We need house sitters for six months starting in early November 2019 for our fully restored 18-19th Century stone house. It is located on the banks of the Canal du Midi at its summit in SW France, midway between the cities of Toulouse and Carcassonne. The house has 3 large reception rooms--- a living room with an efficient wood burning fireplace, a formal dining room, and a den w/ large, flat screen TV, five bedrooms, three bathrooms and a large American style kitchen. The house is centrally heated with an oil burning furnace. Outside, the shaded terrace in front overlooks a canal lock from under a wisteria arbor-breezeway. A sunny terrace at the rear of the house looks out on a swimming pool and large garden with mature trees. We have no pets to care for. Sitters pay no rent but must cover the utilities they use. Sitter applicants will need to be willing to pay for utilities they use. The utility costs for the winter are 500 euros per month which sitters deposit to the bank account which pays all utility bills ("charges" in French) for furnace heating oil, stove butane gas, firewood, water, electricity, telephone line, cable TV, WIFI service, etc. If sitters use less than what they have deposited to the account they are reimbursed by the owners on their return. Sitter(s) will need access to a car and will need to address the car issue as well as their ability to pay for their utilities use..
There is easy shopping at a small supermarket two kilometers away and a very large "hypermarket" 15 km distant. Nearby towns and villages also have weekly markets as well as their own shops. Our area of France is in wine country with many wineries not far away. The area also has many historic sites and picturesque villages. The garden will require some mowing in spring with the house's gas powered tractor mower.