Potential house sitters or anyone hiring one might be curious about the statistics for house sitting in 2024.
Since house sitting is growing so quickly, it can be hard to find statistics, so we surveyed a community of over 60,000 house sitters and home owners.
Keep reading as we will discuss some frequently asked questions. We’ll start with questions that we asked homeowners. Then we will move on to questions that we asked house sitters.
Table of Contents
44% Of Homeowners Find Sitters Through Online Platforms
When we asked homeowners how they find new house sitters, we received a few different answers.
Seven people said they find new house sitters on house-sitting websites. That’s 44% of the homeowners.
Then 19% of people said they use word of mouth to find new sitters. Another 19% of people said they use groups to find sitters.
About 12% of homeowners find sitters in groups. About 6% of homeowners find potential house sitters through local advertising.
51% Of Homeowners Will Only Hire Sitters With References
We asked homeowners if they think references are a must, over half of them agreed that references are mandatory.
The second most popular answer was “I like to give beginners a chance with 38%.
Then people said no, making 11% of the votes. Then 11% said they don’t mind if you do or don’t have references.
In the comments, we received some interesting thoughts.
Many people need to know they can trust a pet sitter because they love their pets so much. Pet sitters would need to know the conditions of pets and be able to provide proper pet care.
A lot of people thought it was important to give newbies a chance. A few people couldn’t imagine letting a beginner watch their home and pets. However, every sitter starts as a beginner.
Some people hired newbies with great results. Others will never hire someone without references again. Fortunately, sitters can provide character references until they are more experienced.
40% of Homeowners Find It Challenging to Find the Right Pet Sitter
When asked about challenges when hiring sitters, there were a few factors.
Most pet parents struggled to find a sitter with the right skills for their animals, with over 40% of the votes.
In the second place, 30% of voters struggled to find the right sitter for their house. It can be very hard to trust someone with your home.
20% found that’s it’s challenging to find someone who can maintain the garden. They also worried about the sitter’s ability to properly recycle. Since our world increasingly values sustainability, more homeowners will follow these practices.
10% said it was hard to find a sitter in their area. This is especially true for those who live rurally or in small towns.
We always reccomend that you leave a detailed handover for your house sitters. That way the house sitter has all the information they need to exceed your expectations. You can use this pet sitter checklist template to ensure you have included all the relevant information for your sitter.
Homeowners Worry About A Variety Of Things While Traveling
When pet owners go on vacation, they worry about the health and happiness of their pets. Owners of livestock often have even more concerns. It’s hard to trust a stranger with pet sitting.
Some stress about house and travel insurance. Others just hope they return to a well-maintained home.
House owners who have gardens and yards worry about that. Can the sitter properly maintain their property?
Some travelers can embrace the vacation. Their biggest worries are finding wine and making sure they don’t spend too much money on luxury!
46% of House Owners Hired A Sitter Twice in 2022
We asked homeowners how many times they hired a sitter in 2022.
46.2% of the homeowners had hired pet sitters twice in 2022, 23.1% of the homeowners were yet to hire a house sitter.
15% of homeowners had hired a house sitter once and 15% of homeowners hired a sitter three times.
As house-sitting becomes more popular, there will be more opportunities each year.
43% of House Sitters Sit Part-Time
We asked house sitters if they sit part-time, full-time, or only on vacation.
Majority of house sitters, 43 % house-sit part-time
The second most popular answer was for a vacation, this made up 32% of the vote. They will house-sit for a week here and there.
Around 23% of house sitters, sit full-time.
44% of House Sitters Find House Sits on House Sitting Sites
We asked house sitters how they find new house-sitting opportunities. House-sitting sites was the most popular option with 44%.
About 24% of respondents agreed that they find sits through word of mouth.
Popular option was within this particular community of 60,000 homeowners and house sitters, it was 20.6% of the vote. Then 9.5% of respondents used other groups.
One person still used traditional marketing, such as flyers and mailings.
46% of House Sitters House Sit Abroad
When we asked how many people do international house sits.
That was nearly 54% of the respondents plan to start sitting internationally.
Then 46% of the respondents said they do sit internationally.
68% of House Sitters Have Started Sitting Since COVID
We asked house sitters if they took a break during COVID and have returned to house sitting.
36% of respondents were already started house-sitting again after COVID
28.6% of respondents haven’t started house sitting again since COVID. 32% didn’t even start house sitting until after COVID.
Since more people are working remotely, more people can house-sit. It’s a great way to make extra money while traveling without giving up your day job!
37% of Sitters Plan To Sit 1-3 Times in 2024
We asked house sitters how many sits they plan to do in 2024.
37% of voters plan to do 1-3 house sits.
25% of voters plan to do 4-6 house sits.
17% of voters plan to do 7-10 house sits.
8.5% of voters plan to do 11-15 house sits.
5.75% plans to do 26-30 sits
5.75% plans to do over 31 house sits.
1.5% aren’t if they’re ready yet this year.
That means 98.5% of house sitters are planning to do at least one sit this year.
38% of House Sitters Struggle to Find New House Sits
We asked house sitters about their biggest challenges.
The top challenge is finding new sits. 38%, agree that finding new sits is a challenge.
Communication can make it easier for house owners and sitters to find a good match. With open communication, it is easier to know if you should work together.
Second place was a tie. 23% thought that moving around was a challenge. 23% thought that it was hard to leave pets.
6% of voters, have found it hard to find house sitting assignments without pets. We have found that these types of assignments are more common in places where people have second homes.
4% found it difficult to find house sit opportunities where you can bringing your dog with you. 4% found it hard to deal with pet illness.
86% of House Sitters Loved House Sitting In Europe Most
We also asked about their favorite geographic location for house sitting.
41.4% of the respondents voted for Europe.
Second place was a tie between North America and Greece. They each received nearly 14% of the vote.
Third place was also a tie between Ireland and the UK. They each received 10% of the vote.
Two people voted for Asia, making up 7% of the vote.
If you pay attention, you’ll notice that many of these answers were in different parts of Europe. House owners in Europe should be able to find house sitters pretty easily!
House sitters may want to find opportunities to sit in less popular places. These places will be easier to find opportunities because of less competition. While many sitters go to Western Europe, not as many go to the Middle East or South Africa.
Fortunately, you’ll be able to find a good opportunity in most places as house sitting becomes more popular.
While house sitting is a growing industry, it’s still very new. It can be hard to know what the future holds for house sitters and owners, but we know it’ll get better from here!
While house sitters have existed for decades, it has recently become much more common.
House sitters may wonder what homeowners look for in a potential sitter. Anyone starting a sitting career may wonder what others think about their jobs.
Homeowners may be curious about the type of people who will be caring for their homes.
Author: Britt
I am Britt. I have been house-sitting and pet-sitting for the past seven years. I have cared for 25 dogs, 35 cats, one turtle, and one rabbit over 80+ houses in 15 countries.
The opportunity to experience different homes, cultures, and communities has been extraordinary.
I’ve connected with homeowners seeking reliable sitters through house-sitting platforms like Aussie House Sitters and Trusted House Sitters. This unique way of living has allowed me to save money on accommodation, explore new cultures, and meet new people.
Being a member of these platforms has broadened my horizons and opened doors to short- and long-term house-sitting jobs. I’ve found joy in providing excellent pet care and ensuring the home is well-maintained.
I get many questions about how to start as a housesitter, so please reach out if you have any questions! I want everyone to enjoy this incredible lifestyle as well!
You can read more about Jay and me here!
Or connect with me on Facebook or in our house-sitting community on Facebook.
