Exchanging homes for holidays

Must say it’s never occurred to me. Too much cleaning/tidying needed in advance, not to mention what about any valuables, private paperwork? Not saying that anyone would be bent on nicking things or nosing into private matters, but if you don’t know the people from Adam and Eve….

TBH it was quite enough when a sister IL from Singapore asked to stay for a couple of nights with her teen dds before we returned from our holidays - they already had keys since nieces had stayed before. All the beds to be changed in advance, not to mention a cleaning blitz - SiL had always had a maid to do it all!

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This is about holiday swaps.

We did this 40 years ago through a popular arrangement with the National Housewives Register. (National Women's Register)
There may have been safeguards- I don't remember but it worked well for us. We exchanged letters in advance and met briefly to swap keys.

The children loved playing with all the new toys but people don't usually live in holiday areas so the house was on a housing estate in a suburb. It was a base for touring.

It was certainly a cheap holiday but there was a lot of preparation involved, trying to leave our own house clean and tidy!
I have friends who use
Trusted House Sitters regularly to have their house occupied, the garden watered and the cat fed.

I wouldn’t want anyone I didn’t know staying in my house. Too many trinkets and precious things around to trust them. Different story with the holiday house though we have such a large extended family that there are enough to keep it busy all year round. So no and I wouldn’t.

Lonely widow , no friends. Should I sell my house and move closer to my children n just be a baby sitter?