Published by M'sitting on : 15/04/2020

Coronavirus COVID-19 and house sitting

The Coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic that we are currently experiencing will change our way of life somewhat for some time to come.

What's the impact on house sitting?

In application of the state of health emergency, travel is banned in most countries and containment is required.
As it is not possible to travel at the moment, tourism is therefore one of the sectors most affected and of course there is no question of house sitting during this period.
This is one of the main precautions to be taken in times of containment.
It is only by complying with the instructions of the various governments that we will be able to emerge from this unprecedented health crisis as quickly as possible.
Before any decision is taken, it is essential to consult the official websites and scrupulously follow their recommendations.
We advise you these few sites:
gov.uk/coronavirus
coronavirus.gov
usa.gov/coronavirus

What if you had planned a trip?

If you fear that you might have to cancel a long planned stay, the most important thing is to communicate between the owner and the house sitter without waiting until the last moment. A dialogue between both parties is necessary in order to find the most suitable solution.
You can agree on the choice of a new date, in which case no problem, the stay is simply postponed.
If you are obliged to cancel, keep in touch to possibly organise another stay together.
Neither party should feel responsible for cancellations or postponements.
It is a case of force majeure, beyond anyone's control. This does not prevent you from appreciating each other and continuing to communicate.
If you had made airline or train reservations, you may be able to get compensation.

At the end of containment?

We can't predict the future with certainty, but we must remain optimistic and tell ourselves "that after the rain, the good weather returns".
After several weeks of confinement and anguish in the face of this poorly controlled virus, everyone will want to return to a normal life, go on holiday and travel.
According to government advice, for the year 2020, it is preferable not to consider a stay abroad. It would be more reasonable for M'sitting members to select owners or house sitters residing in their own country.
You can imagine that after this difficult period, the desire to travel will be great and you will be eager to leave.
You can already plan your future stays. We advise you not to wait until the last moment because you need to take the time to get to know each other, to communicate widely in order to create a climate of trust. This confinement will at least have the advantage of giving you more time to talk to each other.

Conclusion

We suspect that the people who had planned to leave during this period are enormously disappointed.
You had been planning your trip for a long time and were looking forward to it, but unfortunately covid-19 decided otherwise. The most important thing right now is to take care of yourself and your loved ones, to protect yourself and to be patient.
We have to take into account that this situation is fortunately temporary and that in a future that we hope will be quite near, all the members of M'sitting will again be able to benefit from all the advantages of house sitting.
Take care of your health, don't hesitate to contact us if you need to and connect regularly on M'sitting to anticipate your next stays.