How to get Free Rent in Exchange for House Sitting

Have you ever wondered how to reduce or eliminate your living costs and live for free? House sitting could be the answer!

When you house-sit, you can get free rent in exchange for looking after a homeowner’s home and/or pets. When we first started house-sitting in 2016, we would get strange looks when we told people we were getting free rent in exchange for house-sitting. However, it has saved us over $150,000!

House sitting has existed for as long as houses; however, recently, the number of house-sitting positions available on house-sitting sites has exploded, and in 2024, house sitting is more popular than ever!

It’s a way for homeowners to save money and have the ultimate peace of mind and great perks for the sitters. Below are the exact steps to take to learn how to get free rent in exchange for house-sitting!

In this post, you will learn:

1. What house sitting is.
2. Our four steps to receiving free rent in exchange for house-sitting
3. If you get paid house-sitting
4. Where you can do it.
5. Your duties & responsibilities.
6. Where to find the best house sitting opportunities.

An Introduction to House Sitting

Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s first understand precisely what house sitting is.

House sitting is looking after someones home while they are away in exchange for free rent. This can include but is not limited to taking care of pets, gardens, mail and the general day to day running and safety of someones home.

How Does Free Rent in Exchange For House Sitting Work?

There are many different ways to book house-sitting assignments. If you are starting out, we recommend you start by locally house-sitting for a friend or family member.

This will let you see if house sitting is for you and gain you your first reference. It makes things easier because you know the homeowner, pets, and the home.

Once you have gained some experience, we recommend going straight to a house-sitting website. Which website you choose will depend on several factors, such as location and budget.

In our detailed post about how to become a housesitter, we break down the exact steps you need to take to start your house-sitting journey, but we have put together a quick version below so you can get started straight away!

Our 4 Steps to Receiving Free Rent in Exchange For House Sitting

1. Find the Right House Sitting Website

There are many house-sitting sites, each with pros and cons. Some specialize in a particular area, and some offer more options than others.

We always recommend signing up for Trusted House Sitters, which has the most extensive range worldwide and provides insurance. It is the most expensive platform at $120AUD, but that is a small price to pay for potentially one full year of accommodation, right?

We compiled an extensive review of our favorite house-sitting platforms to use here!

Want to see house sits available now? See our favorite house-sitting sites below. Use the code TRAVELHS to get 25% off your Trusted Housesitters membership.

2. Build a Profile Showcasing Your Skills, Reference, and Genuine Want To House Sit

Sure, free rent is excellent, but you have to want to look after someone’s home and pets.

• If you want to look after someone’s home locally to save for a house, say that in your profile.
• If you are retired and want to reduce living costs say it in your profile.
• If you want to travel long-term with all the comforts of home and an animal to explore with, say it in your profile!

You want to show the homeowner you are responsible, trustworthy, love animals, and serious about doing a good job. There can be a lot of competition for some locations, so you must have an eye-catching profile with all the essential information.

You also want to add pictures to your profile. By pictures, I don’t mean you at a New Year’s Eve party. I am talking about respectable pictures that show your trustworthiness.

Think pictures with you and animals, close-ups of you smiling, and maybe even you doing some yard work.

If you are house-sitting as a couple or family, include an image of everyone. Another great tip is to ensure you are not wearing glasses and always smiling!

The bottom line: Save your beach bikini photos and full moon party photos for your Instagram—homeowners do not want to see those.

3. Apply and Follow Up!

Throughout the application process, you must act fast!

Some locations have many other applicants. We suggest setting up email alerts for your preferred house-sitting website so that you are notified when a house-sit comes up in your preferred location.

We have talked to homeowners who have told us that sometimes, after the first day, there are over 20 applicants, and they get overwhelmed, so getting in first is very important.

When applying, tell the homeowner you have read their listing and understand what they need. Always refer to the animals by name and advise on how your experience will benefit their needs.

Don’t be scared to follow up, either. Give it a day or two after your application and send a reminder—again, homeowners get overwhelmed and sometimes just don’t reply.

A secret weapon that we always say is in your initial application that you are available to jump on a phone or video call at their next convenience – everything is much easier once you get off email.

Even better, if you are in the same town, ask for coffee and chat!

4. Accepting the House Sitting Assignment and Moving in!

When you chat with the homeowner, unless you are 100% sure you want to take the seat, think about it for a day or so. This will allow you to review all the sit details or talk to your partner about the sit.

Nothing is worse than accepting over the phone and declining after talking about it.

Here is what to ask homeowners in a house-sitting interview so that you cover all bases.

5. Ace The House Sit and Get a 5-Star Review!

We all need that reviews and references matter!

Whether for a restaurant, a new job, a hotel, or a housesitter, we have created a house-sitting checklist to help you approach the job professionally.

It has all the questions we ask before, during, and after a house sit.

This is all the really nitty-gritty stuff. What day is bin day, and where can the animals go in the house? The last thing you want is to call the homeowner and ask which bin the recycling goes in or if Fido can sit on the couch.

This will help you ace the house sit and leave with a great review.

Do You Get Paid For House Sitting?

Let’s also get this out of the way: This depends on the assignment.

In some countries, such as the USA, housesitters are commonly paid, but this is not as common in Australia and Europe. However, we prefer to make money while traveling by freelancing and working with past employers.

As mentioned at the beginning of this post, we have been house-sitting for around four years. We have looked after 37 homes (and one catamaran) in 14 countries and cared for almost 90 animals.

Over the four years that we have been house-sitting, we have not paid rent once (house-sitting is the best job!) However, we had paid for short-term apartments when we decided to take a break from house-sitting and get out to explore, knuckle down to get some work done or treat ourselves to a holiday.

We do know many people who charge for house sitting. If you want to know how much to charge for house sitting, we have a guide that will help you.

Where Can You House Sit?

House sitting is not restricted to one part of the world. You can house sit anywhere, providing someone needs their home looked after.

Over our four years of house-sitting, we have spent time locally around Melbourne, Australia (Britt’s hometown), on an island in the Caribbean, and even a couple of months in Montenegro, to name just a few places.

We find that there are often many house-sitting opportunities in towns or cities with a large ex-pat community. These places include Mexico, Singapore, France, and Malaysia.

However, it is not limited to the ex-pat communities. Locals often request house-sitting assignments in Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, the UK, and Ireland.

If you do a quick search on Trusted House Sitters (September 2024), you will see that over 2000 homeowners in 62 countries are currently looking for house sitters—and that is just on one of the many house-sitting websites!

What Are The Duties and Responsibilities of a House Sitter?

I want to make one point clear: house-sitting is not a holiday. You do have a big responsibility when house-sitting. 

You are looking after the most essential items in someone’s life: their home, pets, and belongings. It is essential that you remember that house-sitting is not just a free ride. 

What Does A House Sitter Do?

Your duties as a house sitter vary from house sit to house sit. However, the basics are usually:

• Keeping the home clean and safe.
• Feeding, walking, cleaning up after, and entertaining any pets.
• Maintaining gardens.
• Keeping track of mail, phone calls, and deliveries.
• Watering indoor plants.

Not all house sits are paid, but you receive rent and bill-free accommodation in exchange for your time and care—which we think is fantastic. It is a good alternative to renting; there is no need to pay those hefty bills to a landlord anymore!

Do You Have to Care for Animals

It is not always about pet care; people want to have a house sitter at home for many reasons. I have written an entire post on some of the reasons why and exactly how to find there house sits, which includes video of how I do it. So if you are looking for animal-free house sits, see here.

Begin Your House Sitting Journey—Here’s How

Are you excited about the idea of house-sitting? We love sharing our experiences and helping others embark on their house-sitting adventures.

If you’re ready to begin your journey, explore my step by step guide here, and feel free to reach out with any questions. I’m here to help you get started!

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