After reading the most recent issue of the Caretaker Gazetter and finding the idea rather fascinating, I applied for a nearby historical building (ie. mansion) which is owned by the local municpality looking for a caretaker to keep the place neat and tidy for tours as well as be available to setup and breakdown chairs during events that they host there such as weddings, do light maintenance on the property, be a security presence in the evenings, and so on. This seems like a rather good deal to me in exchange for no rent and a 2 bed room apartment inside an old mansion, but being new to the trade I was curious if any others out there had done this sort of thing before and know what questions to ask.
Given my other commitments, my biggest concern was having enough time to fulfill my duties as caretaker in a satisfactory manner. How many hours exactly would it take to do the average chores like dusting, cleaning, etc. and whether the hourly breakdown of those duties made it a worthwhile trade off for free room and board. I’ll be sure to work all of these things out during the interview process and see if is a good fit for us, but what do you, the readers, think? What would you ask if you were applying for a prospective housesitting position?