We are looking for two self sufficient non-smoking adults (couples, friends, siblings etc but no families/children) who are genuine cat lovers, have some practical experience of property ownership/maintenance and both willing and able to undertake regular basic gardening work (even if it rains!), to take care of our quiet ecological finca with five self-catering rental properties in Southern Spain for 9-10 weeks between late November 2024 to late January 2025 inclusive.
The key points are:
* CATS: care of our lovely cats some who choose to live in the same property as the sitters over Winter, offering plenty of love and affection as family pets - as well as capable of managing any ill health including taking them to the local vet, giving basic medication etc if required. While our cats are usually outdoor cats for much of the warmer months, they love human company so a catflap is provided to allow them to come and go from the house day and night during these housesitting weeks as they please. We also take care of some of the local farm cats during Winter with regular feeding (as well as neutering with the support of a local vet) who may visit regularly or only once a week or so - so all the cats are fed together in two locations on the finca both morning and evening, not in the sitter's house as for the rest of the year it is a rental property. (All cat food etc is provided.)
* GARDENS: we are an organic finca so most of the work will be very basic gardening to keep everything managed, mainly regular general tidying up of the areas around the houses which needs to be done on a regular basis throughout the week particularly around the houses, eg raking up/sweeping leaves, sweeping property and pool patios and main paths, some weeding of pots and flowerbeds, paths, watering pots and beds during drier periods etc. However, the vast majority of the finca is left natural, while larger jobs such as cleaning palms, strimming & mowing of lawns etc are managed by a local person or company - we only ask that you inform us of issues so they can be dealt with quickly eg fallen branch.
* PROPERTIES: there are five holiday rental properties on the finca, including our original family home we offer to sitters – we rarely have bookings during the Winter Months, but if we do these will be managed entirely separately by our professional cleaning company and caretaker (although you might need to change a gas bottle as we do not have mains gas). Therefore, as the other properties will usually remain unoccupied for the full period of time, they will need to be checked every morning and evening to ensure they remain secure, watertight etc - as well as aired on all sunny days or heated during colder and damper periods, to keep them feeling fresh and dry depending on the weather. Any issue needs to be reported immediately, so while minor domestic issues probably can then be managed by a housesitter as they would in any home, anything else will be dealt with by local builders, plumber, electrician etc.
- During the quiet Winter months, general annual maintenance and routine safety checks will also be carried out inside and out all the houses, using local professionals we have worked with for many years and managed by ourselves or our caretaker including in person if needed - which is not the responsibility of the housesitters. However, the seasonal part-time caretaker's Winter hours are very flexible, so they are not around for periods at a time. Therefore, at least one housesitter will usually need to be on the finca for some time every day and every night as a visible presence/occupant for our insurance, as well as be available to accept deliveries and let any third party in and out of the gate when required (which are locked with codes for access) to ensure that everything is safe and secure at the end of each day (with no cats shut into houses!). Housesitters are not expected to be involved any of this general maintance work, unless extra pair of hands are required to deal with an urgent issue.
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A basic understanding of Spanish as well as an enjoyment of a quiet rural life would be an ideal fit, as sitters are required to be on the finca most days and also every night for our insurance - having a car for the duration of the housesit is also essential due to our location with very limited public transport, both to access shops & explore the local area etc as well as take any cat to the vet if needed. The Wifi is good for those who want to work from home or stay in touch including streaming films via Netflix etc (via your own account as we only offer freeview TV), but it is not the fastest speed you will find in urban areas. However, there is great 3G and 4G mobile coverage.
If you are interested, please let us know! Arrival and departure dates can be a little flexible by a couple of days either side, as we arrange to be there in person for a handover at each end of the stay.