Reviews
These reviews are gathered – unaltered – from the different house sitting platforms they were initially posted on, to provide a comprehensive overview of what home owners think about Mark and me as caretakers for their beloved homes and pets. We have done repeat sits in Sebastopol, CA, San Diego, CA, Santa Fe, NM, and Albuquerque, NM. We are the perfect sitters for you, your home, and your pet(s), but you didn’t hear it from us! 🙂 Don’t hesitate to contact us or have a look at our profile. References are available upon request.
Janet and John – Ojai, California – November 18th, 2018 to December 7th, 2018 (3 weeks)
You couldn’t get a more competent pair to take care of your pets and house. Liesbet and Mark were wonderful. They kept us up to date on the pups, house and garden. I would have them again in an instant. Great couple!
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Christine and Alan – Albuquerque, New Mexico – February 18th, 2018 to March 28th, 2018 (6 weeks)
You know you have found the perfect house/pet sitter when you can leave the country and feel like you have turned over the care of your dogs and house to someone who you trust. Liesbet sent weekly emails with pictures and chatty details about our Labs and the house. Embarrassing to say, but Liesbet and Mark probably gave our fur boys more attention than we give them. Mark even risked life and “face” for our big goofy wayward black Lab Gunner. Liesbet wrote: “Gunner seems to be doing much better after his acupuncture treatment. So much so, that he ran off chasing a coyote on Saturday morning. He also wanted to get back at Mark about all those needles in his body last week… When Mark tried to grab Gunner, he fell… with his face in two cacti! For hours, we tried to pull out all the needles with tweezers. Now, we can laugh about it. :)” Our neighbors give Liesbet and Mark big thumbs up too. And it’s also embarrassing to say that the Labs are already asking when we’re going to leave again so Liesbet and Mark can come back to visit.
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PS: Mark and I returned to take care of Chris and Alan’s home and their now three Labradors (Gunner, Beck, and Fitz) for five more weeks in the following spring (April 6th, 2019 to May 10th, 2019) .
Diana – San Diego, California – October 31st, 2017 to February 11th, 2018 (3.5 months)
Dogs Frida and Elvis’s review
We miss them already. Mum’s home and that’s nice, but Liesbet and Mark did such an awesome job keeping us company that Mum’s got a lot to make up for! Multiple walkies a day, treats on the counter, write ups in blog posts, and heaps of cuddles and warm winter snuggles – and so much more. On a serious note, Liesbet is an efficient and thoughtful communicator and very thorough when it comes to the details. We appreciated that she kept Mum appraised of our adventures on a weekly basis and always with a cheeky pic of us looking our best. And we did go on lots of adventures! And even dressed up for the holidays.
Mark and Liesbet even hung out with our friends and family, welcoming them into the house often, so we felt like normal life was just extra fun. There was a lot going on, as usual, and they managed the details for Mum seamlessly – the tree trimmer, the garden keeper, the friends who keep stuff here, our grandparents, the mail!
Conscientious, intrepid, and self-sufficient, Liesbet and Mark embraced our canine kingdom as their own and got to know our neighborhood like we do (the weeing on trees was left up to us, of course). They know where Frida’s favorite wee spots are (so so many) and where Elvis likes to chase ground squirrels. Even inside, we got to stay by their side while Liesbet wrote and Mark did businessy things. They are simply great canine companions! We’d have them back anytime.
Lots of licks and unlimited puppy eyes – Frida and Elvis x
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PS: Mark and I returned to take care of Diana’s home and her sweethearts Frida and Elvis for one more week the following winter (January 23rd, 2019 to January 31st, 2019) .
Andre and John – Rollinsville, Colorado – September 16th, 2017 to October 14th, 2017 (1 month)
Liesbet and Mark housesat for us for one month while we were in Portugal. The primary focus of the housesit was caring for our 8-year old golden retriever and we were thrilled with the care, attention and love that he received. Liesbet and Mark walked Oscar at least three times a day, took him on excursions, took him camping, and sent us photos and email updates at least every other day, thereby assuring us of Oscar’s comfort and security. When we came home, the house was clean and neat, and Liesbet had a list of notes to share with us regarding details of the house, neighborhood, etc. They arrived a day early so that we could orient them to the responsibilities of the “job”, and they stayed until the morning after we returned home in order to make sure that all was well. They even bought us a little bit of food so that we would have breakfast the morning after we arrived home. We have had many house sitters through Trusted Housesitters, and Liesbet and Mark are, without a doubt, the most professional and communicative of all. We felt 100% confidence leaving our home and our beloved dog in their care and will, without hesitation, call on them again to housesit in the future.
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Arthur and Nan – Santa Fe, New Mexico – August 18th, 2017 to September 16th, 2017 (1 month)
Liesbet Collaert & Mark Kilty house sat for us for one month. They were great. We communicated first by email and then met them for the first time the night before the house sitting began. We immediately felt comfortable with them. During the house-sit they communicated with us regularly to let us know all was well or to ask questions about the house. They were very good about following our instructions for watering both indoor and outside plants. There were no pets involved. Liesbet & Mark took care of our home, keeping it clean & tidy. We hope to have them back again.
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This house sit did not have pets to care for.
PS: Mark and I returned to take care of Arthur and Nan’s home for two more months in the following spring (March 28th, 2018 to May 26th, 2018) . We loved it as much and the owners were as pleased as the first time!
Tamar – Oakland, California – June 20th, 2017 to July 13th, 2017 (3 weeks)
Liesbet and Mark were hands down the BEST housesitters we have ever had! The dogs adored them, and they took the dogs on so many adventures — they haven’t been this fit for quite some time! They were really good at keeping us informed and were very detailed. They are the *only* housesitters ever to take such perfect care of our sensitive plants. We came home to a bright and tidy house, happy pets, even a swept deck and patio! I hope they can housesit for us again.
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Ron and Sharon – Sebastopol, California – February 21st, 2017 to April 26th, 2017 (2 months)
Liesbet and Mark housesat for us and took care of our little Lola for 2 months this winter in northern California. They were incredible dog lovers, respectful of our home and belongings, and avid outdoors people. We would get frequent emails and pictures of Lola in Yosemite, the Sonoma coast, and hikes which even we had not been on! They gave us updates on problems with our house in the winter and contacted appropriate contractors to solve the problems. Lola was very disappointed when they left!
I would highly recommend them for your next housesitting choice.
And they’re sweet people!
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PS: Mark and I returned to take care of Ron and Sharon’s home and sweet dog, Lola, for three more weeks in the summer (July 23rd – August 15th, 2017) . We loved it as much and the owners were as pleased as the first time!
Michelle – Costa Mesa, California – January 24th, 2017 to February 14th, 2017 (3 weeks)
Simply the kindest, sweetest and caring people to watch over your home and pets! This was my first time using the [house sitting] site, so as you can imagine was a little nervous to leave my home and beloved pup Jaxx with people I had never met. From Liesbet’s 1st message I just had a feeling this was a great match – they eased my concerns over skype in pre-conversations. They arrived a day early so we could all get settled in and meet Jaxx. While I was away on my trip I received updates every few days on all the adventures they were taking Jaxx on. It was a great feeling to not have to stress and worry about him, and just enjoy the trip I was on, and know Jaxx was having a blast back home. I had big shoes to fill upon return with my 8 month old pup. 🙂 When I got home, the house was clean, we had a lovely evening catching up over a delicious home cooked meal by Mark and Liesbet and then it was time to say “see you soon” the next morning. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a caring couple and thoughtful couple to watch over their home and pets and hope to have them again sometime in the future!
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Rosaleen – Fairfax, California – January 14th, 2017 to January 21st, 2017 (1 week)
Liesbet and Mark took care of our hilltop house and chickens during a very stormy week in January. They checked in with us regularly, weathered the possibility of the electricity going out with aplomb, and even put a big bandage on a leak that kept rainwater from running down an interior wall and ruining our just-refinished hardwood floor. They are smart and adventurous and dearly love animals. Highly recommended!
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Stefanie – Rocklin, California – October 14th, 2016 to January 10th, 2017 (3 months)
Liesbet and Mark were everything we could hope for in housesitters and dog lovers. They cared for our home and dog for 3 months. They gave us regular email updates on how things were going while we were away, which provided great comfort to see pictures of our precious dog and know that he was safe and happy. They took meticulous care of the house and other than a lack of dust and dog hair, they left no trace that anyone had been in the house. They also mowed the lawn, balanced pool chemicals, and administered medication when our dog had an ear infection. It is obvious that they created a strong bond with our dog and loved him like he was their own. We started out as strangers but they are now family friends. I don’t think that you could find anyone better to entrust your home and pet to.
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Kate – Truro (Cape Cod), Massachusetts – September 24th to September 30th, 2016 (1 week)
Liesbet and Mark were fantastic sitters! They are kind, caring, very responsible and organized, and fun too. They took excellent care of our dog and it was clear they truly liked her. From the beginning of the process Liesbet was in regular contact with thoughtful messages, and then sent photos during our travels. We ended up spending the evenings before and after our trip with them and enjoyed getting to know them. They are creative, interesting people who love animals and are very conscientious about house-sitting. We felt very lucky to have them.
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Janis – Heath, Massachusetts – April 12th, 2016 to August 31st, 2016 (4.5 months)
Liesbet and Mark took care of our farmhouse for 4 1/2 months while we were overseas. Care for the place included looking after our 12 year old dog, receiving phone calls from customers and letting them know our schedule, and managing our self-serve farmstand.
They took great care of everything! They were wonderful with our dog and became very attached to her, giving her plenty of TLC in our absence. They also took good care of everything else and kept in regular contact with us. If a problem with something came up, they were very efficient at managing things and communicating with us. We trusted them with our mail, managing the funds of the farmstand, and speaking with our customers, and they were superb! We recommend them without reservation!
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Alison – South Kent, Connecticut – January 3rd, 2016 to March 30th, 2016 (3 months)
Mark and Liesbet were the perfect house and pet sitters. They took care of our two dogs and two parrots along with the house, car and studio for three months. They are both reliable and very competent. They took care of everything and sent us updates regularly via email. We could not of asked for two nicer or more responsible people. If you are thinking of having Liesbet and Mark take care of your property, you can be assured that everything will be in tip top shape upon your return. They took the dogs on regular walks and even befriended our parrots, which is no easy task.
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Jane – The Villages, Florida – December 15th, 2015 to December 29th, 2015 (2 weeks)
Liesbet and Mark are a fabulous couple who are intelligent, thoughtful, caring and trustworthy. They looked after our Gordon and English Setter for two weeks at our Florida home. They took the dogs to a private dog park in our truck every day; made sure they had their daily treats, vitamin and dog chew toys every day. They sent us updates and pictures. Our home was beautifully maintained and was clean and perfect when we got home. It was a pleasure to have them looking after the dogs and our home and I highly recommend them. It was a perfect exchange!
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Brian – Greenwich, Connecticut – October 27th, 2015 to November 11th, 2015 (2 weeks)
Liesbet and Mark housesat for me for 2 weeks in November 2015. This turned out to be a real blessing as a maintenance issue with the heating system occurred that we were able to have repaired quickly due to their observation and assessment of the situation. They have impeccable integrity, great communication skills and a pleasure to have in our home. we have plans to have them back again in April. Our Dog loves them as well!
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Joan – Gloucester, Massachusetts – October 6th, 2015 to October 20th, 2015 (2 weeks)
Liesbet and Mark were fantastic house sitters and took wonderful care of our dog Zyla. They spent lots of time walking her, and sent us photos of their adventures. They even brushed her–she looked like she had been to groomer when we got home! Our house was extremely clean, and they even thoughtfully bought us a few groceries to tide us over after our late arrival. I would have them back in a heartbeat.
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