Bringing home owners and house sitters together
Sitter available
Pet and House sitting
Canada
Testimonials
They have 5 testimonials (view below)
Pet experience
Dog(s), Cat(s), Horse/Donkey(s), Chicken(s), Fish, Goat(s) – Love looking after pets
Police check
They don't have a police check
Availability
From: 6 April 2024
Until: 5 April 2026
(see their busy times below)
Occupation
Retired
References
They don't have referees/references
About this sitter
We are a transplanted Scots couple now retired and living in Vancouver. This is our base during the summer months but we often "winter" somewhere in the southern hemisphere, most often New Zealand but often visit Puerto Vallarta. We are fairly well traveled and speak French and German and some Spanish. We are both active with Ian playing both tennis and golf and Rohays limiting herself to golf and yoga.
Why they want to house sit
We like the opportunity of getting to know an area as locals.
We used to have a well loved little terrier who lived until he was eighteen but our lifestyle now, with the traveling we do, is not conducive to having pets and so house sitting, where there are animals, replaces that in part.
Their experience
In 2016 we spent wonderful month house sitting in NZ and have received a testimonial from the owners. At that time, we were responsible for the garden and their animal menagerie (dogs, cats, donkey, goat and chickens). We returned for four days the following year to care for the house and animals while they attended their son's wedding. In 2018, we did a house sit in Sonoma where we looked after a dog, cats, chickens and two horses. We were asked to return but unfortunately covid made travel arrangements impossible. In September 2019, we looked after a large house in St Germain en Laye where the owners had a lovely old labrador. We have also done several house exchanges, all of which have been successful.
What can they bring to the assignment
Ian is an engineer and quite practical! Rohays was a banker.We always aim to look after any property as our own. We have house sitters when we are away and so know how important that is. If the host has a house cleaner, we would be happy to pay for them during our visit. That way, we know that we return the house in the same good order.
For various volunteer charity boards in Vancouver, we have had police checks done albeit that the agencies are not allowed to provide us with copies. In addition to the testimonials, our landlords in New Zealand whose home we rent every year are happy to provide us with references, if required.
Last updated:
10 March 2024
Available to house sit
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, South Pacific, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam
Availability dates
From: 6 April 2024
Until: 5 April 2026
They have indicated that they are busy at the following times:
22 November 2021 to 29 November 2021
Do they charge?
They don't charge for house sitting services
Membership
MindMyHouse member since 2013
Personal details
Age: 66-75 years old
Family status:
Couple
Total sits
Total completed house sits: 4
References
You need to be logged in to see this house sitters' references.
About this house sitter
MindMyHouse member since April 2024
Sitemap
MindMyHouse.com – https://www.mindmyhouse.com/owners/sitter_listing/31668
Testimonials
Wonderful sitters
Rohays & Ian came and stayed at our home in September to look after our elderly dog, cat and ducks. We felt immediately at ease with them from initially speaking over Skype to meeting them in person several weeks later. They are a lovely, warm, friendly couple, easy to get along with and we would not hesitate to recommend them as sitters. We only wish we could have spent more time with them. We felt like we'd known them for years. The house was spotlessly clean when we returned and the animals had obviously not missed us at all! Thank you both, you are welcome here anytime.
Carol, United Kingdom, 22 October, 2023
Great house-sitters
Rohays and Ian stayed with us in October 2019 when we travelled to the Rugby World Cup in Japan. They are from Scotland but now live in Vancouver. We chose them initially because they were calm, pleasant, assured and enthusiastic. They had excellent references. We made all the arrangements easily and they are clearly experienced travellers as they made their way to us via Paris without any problems. They quickly understood how the house worked and what to do to keep the dog and goldfish alive and happy. While we were away they took good care of everything and sent us the occasional message to tell us all was fine. Everything was in perfect order when we returned and Ro had even kindly done a basket full of ironing for us. They are delightful and we recommend them wholeheartedly.
ol, France, 22 November, 2019
High regard for Rohays Reid and Ian Carmichael
This lovely retired couple came to stay at our large vineyard property for a week in June to look after our aging dog, 2 cats, 2 horses, chickens and gardens. Upon receiving my first message from Rohays, I had no doubt that this was the couple we were looking for. After meeting them and spending a full day getting to know one another, showing them the ropes, and sharing a meal, my husband and I felt that they could easily fit right in with our social group. Needless to say, we were very comfortable leaving them in charge... At the time, Ian was temporarily challenged with a cast on his foot, so Roh took responsibility for the more physically demanding chores like walking the dog and feeding/tending the horses - the latter job taking her a bit out of her comfort zone. However, she insisted on familiarizing herself with our horses and their needs becoming quite comfortable and enjoying being around them. We received almost daily email reports and never worried while away. Upon our return, Ian kindly met us at our local airport and at home we found everything (and everyone) just as we left them - tidy, happy, and not having missed us all that much! Thank you again for the welcome home bouquet, Rohays!
Matt and Jody, United States, 09 July, 2018
Rohays and Ian came and looked after our house again during our son's wedding this year. The pets were well cared for and the house was also. As always, Rohays communicates if there is an issue, and they use their initiative to solve any problems that come up. I highly recommend this pleasant and friendly couple.
Pip, New Zealand, 22 June, 2018
Testimonial for Rohays Reid and Ian Carmichael
Rohays and Ian looked after our house, garden and animals for 8 weeks from December to January 2017, They were superb sitters. They kept in communication, and we always knew if there were any issues. They paid the bills, mowed the lawns, looked after our vege garden, and took care of all our animals. They showed particular care to our dog who is now epileptic. When we arrived home the house was immaculate, and it seemed like we had never been away. Rohays even made us a list to give to future house sitters with all the useful information they had picked up over the 8 weeks. Highly recommend.
Pip, New Zealand, 12 April, 2017