed, to give your pets as much love and attention as they deserve.
In our 50's, we are f......
SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCE: Over 40 sits all with 5* Reviews, long or short term; all animal care including rescue pets and young and old; luxury property care; remote off-grid living; water management, solar, swimming pool and garden maintenance; tropical living; countryside living, UK and Australian Citizenship.
House sitting is our full time way of life. Happy, relaxed, financially independent and positively motivated. We're also friendly, reliable and extremely trustworthy. Most importantly, your pets will love having us around to play with!
Now semi retired, we've organized our lives to enjoy an active location-independent life. Our occasional part time remote work involves publishing an online magazine for the house sitting community. This means we are home as much of the time that is needed, to give your pets as much love and attention as they deserve.
In our 50's, we are fit and active non smokers. We enjoy long walks, hikes and leisurely cycling. Daily exercise is part of our routine, so we love the company of active pets. But for those who are more relaxed or too old for exercise, we always have plenty of time to devote to play. love and cuddles.
We value our freedom lifestyle, but we also get a great deal of satisfaction helping you enjoy a stress free travel experience. House sitting is something we're passionate about, and as home owners who've used sitters ourselves, we know the reassurance you get knowing your home, and your pets are being cared for and loved while you're away. We want to help make that process run as smoothly as possible.
We have excellent references from our house sitting assignments all around the world. Our last property ownership was an off-grid (self-build) house on a small mangrove island in Panama, so we are versed in looking after remote off-grid properties and maintaining solar and other systems.
Why we want to house sit
We find the process of being able to exchange services based around trust and respect, extremely rewarding. And while house sitting allows us to travel and experience different cultures and countries around the world, with the company of pets, we love that we can help you enjoy your travel experiences too.
Travel and house sitting are two very different parts of our lifestyle. When we are travelling we do not house sit. When we house sit we use this time to catch up with our part time work, visiting local sights and generally enjoying our time with your pets, making sure their favorite walks and play times are continued without change.
We love travel and we love animals, both having owned dogs, cats and chickens, and we miss having those pets around us. So caring for your pets is the aspect of house sitting we most enjoy. You can be sure your pets will be cared for and loved throughout our stay, with as little disruption to their normal daily routines as possible.
You get a professional house and pet sitting service all the time you are away with status reports as often as you'd like. We'll also send pictures and updates to provide as much reassurance as you need. And when you return your house and garden will be just as you left it - we guarantee it will be well looked after.
Our experience
We're comfortable with all breeds, sizes and ages of dogs and have experience of administering insulin injections. Ian cared for and trained a team of 20 Alaskan Huskies so can deal confidently with more dominant or willful pet personalities!
Both of us are a little soppy about cats too, but equally fine with snakes, reptiles and other small critters. We particularly like chickens and not just for their eggs. We raised our own brood from chicks which was extremely rewarding! Hobby farms with sheep, pigs and goats are fine too. This year we've learned more about looking after ponies and horses and have 3 sits under our belts - which have included feeding, grooming, changing rugs, cleaning hooves, and making up hay bales. We do like to know there's an expert on hand though if anything were to go wrong as we aren't equine experts.
Having owned numerous houses and handled renovation projects in countries such as Panama, Spain, France, Australia, Canada and the UK, we're very aware of how to deal with general home and land maintenance issues that might arise in your absence.
Our previous island life means we can expertly manage off-grid properties in remote locations where water management is crucial. We also have a lot of experience of caring for luxury residences with pools and land and have excellent boat handling skills. Vanessa is also pretty good at growing vegetables, and has tended almond groves in Spain. We have also house sat olive groves in Australia and Andalusia, Spain.
We have provided accommodation through B&B and rental properties in the UK, Spain and France so we're qualified enough to look after your small to medium holiday rental property while you take a relaxing vacation. We have owned our own businesses and are very comfortable with managing staff and out of season maintenance projects. We speak reasonable Spanish and enough French to get by.
We've coped with forest fires in Australia, and a Category 5 cyclone in Fiji which involved securing the property, evacuating with two dogs, and the subsequent clean-up. We think we can now deal with almost anything house sitting has to throw at us :)
House sitting is all about trust and we really do appreciate this. Our standards of professionalism and cleanliness are high and we aim to provide a service that goes above and beyond the norm. Your property will always be returned fully cleaned and refreshed so that you can slip back into your own routine as quickly as possible.
We have our own website that shows all our sits across all the platforms we've used:
https://LongTermHouseSitters.com
You can view all our skills and abilities in more detail. You'll also find all our excellent references and a link to our introductory video.
We hope this will give you a greater insight into us as a couple and answer many of the questions you may have about us at this initial stage. However, we always welcome a video chat too to get to know you more and answer any questions you might have. We hope to chat with you more soon!
Verifications
Verification level
Standard level
Email Address, Phone Number, External references (6), Identity
All Standard Verification checks are carried out by a specialist 3rd Party
Animal Care Experience
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Dogs
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Cats
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Reptiles
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Horses
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Fish
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Poultry
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Farm animals
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Bird
Availability
Preferred Countries
Profile Details
Age
Occupation
Travelling as a
Previous house sitting experience
Member benefits
Member since
House & pet sitting timeline
Vanessa and Ian have done 46 house sits since 2015
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HerongateUnited KingdomMar 2019
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NutleyUnited KingdomMar 2019 -
FeckenhamUnited KingdomMar 2019 -
BirminghamUnited KingdomMar 2019 -
CardiffUnited KingdomFeb - Mar 2019 -
BranscombeUnited KingdomFeb 2019 -
Croyde BayUnited KingdomFeb 2019 -
BirminghamUnited KingdomFeb 2019
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Great DunmowUnited KingdomJan - Feb 2019 -
MalmesburyUnited KingdomJan 2019 -
LeedsUnited KingdomJan 2019 -
BathUnited KingdomJan 2019 -
FarnhamUnited KingdomJan 2019 -
BathUnited KingdomDec 2018 - Jan 2019
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ChelseaUnited KingdomDec 2018 -
Bury St EdmundsUnited KingdomDec 2018 -
Bury St EdmundsUnited KingdomDec 2018
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FramlinghamUnited KingdomDec 2018 -
CheadleUnited KingdomDec 2018 -
LymmUnited KingdomNov - Dec 2018 -
FeckenhamUnited KingdomNov 2018
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BangorUnited KingdomNov 2018 -
Fuentes de CesnaSpainNov 2018 -
MalmesburyUnited KingdomNov 2018
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FarnhamUnited KingdomOct - Nov 2018
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PortisheadUnited KingdomOct - Nov 2018 -
NewburyUnited KingdomOct 2018 -
UppinghamUnited KingdomOct 2018 -
Bury St EdmundsUnited KingdomOct 2018
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BerkhamstedUnited KingdomOct 2018 -
CardiffUnited KingdomSep 2018 -
BangorUnited KingdomSep 2018
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GravesendUnited KingdomSep 2018 -
KirklingtonUnited KingdomAug - Sep 2018 -
FromeUnited KingdomApr 2018 -
BrattonUnited KingdomApr 2018 -
AlbanyAustraliaFeb - Mar 2018 -
East Victoria ParkAustraliaJan 2018 -
GravesendUnited KingdomNov - Dec 2017
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MatlockUnited KingdomNov 2017 -
FrodshamUnited KingdomNov 2017 -
San Miguel de AllendeMexicoJul - Aug 2016 -
KingsbridgeUnited KingdomJun 2016 -
DroxfordUnited KingdomMay - Jun 2016 -
East Victoria ParkAustraliaMay 2016
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DuncraigAustraliaMar - Apr 2016
