Bringing home owners and house sitters together
Sitter available
Early Retired Teacher and Engineer with lots of experience
United States
Testimonials
They have 7 testimonials (view below)
Pet experience
Dog(s), Cat(s), Horse/Donkey(s), Chicken(s), Bird(s), Fish, Rabbit(s), Tortoise/Turtle(s), Guinea pig(s), Rodent(s), Goat(s), Other animal(s) – We have owned four adopted rescue dogs (mixed breeds).
Police check
They don't have a police check
Availability
From: 16 June 2023
Until: 1 September 2025
Occupation
Teacher / Landscaper (both in early retirement!)
References
They have referees/references (view below)
About this sitter
Meet the Vrooms! We are a couple in our fifties. Herman is Dutch and started his career with a degree in mechanical engineering and later owned his own garden maintenance business. He retired two years ago. Elizabeth is an American school teacher in early retirement. We met in Zambia and have traveled and lived in several countries. We have a strong preference for longer term house-sits, so that we have the chance to really enjoy being part of the local community. For more information, check our website at: https://dreamteamsitters.webnode.com/
Why they want to house sit
As recent empty-nesters, we are looking forward to exploring more of the world, without relying only on hotels and hostels. House sitting allows us to have a sense of purpose (taking care of pets, home and garden) while providing a greater connection to a place - an experience which is rich and fulfilling.
Their experience
Yes! In addition to having completed several longer term house sitting assignments. We own a 5 bedroom rental property, which we have rented out both short-term on AirBnB and long term. Prior to downsizing, we owned a beautiful home with an extensive vegetable garden, solar panels and a wood stove (there is also a regular heat pump, but we enjoyed the fire in the winter). We have had many pets during our 30 year marriage: 4 rescue dogs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, a turtle, a horse, pony, and donkeys, so you can be sure your pets are in good hands! Herman is very handy and can fix almost anything and Elizabeth loves a clean and organized house. We are healthy, honest, adventurous, hardworking and speak several languages.
What can they bring to the assignment
Great communication skills. We are a flexible couple with a strong sense of responsibility as well as great problem solving skills. Between the two of us, your house and garden will be clean and cared for and your pets will be loved. Whenever possible, we like to leave a place the same or better than we found it.
Last updated:
15 November 2023
Available to house sit
Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Panama, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Availability dates
From: 16 June 2023
Until: 1 September 2025
Do they charge?
They don't charge for house sitting services
Membership
MindMyHouse member since 2020
Personal details
Age: 56-65 years old
Family status:
Couple
Total sits
Total completed house sits: 7
References
You need to be logged in to see this house sitters' references.
About this house sitter
MindMyHouse member since December 2023
Sitemap
MindMyHouse.com – https://www.mindmyhouse.com/owners/sitter_listing/47885
Testimonials
Testimonial Review
To whom it may concern. Herman and Elizabeth originally came to stay for 3 months to look after my fathers house and the rescue dog Leiko, however, due to unforeseen circumstances, where the follow-on house sitters cancelled due to ill health, Herman and Elizabeth came to the rescue and offered to stay on for a further 2 months. Leiko had the best time ever, from long walks, running in the hills, to be taken to the beach, Elizabeth sent regular photos and videos of Leiko and where they had been, also dealing with the veterinary visit for some inoculations. Nothing was ever too much trouble. Leiko was cared for and loved as if he was their own dog. There were a couple of maintenance issues that cropped up whilst looking after the house for this period. One being a broken window pane due to high winds, there was also a pump issue for the garden well, a trip to the DIY shop and Herman had everything sorted straight away. The garden and pool were beautifully maintained. Two cars that needed their MOT and service were dealt with, regular communication was always provided through out the whole process. The house was beautifully looked after, and once again photos and videos were sent regularly. Herman and Elizabeth made many friends in the village over the 5 months, because of whom they are; caring, accommodating, outgoing, adventurous and a nice genuine couple. Herman and Elizabeth have excelled my expectations of what to expect from house sitters, as such, I would have no problem in highly recommending them. I for one shall miss them both, as shall my father, and Leiko, and certainly hope to stay in contact with them. Happy to discuss in person if required. Jane Howson - Holloway
Jane, France, 16 March, 2024
Great Housesitters and lovely people
Elizabeth and her husband Herman house sat for us in our house in Normandy during the winter season. They were diligent, discrete, and enormously helpful - going over and above the call of duty. They also became our 8 year old daughter's best friend and she would race over to see them as soon as we arrived at the house. They helped me sort out the house after a big change in furnishings and contents and basically left everywhere cleaner and more organised than before they came. Their last month coincided with a lot of work in the house by professionals and they pitched in to help and to help cooordinate and to make sure everything was ready for our first rental. They were highly recommended to me and I would also unreservedly recommend them.
Julian, United Kingdom, 22 April, 2023
If you are looking for dedicated, hard-working house sitters, think of Elibeth and Herman
Elizabeth en Herman are excellent house sitters, hard-working, dedicated and organized. Elizabeth had to do a large part of the house sitting by herself, since Herman unexpectedly had to leave - already shortly after their arrival in seventh heaven- for important private reasons. Elizabeth also had to receive a paying guest. She prepared the guesthouse meticulously: the house was clean, welcoming (nice vase of flowers), a warm home for a person who drove all day. She watered the new grass area every other day (quite a job ca.500m2), since June has been very hot and dry already. Furthermore she was very handy in solving unexpected problems, like was the case when the swimming pond filters stopped working. Last but not least: both are very pleasant persons to have around, open, honest, polite and flexible. Not any problem for them that we couldn't return on the date that we agreed, since we had a problem with the car on our way back to Italy. They were happy to stay a bit longer and Herman cooked a lovely meal to welcome our return. We can highly recommend Elizabeth and Herman as house sitters.
edith, Italy, 27 July, 2022
Wonderful Chat(eau) sitters!
Elizabeth and Herman were the most wonderful pet and house sitters. For the seven months they were taking care of my cat VenVen and keeping an eye on the property I never had to worry about a thing. On the occasions I visited I found they’d taken care of the weeding and pruning and kept on top of the dusting and vacuuming in the Chateau and VenVen was a relaxed and happy cat. They approached the sit with professionalism and enthusiasm and always went one step beyond to make sure everything was in perfect order. Their communication was excellent (by WhatsApp mostly) and I received regular photos of VenVen in different poses as well as other things they had spotted around the place. Friendly, energetic and outgoing, I will miss them and would be happy to invite them back anytime!
Lizzie , United Kingdom, 22 May, 2022
Lovey Energetic People - Peace of Mind
If Herman and Elizabeth offer to housesit for you, do yourself a favour and do not hesitate, just say a massive YES PLEASE!. Herman and Elizabeth came to stay in our Gite for 5 weeks, maintained our garden to a very high standard (its never looked so good), our 4 pups and Che absolutely loved them, as did the donkeys and goats. We were able to get away in our camper for weekends and have no worries that our fur babies were being well looked after and everything was going to be well organised in the garden and happy when we returned. We are extremely grateful for their hard work, help and housesitting, plus their wonderful company for the meals we shared together. We will miss them very much and so hope they will return after the summer to housesit again. Lovely people and highly recommended.
Tina, France, 14 June, 2021
Wonderful Housesitters
Can strongly recommend this couple. They were great and looked after my little farm so well. they communicate frequently with lots of photos. although I am currently unable to go to Portugal. associates of mine who met them spoke incredibly highly of them. they are welcome back whenever I may need house sitters again.
Ronald, Portugal, 24 March, 2021
A lovely couple.
Elizabeth and Herman have above all given us peace of mind that our home is in safe and secure hands, they also kept themselves very busy, when not exploring the area, with the maintenance and upkeep of the property. Among some of the jobs undertaken, Herman installed a replacement solar water tank. Elizabeth recovered the pads on the dining chairs and repainted the side of the fridge freezer that had become untidy, these are just a few examples of the work they did in and around the house. Their communication was always fantastic, during the final weeks of the sit they put together a handover pack for the incoming sitters as we were unable to be present. We have nothing but praise for such a lovely couple, would not hesitate to offer them a future assignment should they become available again and recommend them without reservation.
Simon, 23 January, 2021