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Sitter available

Rutger & Karine a conscientious, caretaking, creative, handy and "DIY"-minded couple

Belgium

Testimonials

They have 3 testimonials (view below)

Pet experience

Dog(s), Cat(s), Chicken(s), Bird(s), Fish

Police check

They have a police check

Availability

From: 24 April 2024
Until: 30 April 2027

Occupation

Employer

References

They don't have referees/references

About this sitter

We have 2 longterm and 1 shortterm housesitter experiences and they all were a bull’s-eye. What started 2 times as an engagement for 3 months, ended the first time –on demand of the owners- up in 5 months and the second time, it lasted for 8 months. It were big houses, surrounded by nature, in a nearly remote setting. We took care for the huge garden with lots of fruits. The first sit had also 3 furies, Flossy – Sandy – Spooky and the second a large swimming pool.
We’re a married couple of 62, without kids. Because we like travelling, we sold our house in the countryside with ecological (vegetable-) garden and gave our cat, fish and bird a definitive new home at friend's houses. It wasn't pleasant for them and us to separate while we were away. That was some years ago and by that time, we didn't know about house- and petsitters via internetsites. So now we discovered housesitting, it’s a great way to explore new sceneries & people and petsit at the same time.
We love the countryside as well as the city life. But because our daily living is in a bustling city, we like to find a housesit in a peaceful environment to relax our minds and energize our bodies. In our free time we prefer being in nature, reading a book, making some music or paintings.
After a pause because of Covid and doing some traveling, we're in for a new housesit experience.
We hope that you’re the next owner to whom we can be a “highly recommended and trusted” housesitter.

Why they want to house sit

We have 2 longterm and 1 shortterm housesitter experiences and they all were a bull’s-eye. What started 2 times as an engagement for 3 months, ended the first time –on demand of the owners- up in 5 months and the second time, it lasted for 8 months. It were big houses, surrounded by nature, in a nearly remote setting. We took care for the huge garden with lots of fruits. The first sit had also 3 furies, Flossy – Sandy – Spooky and the second a large swimming pool.
We’re a married couple of 62, without kids. Because we like travelling, we sold our house in the countryside with ecological (vegetable-) garden and gave our cat, fish and bird a definitive new home at friend's houses. It wasn't pleasant for them and us to separate while we were away. That was some years ago and by that time, we didn't know about house- and petsitters via internetsites. So now we discovered housesitting, it’s a great way to explore new sceneries & people and petsit at the same time.
We love the countryside as well as the city life. But because our daily living is in a bustling city, we like to find a housesit in a peaceful environment to relax our minds and energize our bodies. In our free time we prefer being in nature, reading a book, making some music or paintings.
After a pause because of Covid and doing some traveling, we're in for a new housesit experience.
We hope that you’re the next owner to whom we can be a “highly recommended and trusted” housesitter.

Their experience

We had a longterm housesit from 5 months in 2018 (Portugal-Algarve) - a longterm housesit from 8 months in 2019-2020 (France-Ariège) - a shortterm housesit from 2 weeks in 2021 (France-Pyrenées-Orientales). See also testimonials.
Before that, we did locally house- and petsitting while neighbours or friends were on holiday. We had pets from our own until we moved and started travelling.

What can they bring to the assignment

Our complete and conscientious engagement.
We speak Dutch, English, French, German and some Spanish.
As long as we're housesitting in Europe, we bring our own car.

Available to house sit

Africa, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Caribbean, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, North East Asia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South East Asia, South Pacific, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vietnam

Availability dates

From: 24 April 2024
Until: 30 April 2027

Do they charge?

They don't charge for house sitting services

Membership

MindMyHouse member since 2018

Personal details

Age: 56-65 years old
Family status: Couple

Total sits

Total completed house sits: 3

Testimonials

Lovely couple to look after your house and pets

Karine and Rutger looked after our golden retriever and house for 2 weeks during the Christmas holidays It was our first experience with house sitters and we have been so lucky We cannot recommend Karine and Rutger enough. If you are looking for honest, clean, friendly and respectful sitters, don’t hesitate and contact them. They have looked so well after Tess (our dog). Because of an ear infection she had to have ear drops twice a day, and they took care of her with so much love. They walked her several times a day, brushed her and overloaded her with cuddles and attention. She was so happy and she looked great when we came back. The house and garden were clean and tidy. They even prepared a meal when we arrived home after a long journey. We have found our house sitters for our next trip (if they are available of course) and I hope we stay in touch Thank you so much Karine and Rutger

Corine, France, 04 January, 2022

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Good in the garden
  • Handy around the house

Wonderful Couple

Rutger and Karine came for a short 3 month stay...they extended it for me as we were selling and then of course the Covid 19 struck and they stayed again! Charming couple with a good work ethic and honest.They did a wonderful job keeping the grounds looking nice and dealing with a buyer who visited many times.Always find solutions for problems that may arise. I enjoyed their company over a bottle or two of wine and wish them well in the future.Anyone will be lucky to have them!

Elizabeth, United Kingdom, 01 June, 2020

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Good in the garden
  • Handy around the house

Testimonial for Rutger and Karine Van Soom, Belgium

Rutger and Karine stayed in our house and looked after our house, garden, two dogs and a cat for four months. They are outstandingly good house-sitters, caring and communicative. One of our dogs is very old and had some health issues and a special diet. They looked after all our animals so well, following detailed instructions. They also cared for our large garden and made wonderful preserves, some of which they gift-wrapped for our return! The house was clean and well-tended throughout. We would recommend them without hesitation.

Zoe, Portugal, 22 February, 2019

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Good in the garden
  • Handy around the house

References

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Last updated: 27 March 2024