Ever dreamt of living in different homes in different continents? Well, say hello to the magical world of being house sitter! It’s like Airbnb, but you don’t pay, and you get to cuddle with someone else’s pets. Win-win, right?
No, you don’t need special skills or an education – just a love for new adventures, a sprinkle of responsibility, and maybe a knack for turning on a dishwasher. In this guide, we’re breaking down the not-so-secret secret of becoming the ultimate house-sitter.
SPOILER ALERT: it’s easier than you think.
WHAT IS HOUSESITTING?
The idea is pretty straightforward. House sitters take care of homeowners’ properties while they are away in return for free accommodation and utilities.
There is no money involved in the trust-based value exchange agreement of house sitting.
House sitting often involves pet sitting, and this is best done in the comfort of the pets own home (aka. a private house). You can of course house sit without the responsibility of a pet, but usually there will just be other tasks such as plant caring, cleaning etc.
Use the code: SOFIAB and get a 25% discount on your membership
WHAT DO HOUSE SITTERS DO?
House sitters can have many different roles. House owners will most likely describe their specific needs and wishes for a house sitter to do. These are the most common:
- Occupies the house to prevent theft and ensure housekeeping.
- Performing basic housecleaning duties, which includes mopping, sweeping, vacuuming, and dusting as needed.
- Caring for pets as required, which includes providing them with food and water, cleaning up after them.
- Waters plants and/or take care of a garden.
WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY TO BECOME A HOUSE SITTER?
It’s understandable that it’s a bit confusing to have to pay in order to offer your help house sitting. Let’s talk about why it’s a good idea to join a house sitting platform.
Someone who is not serious about house sitting is unlikely to go through the effort of signing up for a house sitting platform and spending time writing up their profile. It’s human nature – if you have a personal stake in something, it has more meaning to you.
Accountability
House sitting platforms also hold members accountable. So for example if a home owner did not follow through on the house sitting arrangement established with a house sitter without good reason, the house sitting platform would not allow them to advertise again. Or a house sitter did not show up, meet their responsibilities or stole, the house owner is more secured.
To that, many house-sitting platforms charge membership fees to cover the costs associated with running the platform, providing customer support, maintaining a secure online environment such as conducting identity verification and background checks to ensure the safety of both homeowners and house sitters, and more.
Remember that reading reviews, checking a platform’s reputation, and understanding the terms and conditions are essential steps before joining any house sitting service.
Use the code: SOFIAB and get a 25% discount on your membership
What you get:
Unlimited pet & home care for owners.
Unlimited worldwide house sits for sitters.
Verified, referenced and reviewed profiles.
Home and accident protection.
24/7 free vet advice.
Help from a membership services team.
WHAT IS TRUSTED HOUSE SITTERS?
Trusted house sitters is a house sitting platform and in their own words “a match-making platform that connects pet parents with care-orientated sitters, all around the world.“
THEIR PACKAGES
One annual membership plan lets you arrange as many sits as you like. You can choose from 3 different plans in 3 different categories.
As a STANDARD sitter you get:
- Unlimited house sits worldwide
- Free video calls & online chat with vets when pet sitting
- Dedicated member support
- Accident & third party liability protection
- A world wide community
As a PREMIUM sitter you get: Everything in Standard +
- Sit cancellation protection
- 2 global airport lounge passes
- Premium badge on your profile
Use the code: SOFIAB and get 25% off on your membership today
WHO CAN BECOME A HOUSE SITTER?
ANYONE!
Buuuuuut bear in mind that not everyone is suitable for a house sit.
This leads us to the 5 tips you need to know to be a good house sitter.
#1 FIND OUT WHY YOU WANT TO HOUSE/PET SIT
Usually the no. 1 reason is to save big time on accommodation. A very valid reason.
The worldwide house-sitting community is full of like-minded travelers and adorable pets – you’ll have a new family in your backpocket.
- You can cuddle with pets all day long.
- You’re allowed to travel slowly, make your own coffee in the morning, and cuddle up with pets at the end of the day.
- It’s like being at home, while away.
But is it something for you?
One annual membership plan lets you arrange as many sits as you like.
#2 FIND OUT HOW TO BECOME A HOUSE SITTER
1) SIGN UP WITH A HOUSE SITTING WEBSITE:
Here I’d recommend to use Trusted House Sitters to match you with homeowners and find good house-sitting jobs.
All house sitting platforms have membership fees, but when you think of how much money you’ll be saving on accommodation, a small yearly fee becomes very reasonable.
2) CREATE A KILLER PROFILE:
First impressions count!
Include:
- Photos (preferably with pets): Show your love for, and ease around animals by uploading some photos of you with them!
- Special skills: Do you speak foreign languages? Do you have a green thumb, or know how to administer medications? Think of skills that come in handy when house/pet sitting and be sure to outline those in your profile.
- Enthusiasm: Lots and lots of enthusiasm for this newfound “career” goes a long way. Remember that someone is going to choose you to care for their things and beloved animals – they want to get to know you and feel like you want to give it your best.
PRO TIP: Fill out ALL information and details available on the site (also the optional ones). This way house/pet owners get to know you a bit more which is highly appreciated by someone who is about to open up their home to a stranger.
Don’t be too formal. Show your personality. House sitting is not a one-size-fits-all, and home owners look for different things.
Experience is not a must – but you have to sell yourself. What makes you attractive to care for this particular home? Do you like to clean? Have you previously sitted for a family member or are you familiar with garden work? And at the end of the day, you must be able to fulfill everything you write. If you lie or fail to meet your own profiles criteria, it can have consequences for your future as a house sitter.
3) APPLY FOR A SIT:
Pro Tip: If you see a house sitting job of interest, apply fast and apply well!
Your first contact with the home owner is critical and the sooner the better. This leads to point 4…
4) ACTIVATE AND MONITOR ALERTS
There’s no shortage of homes to sit BUT if you search for specific dates or location, having alerts on makes it easier to get those sits. Members who receive Alerts have almost certainly applied days before, resulting in your application being one of the last received by the home owner. Also if a homeowner replies to your application, they expect a quick response from you.
#3 HAVE AN INTERVIEW
In the beginning, it’s easy to get overly excited about the prospect of living somewhere exotic for virtually free and forget the finer details of the job.
Because that’s what it is: A JOB.
If the homeowner doesn’t ask for an interview, you should. It may feel a bit itimidating, but you’ll be happy to have done it sooner than later.
Getting a small insight into who the person you’re sitting for is, and what expectations they have, is crucial for a good collaboration between you. Another benefit is that by defining your expectations in advance, you can avoid miscommunication, unexpected situations and bad experiences.
#4 EXPECTATION: CAN YOU LIVE UP TO THE JOB OF BEING A HOUSE SITTER?
There’s no question about it: house-sitting needs to be taken seriously.
Though house sitting jobs vary a lot. To care for a cat and water a few plants in an inner city apartment, is much less work than minding a whole farm. Therefore expectations are a huge deal!
No matter length, size or location, you’re being asked to take care of someone’s possessions and someones most loved soul, all in an intimate setting.
ALWAYS follow the home owners instructions and respect their asks of you.
On the house owners profile or in your interview there should be clear responsibility outlines. What do you need to do and take care of regarding pets and other areas of the home?
Do you know your way around basic house appliances and do you understand what it takes to take care of a home?
If you’re not sure, you can try to apply for short sits in your local area, to test out your skills and whether this is something for you, in known surroundings and mother tongue.
Time to try it out. Choose a perfect house for you and get going.
#5 GIVE THE PETS LOTS OF LOVE
This is the best part of the job.
If you are looking after pets as part of your housesit (which you most likely will be) they will probably be missing their owners a lot, so you want to make sure to give the pets lots of love.
You want to make them feel loved and comfortable with you. It is your job.
For you to be able to do this – you must:
- Find out why you want to house sit.
- Apply to become a housesitter.
- Have a detailed interview with the owner.
- Reflect about wether you can live up to the job.
Then you can go and enjoy all the benefits and pet love.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Well, now your House-Sitting Adventure Awaits. You’ve just been initiated into the exclusive club of house sitters, armed with all the tips and tricks to make it your own.
Feel free to ask questions or share your experience in the comment section!
Use the code: SOFIAB and get a 25% discount on your membership
What you get:
Unlimited pet & home care for owners.
Unlimited worldwide house sits for sitters.
Verified, referenced and reviewed profiles.
Home and accident protection.
24/7 free vet advice.
Help from a membership services team.
