Housesitting with pets

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Introducing the hottest trend in travel – the pet au pair.

Favoured by retired couples, singles and young families, a pet au pair cares for pets in exchange for free accommodation in some of the most amazing locations across the country.

Australia's newest housesitting website, Your Home My Home launched in July this year, and has already exchanged 3,500 nights of free accommodation.

"Your Home My Home expands your neighbourhood network, introducing like-minded housesitters with home owners to exchange their homes and services for free," says co-founder Rebecca Nankervis.

As a registered housesitter with Your Home My Home, you have the opportunity to live rent free across Australia. Whilst incredibly popular with would-be first home owners, the site is also favoured by travel lovers looking to explore different parts of the country, renovators who don't want to pay rent or people who love animals and would like a free holiday!

Whatever your circumstances, housesitting assignments provide endless opportunities to immerse yourself in communities in new places.

"If you're looking to retreat to a picturesque acreage, an inner city escape or a beachside getaway, Your Home My Home has an opportunity for you. Within only weeks of launching, we have listings in many desirable places including Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania, South Australia, West Australia," says Nankervis.

So, what's in it for the home owner?

"As a home owner, you can truly immerse yourself in your travels knowing that your home, pets and plants are well cared for by someone you can trust -handpicked and vetted by you," says Nankervis.

"Like humans, animals get used to their familiar surroundings. Leaving your pet in the comforts of their own home means they are less likely to fret while you're away on holidays. Not to mention that boarding kennels can be expensive. Often you need to add on average an additional $50 PER DAY, per animal to your holiday budget.  That could equate to an extra $2,000 if you have two pets boarded while on a two week holiday"

Security is also an important factor for home owners.

"An occupied home deters crime. So much so, some insurance companies will void your policy if the house is left vacant for more than 30 days without prior arrangement," says Nankervis.

Simple and easy to use, Your Home My Home is backed by premium technology and designed to make finding the right carer for your home and pets a hassle free transaction.