An adventurous couple have revealed how they are living the life of luxury around the world without paying a cent in rent.
Catherine Perkins, 55, and her partner Terry Simmonds, 59, have lived in 44 different properties since they started house sitting from April 2014.
The pair – originally from the UK but now live in Western Australia – get free accommodation in exchange for a promise to look after the owner’s homes and pets while they are on holiday.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the mother said their nomadic lifestyle has seen them not pay rent, electricity, water and WiFi for nearly four years.
Catherine Perkins, 55, and her partner Terry Simmonds, 59, have lived in 44 different properties since they started house sitting from April 2014 (pictured together)
The house-sitting job has offered them the opportunity to explore parts of the world
‘We feel like we’re on holiday all the time,’ she said.
‘When Terry and I got together, we didn’t really have enough income to support renting so we decided to explore house-sitting.
‘The more we did it, the more we loved it. It sort of really snowballed from there and we absolutely love it.’
Exploring parts of the world, the pair – who pay for all their airfare expenses – have stayed in homes across the UK, New Zealand and Australia.
‘House-sitting gives you the freedom of not having to worry about a mortgage, insurance and it helps gives you a stress-free life,’ she said.
‘You get to live in difference places, explore different areas, meeting interesting people and look after pets without the expensive vet bill,’ Catherine said, laughing.
‘We’ve stayed in beautiful homes and you get to live the resort lifestyle. We’ve lived in property overlooking a gold course, a swimming pool, and home theatre.
‘We could never afford these homes but we get the benefits of enjoying other people’s luxury.’
Exploring the world, the pair have stayed in homes across the UK, New Zealand and Australia
Their stay usually ranges anywhere between one week to more than four months at a time
The couple have been able to see parts of the world without paying a cent on accommodation
The couple said 99 per cent of their house-sitting has involved looking after animals, including a farm pig named George.
‘We get to meet the beautiful animals,’ Catherine said.
‘But you do get attach to them and their little characters and it’s really sad when you know you’ll never see them again.
‘Though we’re fortunate we get the privilege to look after them.’
Usually based in Western Australia, their stay ranges anywhere between one week to more than four months at a time.
‘We have become good friends with most of the homeowners. We have house-sat for them more than once,’ she said.
And while the homeowners are on holiday, the pair promise to maintain the properties, feed the animals, mow the lawn and walk the dogs.
The couple said 99 per cent of their house-sitting has involved looking after animals
The pair have lived in 44 different properties since they started house sitting from April 2014
The pair get free accommodation by looking after homes and pets while they are on holiday
‘We never charge, we look after homes on a trust basis,’ Catherine said.
‘Once we had an extremely lovely homeowner who left meals in the freezer for us. Or we’ve had other lovely people who normally tell us to eat whatever’s in the fridge.
‘But we’re not freeloaders. We pay for all our own foods and when we do use any ingredients in their home, we like to replace them.’
Since living out of a suitcase for nearly four years, Catherine said they have embraced the minimalist lifestyle out of their humble four-wheel-drive.
‘We’ve become professional packers,’ she said.
‘We don’t wear many clothes so you sort of learn how to not get attached to things. We don’t generally unpack our suitcase – we just live out of it wherever we go.’
While most of their house-sittings have been back-to-back every year – the couple said they usually book a mini holiday or a road trip when there’s a gap in their diary.
Since living out of a suitcase, Catherine said they have embraced the minimalist lifestyle
The couple said they usually book a mini holiday or a road trip when there’s a gap in their diary
While the owners are on holiday, the pair promise to maintain the homes and mow the lawn
‘We never worry about what’s going to pop up or not,’ she said.
‘If there’s a gap, we just book a mini holiday or go on a road trip. We don’t mind that. But we’ve been really lucky, we’ve had homes pop up on the same day we’re looking.
‘When we went back to the UK to visit our family and friends last year, we booked three consecutive house-sits within the radius of our family.
‘We would be paying a fortune if we had to book our own accommodation but everything worked out perfectly for us.’
The couple – who find all their house-sitting via the website Trusted Housesitters – said they are all booked up until January 26 next year.
‘We have no intentions of giving up house-sitting anytime soon,’ Catherine said.
For those who are interested to house-sit, Catherine said it was perfect people who are keen to travel – but she warns the job isn’t suitable for everyone
The couple said they are all booked up for house-sitting until January 26 next year
The pair feed the animals and walk the dogs in exchange for free accommodation
‘Maybe at least another 10 years or when Terry turns 70. But we might just keep going, we don’t know.
‘Eventually, we’d like to have our own place but we’ll probably do a few house-sitting even then. You just get use to this way of living.’
For those who are interested to house-sit, Catherine said it was perfect people who are keen to travel – but she warns the job isn’t suitable for everyone.
‘It’s not for everyone,’ she said.
‘There’s a lot of people who hate moving around constantly but if you want to travel, then house-sitting is great idea for you,’ she said.
‘If you don’t know where to settle, house-sitting lets you explore different areas of the world so you can decide where you want to end up.’