Why former holiday reps in their 80s love to home and pet sit

Posted on 25 April, 2023

Joseph and Maureen Arnfield from Lancashire both in their 80s are committed professional homesitters.

For the past 23 years they have been travelling the UK and home and pet sitting.

They developed the travel bug when they were in their 60s and after Joseph finished working at an engineering firm they decided to became holiday reps. They spent several summer seasons working for Eurocamp and sister company Keycamp in France, Switzerland and Italy and loved the travelling and the way of life and in the winter, they would home and pet sit.

In 2001, they joined Homesitters Ltd, the leading UK home and pet sitting company, and through them they have completed over 100 assignments over an incredible 2119 days.

When the Arnfield started homesitting, they would spend nine months of the year homesitting and used to look after pets too. However, these days, they prefer fewer assignments – around four to five a year - but each one lasts at least a month and they don’t involve pets.

Today, the couple prefer to look after empty commercial properties that need caretakers to ensure the property is safe and secure.

They also do probate assignments and stay in a home while the legal arrangements are going through and have also done assignments where a house is being renovated and they stay there to provide security and let the builders and workmen in.

Maureen says, “This Christmas we will have been homesitting for 23 years. We love it and in fact wish we had started sooner. We are passionate about travelling and love to explore different places. It also really helps us financially as we are on a basic pension.

“We’ve stayed in lovely places in Dorset, Southport, Cheshire and recently in Malvern in Worcestershire. There we looked after a huge old property with 25 different rooms – we had to keep the place secure, regularly check the rooms, turn on the heating and run the showers to prevent legionnaires disease and to keep the place in good working order.

The Arnfields have also travelled to Scotland and Welshpool in Wales where they stayed in an old, mansion which was like a stately home.

They also did a fabulous assignment in Clapham Common in London where they could spend free time sightseeing in London and visiting places like Battersea Park.

Maureen adds, “We are caretakers, so our role involves regular walks around the property to check everything is secure, including the alarm systems. Some properties are huge, and they are a big responsibility. However, we also have free time to explore so we can get out and about in the local area and visit attractions, including museums and cafes and restaurants.

I love to write and keep a log about our work so it is easy for the next homesitter to pick up the job, but I also journal about great places to visit so when we handover to others they can enjoy our recommendations.”

“Our assignments are never for less than a month because we take so much with us – pots, pans, our bedding, and food. We find that some properties are better equipped than others, so we also go well prepared.”

When the Arnfields are away, their neighbours look after their house to ensure it is secure The neighbours turn on the lights, pull the blinds down in the evenings and park their car in the drive and even put their washing on their line so it always looks like they are at home.

Maureen concludes, “We don’t find homesitting hard work as we love to travel. In fact, for us it was harder during Covid as we had to be at home all the time and we’re delighted to be back on assignment again.

I have given talks at the WI on homesitting and would recommend it to anyone who loves to travel and do something different. You can also make savings on bills while you are on assignment and you get paid for doing it – for us, it’s a great way of life.”

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