Terms of Service

By engaging Swell Housesitting and pet sitting services, you agree to the following terms and conditions. These terms are designed to ensure a safe, transparent, and reliable experience for both you and your pets.

1. Bookings & Customised Quotes

• Base Rate: Standard services start at $75 per night, for a housesit of one month or longer, with one dog and/or cat.

• Customised Quotes: Final quotes are tailored to the complexity and daily time commitment of the sit. Pricing may increase based on variables such as express stay surcharge (1-6 days), multi-pet households (e.g. two or more dogs), young animal care (e.g. puppy or kitten), high-presence requirements (e.g. not leaving the house for more than 3 hours at a time), or care needed at night during sleeping hours.

• Note on housesitting charges: Because I scale my other work and study around housesitting/petsitting requirements, extra charges naturally apply where more time is needed for me to be away from work/study. I appreciate your understanding about this.

• Full time company and care for your pets: This is based on being home for a minimum of 38 daylight hours per week. I am home the majority of the time with your pets, but I do go out some days to surf, see friends, exercise, or to run errands.

• Locking in Dates: A booking is only officially secured once the Service Agreement is signed and the required deposit is paid.

2. Payment & Deposits

• Deposits: A non-refundable deposit of 25% is required to secure your booking dates. 

• Final Payment: The remaining balance is due on the first day of the housesit.

3. Cancellations & Adjustments

• Deposit Forfeiture: Because I block out my calendar and turn down other clients to hold your dates, deposits are non-refundable.

• Late Cancellations: Cancellations made within 14 days of the scheduled start date will incur a 25% cancellation fee, to compensate for held calendar dates and loss of time to secure other clients for those dates.

4. Health, Behaviour, and Risk Disclosure

• Honest Disclosure: Owners must ensure any history of notable animal behaviours such as aggression, nighttime barking, resource guarding, reactivity, or severe separation anxiety is noted in the service agreement.

• Undisclosed details/behaviour charge: If undisclosed behaviours become regularly apparent in the housesit that would have incurred extra charges (e.g. reactivity), I will send you an extra invoice for this. If there is an issue that majorly disrupts my ability to sleep or live in the house (like black mould or nighttime barking repeatedly ruining sleep) I reserve the right to end the housesit early and arrange for alternative care (at the owner’s expense and likewise forfeiting the full balance owed for the housesit).

• Safety First: If a pet exhibits undisclosed dangerous behaviour that poses a threat to personal safety, I reserve the right to terminate the sit immediately and arrange for alternative care (at the owner’s expense).

5. Emergencies, Veterinary Care & Home

• In the event of a pet medical emergency, I will make every effort to contact you first. If you are unreachable, I am authorised to seek veterinary care.

• All veterinary costs incurred during the sit are the sole responsibility of the owner.

• The Owner agrees to provide all necessary supplies for the pets (food, medication, litter, cleaning products) and covers all standard home utilities (electricity, gas, water, internet) for the duration of the housesit(s).

6. Liability Limitations

• While I will treat your home and pets with the utmost respect and care, I am not liable for property damage caused by the pets, for household maintenance issues (e.g., plumbing or appliance failures), or for damage caused by weather events, or natural disasters, that occur during or after the stay.

These terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia.