How To Become A House Sitter in 10 Easy Steps in 2024

So you want to know how to become a housesitter? You’re in the right place! We have house-sat over 70+ homes over five years in 12 countries, so we get excited about teaching others how to start house-sitting.

First, I’ll give you a quick overview of how house sitting works and our simple steps to getting started as a house sitter! We want to give you all the necessary information so you don’t make the mistakes we did!

This post provides ten actionable steps to becoming a housesitter and best practices for house-sitting. You’ll also learn how to eliminate paying bills and accommodation forever!

What’s in This Post?
An Introduction to House Sitting
How to Become a House Sitter
Do House Sitters Pay Utilities?

Want to jump straight to how to become a house sitter in 10 steps? Then click here

An Introduction to House Sitting

House-sitting can benefit many different people, such as;

• Young couples trying to save for their first home.
  
• Individuals who can’t afford rent.
  
• Long-term travelers who want a place to settle.
  
• Those who miss animals, whether because they are traveling, can’t have pets at their own home, or can’t afford them.
  
• Retirees who are looking for a cheap travel accommodation.
  
• Nomads looking for international house-sitting jobs.
  

We have been offering our house-sitting services for four years now! At that time, we had the opportunity to look after SOME INCREDIBLE homes worldwide.

Some of our highlights so far:
Australia, Barcelona, Bourdeaux, Canada, Chiang Mai, the Caribbean, Dublin, France, Greece, Kuala Lumpur, London, Rome, Spain, Istanbul, and Northern Italy.

How To Become A House Sitter – Our Step-By-Step Guide

Below are the ten steps to becoming a house sitter (we wish we had known these when we were getting started)

1. Get Your House Sitting References and Reviews Together

Reviews and references are everything. Before any homeowner contacts you, they will want to read reviews or references.

This can be difficult when you are starting out and may need to get creative. We found the following were helpful if you have no references:

• Family or friends whose pets you have experience with.
• Are you a member or leader of community groups, organizations, or clubs? Think scouts, church groups, youth groups, Girl Guides, etc.
• Current or past employer.
• References from commendable figures in your life, such as policemen, judges, or doctors.
• Airbnb References.
• Dog walking references.

Do you want to get started house-sitting ASAP?
Skip our how-to-become house-sitter tips, sign up for one of the house-sitting websites, and start booking house-sitting assignments now!

2. Obtain A Police or Government Criminal Record Check

A police check or criminal record check can help you secure a house sit. It is also a great backup if you have no references. Head to your local government or police website and order a Criminal Record Check.

Each country might have a different version, but it should be similar. Most countries will send you physical and online copies to your email address. It’s good to have these on hand to forward to anyone interested in having your house sat for them or to add to your house-sitting profile.

Homeowners often do their due diligence when hiring sitters, and a police check is a great way for them to see that you are the perfect one to look after their animals. It might just be the peace of mind that they must confirm you for the house-sitting assignment.

3. Sign Up To Online House Sitting Websites

The number one question we get about becoming a housesitter is: what are the best house-sitting websites to use?

There are many house-sitting websites out there that link homeowners and house and pet sitters together. When we surveyed over 70,000 housesitters and homeowners, we found that over 44% of house sitters used house-sitting sites to find house sits.

All these platforms charge a yearly membership fee, but it’s worth it after you’ve locked in your first house-sitting assignment! Some house-sitting sites are more expensive, but they can offer more benefits, such as the ability to set up alerts for your chosen location/duration/dates, comprehensive insurance, and background checks.

I recommend always picking a platform that provides full insurance. I have comprehensively reviewed all the platforms currently on the market and outlined which provide insurance, the cost, alerts, and background checks. You can see that detailed review here.

The main ones that we use are listed below.

• Trusted House Sitters (if you click on that link, a 25% discount code will be automatically applied)
• Aussie House Sitters (Best for in Australia)
• House Carers (Best for the USA)
• Mindahome

Once you have picked a site, sign up to set up your house-sitting profile. Your profile should showcase your trustworthiness, responsibility, relevant skills, and house-sitting qualifications.

Remember, it’s all about trust and showing the homeowner you are perfect for house-sitting jobs. I provide some guidance on this, so if you need help, visit my contact page.

House-Sitting Tip: Sometimes, the smaller, more local house-sitting platforms have some great house-sitting assignments & much less competition!

4. Be Creative and Self Advertise

It is always a good idea to self-advertise. Always remember that creativity is vital to advertising! Think outside the box.

In the past, we have:

1. I created leaflets and letterboxes and dropped suburbs we wanted to house sit in.
2. Made posters and put them up on supermarket notice boards, cafes, yoga studios, and community centers.
3. I dropped business cards at local pet shops, homeware stores, and real estate agents.
4. Found and got active on Facebook groups and forums for expats in locations we want to visit.
5. I asked friends and family members to keep an ear out or to share our services on their travel adventures.
6. I spoke to local councils about adding our pet sitter services to their community resource documents.

Remember, the best marketing method is word of mouth. House sitting is still a relatively new concept to most. Someone who has never heard of house sitting might get your leaflet and tell ten people about this great new idea they have found!

You can try social media platforms to get more exposure. You never know what platforms your next house sit might come from!

You could create a YouTube channel, Instagram account, Facebook Page, Twitter account, or personal house-sitting website. If you have a LinkedIn profile, even put it on there. You never know who will stumble across you.

5. Complete A Pet First Aid Course – Optional

The last thing you want to happen while looking after a family’s furry friend is for something bad.

You may need to be prepared for pet emergencies. Pets are like family members, and you may need special skills to solve one of the many potential pet emergencies that can happen.

We recommend finding your local pet first aider and completing a course, this is optional but it does look really good on your house sitting resume. Generally, they are one-day courses and will only cost around $100. Attending a one-day course could save one of your pet’s lives. Along with your police record check, this looks more professional to any homeowner.

Once you have completed any course, update your house-sitting profile to let homeowners know you have the skills.

6. Apply, Apply, Apply, Apply, and Don’t Forget to Follow Up!

Once you are signed up, make sure you start applying for as many house-sitting assignments as you can! Remember to set up email alerts to never miss your perfect house-sitting assignment.

House sitting is competitive, so you must be prompt and stand out with your applications. Don’t send a generic copy-and-paste application. Show the homeowner you have read their listing and want to look after their home and pets.

Remember, depending on the home’s location, some homeowners can receive hundreds of applications in one week. You want to send an application that is well thought out, grammatically correct, and relevant to the assignment.

See our tips for applying and landing the sits you want.

7. Genuinely Love Pets and Animals

You will find that some house-sitting assignments are focused on pets. Usually, this is a cat and dog, but it is common to see horses, chickens, llamas, ducks, turtles, and rabbits. However, there are many opportunities to house sit without animals; if you prefer not to care for animals, I can show you how to find this house sit.

You need to be able to look after your pets like they are your own, giving them the love and kind cuddles they usually get. Pet sitting allows animals to stay comfortable in their own environment and stick to their regular routines. This keeps them happy and calm and ensures they do not miss their owners too much.

8. Be Flexible

You may need to be flexible when starting out and building your references. Remember, the more house-sits you do, the more references you will get.

When we first started house-sitting, we lived in London, UK, and our first job was in London. This was to build up our references.

​The more references you have, the more likely someone is to hire you for a job as a house sitter for them. Homeowners get many applications, particularly in nice areas or busy vacation spots. So, much like a job application, until you have some experience, you might need to take some shorter assignments.

House Sitting Tip:
Sometimes, you will have gaps before or after a house sit. Don’t worry; this is not a big deal. There are many options for you for cheap or even free accommodation.

Look into Couchsurfing (free accommodation), Gumtree, Airbnb, Craigslist (USA only), or the local community notice board.

9. Get All The Information

This is important for people who want to know how to become housesitters. Get the homeowner to list all the information about the house and pet/s. No matter how small or irrelevant they might think the detail is, finding all the information about the house, pets, and area can prevent unwanted problems or nasty surprises.

Find out everything from the house’s quirks to when the postman comes to the names and numbers of the neighbors and close family members. The last thing you want to do is contact the family while they enjoy their holiday with a question like, ‘Where do you keep the trash bags?’
Find out the animal’s favorite snack if they are likely to get up at night to go to the bathroom. Their favorite sleeping spot. If they have a favorite scratching spot or anything else you can think of,

We have compiled a list of over 65+ questions in a handover questionnaire, including the ones I mentioned. I like to send this to the homeowner at least 5-7 days before they leave so they can provide good information. We provide this questionnaire in our Masterclass; you can see it here if you’re interested in joining.

Your main priority is to keep the animals happy and safe; every last detail about them will make your house much easier.

For Example, we recently had a long-term sit with a cat who had a tendency to throw up at night. The homeowner had owned this cat for many years and had just become accustomed to this, almost forgetting to tell us. Without crucial information, we could have been in a real panic.

10. Update and Communicate

Before the homeowner goes away, develop an updated schedule/communication schedule. Remember that every homeowner is different. Some people will want daily photos and even Skype calls. Others will want an update once a week or only if something goes wrong. Be sure to come up with a clear plan of attack and respect it.

Don’t be worried if the homeowner asks you to share updates with their friends while they are traveling around the globe. We have encountered that before.

To some families, their pets are everything, and it is hard for them to leave them at home with strangers. You want to show the homeowner that the pet is having fun, happy, and, most importantly, well taken care of.

That is How To Become A House Sitter

We hope our top 10 tips on being a housesitter have inspired you to start your own house-sitting adventure! Below are the two house-sitting sites we use to land all our 50+ house-sits worldwide!

Then, you can start applying for house-sitting opportunities!

Need More Help Starting Your House-Sitting Adventure?

We love sharing our experiences and teaching others how to become house-sitters and start their journeys. So, if you need help starting your house-sitting journey, see my resources here, and don’t hesitate to contact me and ask me any questions.

House Sitting FAQs

Do you get paid to be a house sitter?

It depends. Sometimes, house and pet sitting is a mutual agreement between the house sitter and the homeowner, where no money changes hands. However, some people charge for their services. We are currently putting together a fact sheet to help with this.

What does a professional house sitter do?

A professional housesitter ensures the home and pets are safe while the homeowner is away. Your duties include, but are not limited to, caring for animals, walking them, administering medication, taking care of the home, keeping up with housework and garden maintenance, and anything else specified by the homeowner. 

Are there free house siting websites?

After four years of house sitting, we have not found any platforms allowing you to sign up for free and apply for house sits.

What do you do as a house sitter?

As a housesitter, your main focus is keeping the home and animals safe while the homeowner is away. This can include walking animals, feeding animals, administering medication, vet visits, keeping a tidy home, ensuring the homeowner’s mail is safe, paying any bills, maintaining the yard/garden, and ensuring no one breaks in. 

Do house sitters stay overnight?

Yes, house sitters do stay overnight. House sitters stay in your home for the house sits entire duration. Usually, the house sitters will come from out of town (or out of the country) to care for your home, so they will be at the property the entire time they sit. 

Do house sitters pay utilities?

This is something that you need to discuss with your sitters. Generally, we do not pay utility bills on the house sits. When sitting, we spend a lot of time caring for animals and the homeowner’s property and ensuring everything is safe – which is ‘working’ for the utility bills to be covered when we are sitting. Usually, we travel a long way to get to a seat, for which we never ask for compensation from the homeowners. We would not be comfortable paying for utilities on top of that.  We ensure that we take care when using utilities at home so we don’t put the homeowners out of pocket.

Do house sitters pay a security deposit?

Generally speaking, no. However, this comes down to the homeowners. Make sure you talk with the home and pet owners throughout the application process about what they would like to do. We have never been asked to pay a security deposit for completed house sits.

Why do people hire house sitters?

There are many reasons why homeowners choose to hire sitters. The most common reasons are to take care of pets and administer medication to sick animals. Other common reasons homeowners hire sitters to take care of their homes are to ensure the home is safe and to ensure maintenance is kept up while they are away. Let’s get into how to start house-sitting gigs!

Are Trusted House Sitters Worth It?

Trusted House Sitters is a platform that we have been using for years. It is one of our go-to platforms and a highly recommended site! In terms of whether the cost is worth it, it is one of the most expensive platforms, but once you lock in your first sit, the membership fee has already paid for itself! You can find house sits worldwide, including house-sitting in Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, London, Mexico, New York, North America, Panama, Toronto, the United States, and almost anywhere else.

Have You Done Boat Sitting?

Yes, Jay has cared for a catamaran in the Caribbean. There are many opportunities to care for boats; if you looking for more information, see his post on house sitting in the Caribbean

Want More House Sitting Information?