Housesitting is a great way to travel the world on a budget. But you shouldn’t see housesitting as just a way to get free vacation accommodation. Housesitting means taking on the responsibility for maintaining and caring for a home, making sure it remains secure while the owners are away, and often includes caring for pets too.
For homeowners, the advantage of having a trusted housesitter in their home while away provides peace-of-mind that the home will be cared for and less susceptible to break-ins and theft. Pot plants inside and outside are also typically included in the responsibilities for house sitters.
Some homeowners are willing to pay for experienced house sitters to stay in their home. This is more typical in high-value homes, where paying $100 per night to a house sitter may seem like a small expense to pay out for the security provided by having someone stay in the home, and/or where pets are needing daily care. Paying a house sitter can be significantly cheaper than putting animals in kennels, and it’s typically much better for pets to stay at home.
Other homeowners opt to find house sitters from digital platforms like TrustedHouseSitters. These platforms work by connecting homeowners with a variety of house sitters, allowing both sitters and homeowners to select the sits which best match their needs.
On TrustedHouseSitters, homeowners pay an annual fee to list their home as many times as they need throughout the year. Owners list specific requirements they have of sitters, including caring for pets and other animals (e.g. chickens, horses, lamas, etc.). Sitters also pay an annual fee to belong to the platform and apply for sits. Sitters can select specific locations and dates according to their needs. New sits are posted daily from around the world. Some sits are published months in advance, while others are more last-minute.
Housesitting Primer: Finding The Perfect Sit
When applying for a sit, it’s important to remember you are preparing to commit to caring for a home and probably pets too.
House sitters should consider the following:
- Sitter sleeping arrangements: Having a good night’s sleep is critical to any great house sit experience.
- Bed: Will you have a single bed vs double bed? Is the mattress hard or soft? Is the mattress new or old? If you need power for your phone or other devices at night, check to see if it’s available in the room. In the UK it’s common to have only a bottom sheet on a bed and a continental quilt on the top. This can make it difficult to stay cool in the summer. Sitter Tip: We bring our own cotton sheets and pillowcases with us where we can so we know we’ll feel comfortable on the sheets at least.
- Room:Is the bedroom in a private part of the home or the main house; will you be sleeping in a spare bedroom or the main bedroom; is there any room noise at night or is it always quiet; is there A/c and/or heating in the room?
- Bathroom: Is an en-suite bathroom provided or will you need to use the main bathroom in the house?
- Homeowner daily expectations: Every homeowner is different. It’s critical to understand the expectations of the homeowners before accepting an offer to sit.
- Daily chores: There are some homeowners who simply want to ensure the home is occupied at night and have very few other expectations other than keeping houseplants alive; other homeowners may need sitters to look after multiple cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens, horses and more (I saw one sit which described the animal maintenance tasks would be expected to take no more than three to four hours each day!). Know the homeowner daily expectations of sitters.
- Pet specific responsibilities: Understanding the unique needs of the owner’s pets is critical. Sitters shouldn’t apply for any sits where they are not 100% comfortable they can care for the pets according to the owner’s wishes.
- Walks: Some pets need walking multiple times a day; some just one long walk.
- Feeding: Do the pets need feeding multiple times a day or just once a day? Some require a special diet and/or medications. Be sure you know how to take proper care of the animals.
- Companionship: Some owners don’t want their pets left alone for more than a couple of hours, making it impossible to go out on longer excursions. Other pets can be happily left alone all day.
- Access to home entertainment: Checking what’s on offer in each home is always a good idea.
- WiFi: These days, it’s important to know how good the wifi is (if available).
- TV: Homeowners may make their home TV system available to sitters, and this can include access to apps like Netflix, Disney or Apple+. (SitterTip: bring your own Amazon Fire TV Stick / Apple TV to alow you to easily connect your own subscriptions to the TV by plugging it into the spare HDMI outlet on the TV).
- Gaming: You may also want to check if there’s a gaming system available.
- Cell service: It’s also worth asking about cell service to understand if your phone will work (some rural sits have no cell coverage and no internet).
- The home: Every home is different. Understanding what you like most in a home will make a huge difference between having a great sit or a frustrating sit.
- Location: Is the home in a rural or urban location? Is it on a busy street or in a quiet neighborhood? Will you need a car to get around (some homeowners include the use of a car. NOTE: be sure you understand the insurance requirements of the location of the sit. For example, is the car insured for all drivers or just named drivers? Check if the insurance includes comprehensive liability cover or just third-party liability coverage.
- Size: How much space will you have and how much will you be responsible for maintaining. I’ve seen some beautiful homes listed where the sitter only has access to a tiny room and bathroom and the main house is locked up. Many city sits are apartments, so it’s worth checking if you’ll need to use stairs or if there’s a lift/elevator.
- Neighbors: Ask about the neighbors if they are close by. You’ll want to know if they are noisy or quiet. Do they come and go at specific times of the day (if the neighbor’s car is parked outside your window and they leave for work at 5.00am every day, you’ll want to know in advance).
- Parking: If you are bringing your own vehicle, you’ll want to know if there’s a secure place to park it each day/night. Find out if you need specific parking permits for the location. Even if it’s clear from photos that there’s a drive, the owners may be leaving their cars behind, leaving you no space for your car.
- Garden/yard: If you like a large garden or yard to enjoy, you will want to find out how much space you will have and how private it is. Ask about things you may want to use like a bar-be-que, chairs, umbrella, hot tub, etc..
- Security: It’s worth asking about how the home is typically secured. Find out if you’ll need to set an alarm each time you leave (which can include making sure all windows are shut and locked). Other homeowners are happy to leave windows open and just want you to make sure the doors are locked (these things often depend upon the home’s location). You want to make sure you can easily secure the house when you leave, so knowing if any locks are sticky or require a technique to close properly. (We had one lock that only actually locked sometimes when the key was turned, so it was essential to verify the lock was secure on leaving – which is always a good thing to do regardless).
- Sitter limitations: Some owners only want a couple; others want a solo sitter. Some are happy with a whole family to sit, including bringing their own pets. Make sure you know what kind of sitter the owners are looking for, especially if you’d like to bring along a pet of your own.
- Know your market: At some times of year, there are many more sits available than sitters, so sitters can afford to be picky when selecting sits (typically during the high season for vacations in a given country/region). It’s also worth checking which rooms the pets are allowed to sit/sleep in. Some owners like their pets to sleep on their bed every night and will expect them to sleep with a sitter too!
Are you a sitter? What did we miss? If you’re a homeowner, what do you look for in a trusted sitter?
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