House sitting can be a great way to find free accommodation as you travel – and possibly earn a little as well. But it is not as straightforward as one may think. You'll find the house sitting tips below valuable.
As a house sitter, you get a place to stay and the house owner has someone to take care of their home, the mail, the garden, and even pets while they're away.
House sitting is a win-win:
- For the traveler, it can be low-cost accommodation that connects you to locals
- For the homeowner, it reduces the worry of leaving your home empty as you travel
In this post you'll find:
- How to find house sitting jobs
- Tips on how to be a successful house sitter
- How to select and manage a house sitter
There are so many beautiful places in this world. Being a house sitter can give you a really local experience.
How to Find House Sitting Jobs
First, lets distinguish between house sitting and caretaking. The former involves staying in a person's home so that it is lived in. You may also take care of small tasks like watering the plants and bringing in the mail. The latter, caretaking, may involve taking care of animals, cutting the lawn, or other more time-consuming tasks. The line between the two is blurred and dependent on the perspective of the individual. It is all left up to the negotiation between the house sitter and the owner.
With gigs lasting from a few weeks to many months, just about anywhere in the world, you have many options. Here are some of the websites where you can find house sitting positions.
- Housecarers.com – Free to list your house. US$50/year for house sitters
- Nomador – Free to list your house. 3 free contacts for house sitters, then US$35/quarter or US$89/year
- Mind My House – Free to list your house. US$20/year for house sitters
- House Sitters America – Free to list your house. US$30/year for house sitters
- Housesit Match – £49/year or £79 for the premium membership. House sitters pay the same.
- Aussie House Sitters – Free to list your house. Aus$84/year for house sitters
House Sitting Tips for the Sitter
The most desirable house sitter is one who is responsible. Consider this in every step identified below.
- Sign up. You can sign up to most house sitting sites for free but if you see an ad that you want to respond to, you'll have to pay to upgrade your account and make the connection.
- Create your profile. Like most sites of this nature, you're going to want to be as transparent as possible while highlighting the reasons you should be selected as a responsible, reliable house sitter. Include your skills with pets, gardening, and the like. Focus on what you can do for the home owner more than what you hope to find in a home.
- Get a police check. Either include this in your profile or note that it is available upon request.
- The process of getting an assignment. It's really important for your reputation and your potential for the future that any assignments you take are successful. To this end, consider the following carefully:
- Length of the assignment. Does it suit you?
- Location of the home. Is the location a place you can stay for the duration of the assignment?
- Will you be comfortable. Everyone looks for something different in a home. Will you be comfortable in the home that you're considering?
- Responsibilities. Are you well-suited to performing the tasks that are requested by the homeowner?
- Terms. Does the homeowner have certain restrictions that you're not comfortable with? For example, they may not want you to have any visitors in the home.
- Meet the owner. The first meeting can be done over Skype or, if you happen to be close enough, at a mutually convenient coffee shop. This is a chance to get to know the person. Before taking the assignment, do a home visit to ensure that it meets your expectations or ask for a tour via Skype.
- Costs. You may be asked to pay a security deposit or a bond, as it is known in some areas. Otherwise, most house sitting arrangements are an exchange of a place to live for the care of a home, pets, gardens, and the like. However, if there are a lot of extra duties required you can negotiate a fee with the home owner.
- Insurance. The house owner's insurance will cover the house and their belongings but it will not cover your belongings. You should consider buying insurance for your things.
- The house sitting agreement. Most house sitting sites will have an agreement template that you can modify for your specific purposes. It's important that authority, responsibilities, expectations, and liberties be very clear to both parties.
House Sitting Tips for the Home Owner
If you plan to travel long term or if you have a cat or dog that you'd like to be cared for in your home, getting a house sitter may be a great solution for you. However, getting a house sitter also means turning over your greatest asset to a stranger. You'll want to act with care. Here are your tips.
- Signing up. Registering for a house sitting site is usually free for the person with the home. Your first step is to check out the various sites listed below and sign up for the one that seems to suit your needs best.
- How to find a house sitter. Post an ad on one of the sites being very clear in what you want from the house sitter and what your home has to offer. Be a bit promotional about your home and about what's nearby.
- Meet the house sitter. The first meeting can be done over Skype or, if you happen to be close enough, at a mutually convenient coffee shop. This is a chance to get to know the person. Next step is to show them around your home. This, too, can be done by Skype. If there is a dog involved you may want to have the house sitter visit your home to meet your pet before final confirmation.
- Insurance. Generally a home that is lived in is considered to be under less risk than one that is empty. In fact, most insurance companies require that a house be checked every 48 or 72 hours when you're away. That said, it is advisable that you contact your insurance company to ensure that you are properly insured with your house sitter there.
- Provide documentation. You'll want to create a comprehensive guide to your home including who to contact in case of emergency,
- The house sitting agreement. Most house sitting sites will have an agreement template that you can modify for your specific purposes. It's important that authority, responsibilities, expectations, and liberties be very clear to both parties.
- Prepare to go: Here's a checklist of things to do before you turn your home over to a house sitter.
- Arrange for automatic payments for all expenses.
- Arrange for a local representative to manage problems should they arise. This person should be able to authorize repairs to your home.
- Divert your mail to a friend or family member if you'd like to have someone open your mail for you.
- Arrange for someone to take care of regular details like checking to make sure that your mail is not accumulating, which it can do even if you have requested a redirect.
- Talk to your neighbors. Give them the contact numbers for your local representative to call if they see something amiss.
- Put away all personal belongings. This is a great time to purge things you don’t really need.
- Clean everything.
- Take photos or, preferably, video of every detail of your home. Keep a copy and give the tenant and your local representative copies.
- Make copies of the keys for yourself and two local representatives.
- Give your representatives multiple ways to get in touch with you in case of an emergency.
- Introduce your new tenant to a neighbor or two. This can be seen as you being helpful. In fact, it lets your tenant know that they have moved into a community that sees what is going on.
Have you been a house sitter? Have you booked a house sitter to take care of your home? What tips do you have to offer? Please share them in the comments below.
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