I am a housesitter, and stay in amazing places all over the world for free

Fancy staying in a mansion or lakeside pad for absolutely nothing? Sign up as a housesitter and the place is yours in return for pet care and plant-watering duties

My partner Nick and I spent last Easter at a farmhouse in a Cotswolds village. We read books, enjoyed lunches on the terrace and took long walks along footpaths between the canary-yellow rapeseed fields. With an aga, original art works and an en suite bathroom with claw-foot bath, this limestone mansion would have cost thousands to rent – especially in the Easter holidays. But we stayed for free, in return for looking after the owners’ friendly cocker spaniels, a long-haired cat and the children’s hamster, while the family went skiing in the Alps.

We landed this amazing break through Trusted Housesitters, a website that matches owners with sitters worldwide (membership £99 for a year). House Sitters UK offers a similar service, but covers only this country (£29 a year). Unsurprisingly given the state of the economy, companies offering housesitting services are reporting a boom this year. Trusted House Sitters has seen a 130% increase in new members compared with 2019, and owners have posted more than double the number of requests for UK sitters.