We are a responsible, tidy and proactive Dutch couple (41 & 43), happy to look after your house and pets as if they were our own.
A bit about us: we are both quite handy, creative, social and outdoorsy. Tom had his own successful business in Utrecht, making sustainable products from local wood. Hiljanne works in science communication and develops activities and exhibitions for science museums. We love hiking, cycling and campervan life. And although we don’t have our own, we grew up surrounded by pets (cats, dogs, rats, guinea pigs, lizards) and enjoy looking after them.
We are based in Utrecht in the Netherlands, have lived in New Zealand for a few years and love travelling and discovering new places and cultures, both nearby and further away from home. We love housesitting as a way for us to ‘slow travel’ and ‘living the local life’, while making ourselves useful by taking care of your house, garden and pets. We have housesitting experience in the Netherlands, France, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, Aruba, the USA and Canada.
Please see reviews of all our housesits below.
REVIEWS:
Tom and Hiljanne are responsible housesitters, which gave us peace of mind during our stay abroad. The cat was well cared for and happy. They enjoyed their stay in our house, and it was in a clean and cozy state when we returned.
Tom and Hiljanne were amazing guests. We knew our furry friends were well taken care of because they sent lots of updates throughout the stay. They left the home sparkling clean and were extremely easy to communicate with. I would highly recommend them!
Alexandra & Dustin
Canada – Vancouver, Aug 2024 – 4 days – 1 dog, 1 cat Source: TrustedHousesitters
Tom and Hiljanne were very friendly, communicative and reliable! My house was very clean when I got home and my cat was happy. I highly recommend them as sitters!
They were great at communication and I felt very comfortable leaving Finn in their care. They sent me updates on how he was doing regularly. I would recommend them for any pet parent.
Fantastic experience – Tom and Hiljanne were wonderfully communicative pre, during and post sit. They left the apartment better than they found it! And did such a lovely job loving on the pets while I was gone. 100% recommend the two of them for your next sit!
Emma
USA – San Francisco, May 2024 – 1 week – 1 dog, 1 cat Source: TrustedHousesitters
Tom and Hiljanne took care of our house while we were abroad for one month. We didn’t know them but got in contact thru a friend of them, living on our island. We spoke each other thru whatsapp and felt the connection was right. They took care of our house for one month and during that period some small repairs have been done by Tom, great! Upon arrival the house was very clean, we hardly noticed they had been in our house as everything was in the right place. Tom and Hiljanne are great people and we highly recommend them as house sitters. They are very friendly, reliable and responsible persons.
We were very pleased to have Tom and Hiljanne. They are so friendly and sociable. They are tidy, hardworking and very caring for our pets. And as a bonus, they even cooked us a lovely meal when we arrived back home. We will certainly stay in touch with them.
Wim & Sigrid
Spain – Pinoso, Nov 2023 – 2 weeks – 1 dog, 1 cat
Very friendly couple. Good communication and made appointments, kept us informed during our absence. Took good care of our dog. Our house was clean and tidy when we came home. Highly recommended as house sitters!
Geert & Ann
France – Vaison-la-Romaine, Oct 2023 – 10 days – 1 dog
In September 2023 Tom and Hiljanne looked after our apartment and two cats. Having them as housesitters was a great experience. They sent us daily updates, and when we arrived back home our house was tidy and clean. We are super happy about how Tom & Hiljanne helped us out! Thanks so much for looking after our place and even leaving us a chocolate treat.
Demi & Sebas
The Netherlands – Utrecht , Sep 2023 – 10 days – 2 cats
During our time away in the mountains Tom & Hiljanne took great care of our house and our two cats. The fact that they immediately got presents from our cats during the night (toy mice) says it all; they’re trustworthy and reliable! Communicating with Tom & Hiljanne is very clear and easy. It was great to come back after our holidays to a clean and tidy house with two very happy cats. Without any further ado, we highly recommend them for housesitting!
Martin & Saskia
The Netherlands – Utrecht , Aug 2023 – 10 days – 2 cats
These two stars took great care of our home in Utrecht. Tom did us a great favour by putting a compost bin together from scrap wood. Upon our return our house was neat and clean and they left us some yummy homemade granola as a present. And not unimportant: Toms & Hils are very nice people, with humour and great communication skills. Highly recommended.
Karen & Lot
The Netherlands – Utrecht , Aug 2023 – 2 weeks – no pets
We were very happy with Tom & Hiljanne as our housesitters the past few weeks. Because of them our dear pets got the love and care they deserve in our absence. They left our house very nice and clean after their stay, so we felt very welcome when we came back home. Because of good communicatie with them – up front and during their stay – expectation were were very clear om both sides. We were also very happy with period update pics of our pets. Tom & Hiljanne are welcome any time for more housesitting.
Couldn’t more highly recommend Tom and Hils, they are so delightful! Respectful of our home, beautiful sitters for our dog, and so easy to communicate with. We would love to have them housesit for us again in the future
Monique
Australia – Perth, Jul 2023 – 8 days – 1 dog Source: Aussie House Sitters
Tom & Hiljanne were awesome house guests. I was away in a no reception zone and they were able to take care of everything with a breeze. Thanks again you two!
Riley
Australia – Adelaide, Mar 2023 – 4 days – 1 dog Source: Aussie House Sitters
Tom and Hiljanne were excellent house-sitters. They looked after our dog, birds and garden with attention to detail and left the house very clean and tidy. They were extremely good communicators and kept us up to date with texts and photos of our dog. They are respectful and absolutely trustworthy and we are happy to recommend them for other housesits.
Wendy
Australia – Adelaide, Mar 2023 – 3 days – 1 dog, birds Source: Aussie House Sitters
I can not fault Tom and Hiljanne. After a quick meet and greet we headed off and left our house and our 2 cats in their capable hands. We arrived home to a house that was Spick and span, some baking and other bits and bobs. These crazy guys are biking up and down NZ so if you come upon them then 100% I recommend giving them a roof and a bed for a night or so, Lovely people who I look forward to keeping in touch with how their adventures are going. Thanks team, bike safe
Anijka
New Zealand – Tauranga, Dec 2022 – 6 days – 2 cats Source: Kiwi House Sitters
Tom and Hils were absolutely incredible. Not only did they look after our property and two cats, they handled a couple of problems that came up with no hassle. We came home to an immaculately clean house. They even had washed and cleaned my car and left some homemade treats for us. It has been a pleasure getting know them and they are very welcome at our house anytime. Cheers Hugh
Hugh
New Zealand – Queenstown, Apr-Jun 2022 – 7 weeks – 2 cats Source: Kiwi House Sitters
