Kind, Caring & Clean Housesitter

More information about this house sitter

Hi House & Pet owners 😀👋🏼

My name is Niki and I have been a house sitter on the Mindahome website since March 2021. During this time I have completed over 40 house/pet sits including 3-4 x repeats & amassing 15 Five Star ⭐️ reviews on “Mindahome”. I am also now a regular sitter for 15-20 of my previous home owners, who have asked me back 3-4 times & have become close to me like family 🥰🥰 I also completed house sits with references on “The House Sitters” website, which I have been a member of since Sept 2019. Some of my lovely regular home owners are also happy to be phone referees as well 😄🥰 I also have my own house sitting business & Facebook page called “Kindly House & Petsitting” which you can google & watch my pet videos from previous house sits if you are interested 😄

I am mainly a dog 🐶 cat 🐈 & horse 🐴 lover, and don’t mind goldfish 🐠, birds 🦜, ducks, chickens, parrots, etc.I otherwise haven’t had much experience with other furry pets. Although Guinea pigs & rabbits 🐇 should be ok (as long as you have clear instructions 😌) Unfortunately I am not fond of reptiles, amphibians or insects, so won’t take those house sits sorry.
I am a non smoker 🚭,health conscious 🥗 🏃🏽‍♀️‍➡️, and very responsible and trustworthy. I am also meticulously clean 🧽 and tidy as I prefer to clean as I go, on a daily basis. I treat all pets with loving kindness 🥰 and value everything left in my care 💝. I also ask owners how they would like their pets & property cared for, including giving pets medications,💊 grooming & bathing 🛁 🐶dogs. I also send regular videos and updates to owners about their pet while they are away to give them peace of mind & so they can see how their pet is getting along 🥰 Most of my lovely owners appreciate the videos of their darling pets 🥰😀 I will also contact owners if any issues arise that are of serious concern. If not serious, I will try to resolve it & just let owners know.
I also should let you know 🤔 I have had to sell my car ❌ 🚘 unfortunately, so I am only using public transport 🚍🚊to get to my house sits for now. This has actually worked out cheaper 👏😀 & better. Although I can only accept house sits that are with in walking distance from public transport sorry. Therefore remote or rural house sits won’t work (unless owners are ok to pick me up from the nearest train station & drop me off at the end of house sit) If not, then my apologies I wont be able to house sit for you sorry 😕.

I am happy to do any reasonable jobs around the house including:
-collecting & receiving deliveries/packages & bringing in mail 📬📦I also take photos of deliveries/packages & send photos to homeowners so they can keep track of them etc. .
Other tasks I do include:
-watering plants 🪴
- watering reasonably sized gardens
-raking leaves 🍂
-maintaining pools (netting leaves, cleaning filter etc (During my induction please show me all plants & gardens you need watered & where hoses & watering cans are located & if you have a pool, please instruct me on what pool care you need thank you)
-if lawns need mowing while you are away & you have a very large property/huge back yard with a petrol operated lawnmower, can you please organise a gardener, thank you. Although if you have a medium-small sized grass area front & back of house & you have an easy to operate electric battery mower🔋 then I should be ok to mow the lawns, thank you. Also if you can get lawns done the day before your house sit starts? That would be very appreciated thank you. During my visit or video call is when you can please show & instruct me on all of these tasks thank you.

Note: I also ask kindly if you could please consider doing the following:
-Can you please leave your home in a clean & tidy condition before I arrive for the start of house sit thank you 😄 The house doesn’t have to be perfect, but everything tidied away would be much appreciated thank you. Although no pressure with the home visit as I understand you’ll be busy etc.

-Please also provide enough pet food for the entire length of the house sit, It is easier to measure accurately how much pet food is needed, however if pet food runs out, I will let you know so you can order what is needed thank you. Also many pet owners cook meals for their pets, so if all the meals are already prepped & cooked? I am happy just heat them up in the microwave for the dogs etc.

-If you have food or drinks that are “off limits” please feel free to pack anything away & let me know during my induction home visit or video call please thank you.

-Please ensure there will be no other persons staying at your house or that you will not come back to stay during the confirmed dates of your house sit. However if this arrangement is included in your house sit, please let me know upfront, although I apologies that I am not the right sitter for you sorry.

-Also just so you are aware, random visitors to your property while I am there will be considered suspicious sorry 😆 So therefore can you please mention whether any (family, friends or service people) who will be entering your property while I am there. Also their reason for coming and what day and time I should expect them. It may also be helpful to include their contacts, so I can organise their coming & goings from your property as well. Can you also ensure that all people servicing your property will behave appropriately with regards to their communication with me & their conduct while on your property. If they do not, I will let them know up front & I will let owners know immediately, thank you.

-Most Importantly: Can you please leave clear instructions in your house-sitter notes for giving the pet food & any medication to your pets.
-For e.g Please include which food, how much & when to feed your pets.
- If pets need medication, please write & give me clear instructions of how to administer medication & please make sure there is enough for the entire house sit thank you.
Also during my visit or video call, please give full details on any dietary or medical/health conditions your pet may have, thank you.

-If dogs need walking, please let me know in my induction, & on your house sitter notes, how often & the length of time to walk dogs & where dog leashes & poo bags are kept thank you. Also if I’m new to the area, maps & information about your dogs usual walks & activities would also be helpful & appreciated thank you.

-Please include your pets sleeping & toileting arrangements.( by showing me where Kitty litter boxes are, & areas where your dogs poo etc) Please also include the areas that are allowed or off limits for your pet.
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-Please feel free to lock areas you do not want me entering as well & let me know during my induction or on the house sitter notes so I am able to respect your boundaries. Thank You.

-Although owners will run me through ALL of these on my induction, I would appreciate all the “main tasks” written down, so I can refer back to them please thank you 🙏 😌 Especially thank you to those who had (typed up, bullet point, laminated house sit manuals with everything, I need to know 😄 including photos of their pets & their names 😆😆 Well done! 👏👏 This makes everything so much easier.

During my induction home visit or video call, can you please give clear instructions for operating house hold appliances & technology IF they are complex & NOT straight forward please. For e.g Aircon, Washing Machine, Dishwasher, Stove & Oven, Microwave, Coffee Machine & TV remotes etc. I also prefer NOT to use home owners computers & Laptops, so no worries about those.
After many house sits, I am familiar with operating “most brands” now. So once I see your appliances etc, I’ll let you know if I’m ok with it. Although some of the newest technology I will need a demonstration please. Thank you.

Also please instruct me on areas around your home & property that I will need to take “extra” care with please. For e.g opening doors/ windows or operating appliances that are fragile or tricky.

-On the House sitter notes, please also include your contact phone numbers, & “WhatsApp” as well please. This has been the most preferred & easiest form of communication, especially if you are travelling overseas.

-In case of emergencies & if I am unable to reach you, please include the contact number/numbers of a nominated (family, friend or neighbour) who will be my “emergency contact person” in regards to your pet & property. Can you please let them know that I "may" call them in an emergency during your house sit.

- Please also include your vet contact number & address thank you.

-If you are on good terms with your neighbours, please inform them, that I will be house sitting for you during your dates.

-If you have had serious issues or concerns with any neighbors, including excessive noise or problems with crime in your neighborhood, please let me know during my induction. Also knowing what security cameras, security screens, & alarms you have, would be greatly appreciated. Also In regards to security cameras (if you have external or internal security cameras outside or inside your home? You must be honest & up front about this on your home owners profile. Any internal cameras found inside your home “that have NOT been mentioned in your home owners profile, are breaking the Mindahome rules & you may be at risk of being reported to Mindahome Admin, unless you are able sort out a solution with the house sitter. Also knowing full well that house sitters will be staying in your home, any hidden cameras found in personal spaces (ie bedrooms, bathrooms, toilets etc) are illegal & may be reported to the police. So please be mindful of this. If you CANT trust having house sitters in your home? Then simply find another option to care for your pets, thank you.

-Please include your wifi password thank you.

-Please also include what day to put rubbish bins out & please show me where these are kept during my induction thank you.

-If your pets are rescues or have behavioral issues: Can you please give me the full details.I don’t mind if your pets have these behaviors 😌. However I would appreciate knowing what to expect, so I can care for your pets as safely & sufficiently as I can thank you.

Pets behaviors For eg may include:
(Dogs) nipping, unsociable, separation anxiety, lunging & barking at other dogs while out on walks, incessant barking, obsessions, peeing inside, timidity, chewing on things, fear of storms etc (Cats) Hissing, scratching, biting, hiding, indoors only etc.

In regards to confirming house sits, I will not cancel with owners (once I have confirmed & committed to their house sit) unless the owner or myself absolutely needs to cancel for some legitimate reason. ie (owners) cancelled holiday etc or (myself) serious illness, or death of my close family or friend etc.
-If you need to cancel, or change your mind & choose another sitter that is absolutely fine & not a problem. Although I would appreciate knowing well in advance of your house sit start date please. Preferably not the day before, Thank You.

Before confirming a (first time) house sit, I prefer to meet owners & their pets in person at their home or on a video call first please. You may want to see, if I am the right fit for your pets & home as well 🤔😀.
-For home & pet owners who are located OUTSIDE of the current area or city I am in at the time of our first contact, I usually do a video call on WhatsApp if that is ok please. Otherwise if I am in the same city & able to travel there?, I am happy to do an in house visit & a meet & greet with home owners & pets.

-After my initial visit/video call, and if you are happy to have me as your sitter, you may send me an "invite to accept" your house sit on the Mindahome confirmation system. Once I accept your house sit on the website, your house sit is "definitely" confirmed. My apologies in advance, but a “verbal agreement” during my induction will not confirm the house sit sorry. Your house sit is fully confirmed once the invite is sent on Mindahome & I have accepted it through the Mindahome messaging system. This also allows time for both myself & homeowners to go away & think about it first, before agreeing to the house sit. It also gives either of us a chance to decline if we need to. Also Unless you are a home & pet owner I have previously sat for, I do not confirm house sits (via txt or messaging on Mindahome) prior to meeting any new owners sorry.

-Could you please keep your options open when finding a sitter? Just in case after my initial visit/video call, one or both of us decides that I am not the right sitter for you.
Also if you are already meeting with a number of sitters, can you please let me know this upfront & that you will get back to me once you have met all of them? I will also let you know well in advance, if I need to cancel before or after my initial visit as well. Although once your house sit is accepted by me (on the Mindahome website) that means I have chosen you & I will not be cancelling,(unless I have serious & legitimate reasons to cancel) If this is the case, I will let you know well in advance, thank you.

-I also need to note: that the dates you give me for your holiday, are the dates I’m expecting you to leave & return please. If your return date changes & you are arriving back later or earlier, can you please let me know well in advance thank you.
- I also do not “expect” to stay on after you arrive home a day or so early, but I am grateful to those lovely home owners who let me stay (because they arrived back from their holiday earlier than scheduled). I also enjoy getting to know the owners better too.

Overall I have enjoyed looking after the gorgeous pets I have sat for so far. I do become quite attached to the darling pets I care for & I miss them very much after I leave 🥰🥰🤗🤗 I have enjoyed meeting & getting to know so many lovely, generous & interesting pet owners as well.

I would like to thank all of my previous “house & pet owners” firstly for trusting me with your precious pets & home & having me as your house sitter.👏🥰 Also a huge thank you to those lovely home & pet owners. who gave me 5 star ⭐️ reviews & those who gave me amazing phone references. Wow!! I’m so grateful 😄 Also thank you to all the wonderful & generous owners 🥰who left me a clean house (most appreciated) gifts, money, flowers, chocolates, wine, & even brought me groceries wow!! 😲👏😀 Also who let me help myself to anything. This makes me feel so appreciated & more than happy to come back & sit for you again.

About me, I have lived in Brisbane for 17 years, since Christmas 2008. Prior to house sitting full time, I worked as a Nanny/House Manager/P.A, a Singing Teacher, an Admin/Office Manager, an Entertainer for Aged Care. I am currently a full time house sitter, who is also a singer songwriter, (but not currently in the music industry yet)

Back in 2004-2005 I was a professional singer/songwriter in the music industry in my home country NZ 😆 You can Google my singing career under my name: “Niki Ahu”. Since living in Brisbane, I have been song writing for the past few years & recently found a really good Australian producer. I just need investors now as producing music is not cheap 😆😝.
In 2006-2007 I traveled throughout the U.K & U.S in a music/performing arts group. My hobbies include, song writing, playing live music, house design & interiors, travelling, exercise, eating & cooking healthy food, family get togethers, camping, picnics on the beach, and going out for coffee at great cafes/restaurants with close friends & family.

I also enjoy putting owners at ease when they go away, then making them happy when they come home to a clean house & happy pets. If you think I might be a great fit for your home & pet, feel free to message me or check my calendar to see if I am available. I look forward to hearing from you 😄. Read more...