How to Prepare Your Home for a Pet Sitter: The Complete Homeowner Checklist

Most homeowner guides focus on finding a sitter. This one focuses on what happens after you’ve found them — the preparation that turns a good sitter into a great sit.

We’ve been on the sitter side of this equation more than 60 times across 15 countries. We’ve walked into homes that were immaculately prepared — welcome guides, labeled everything, a fridge stocked with essentials, a neighbor briefed and ready. We’ve also walked into homes where we had to figure out the alarm code from a screenshot, couldn’t find the pet food, and didn’t know the vet’s name until day three.

The difference in how those sits feel — and how confidently we cared for the pets — was significant. This guide is everything we wish every homeowner knew before they handed over their keys.

Why Preparation Matters More Than You Think

A well-prepared home does three things. It keeps your pets calm — animals are sensitive to disruption, and a sitter who arrives confident and informed creates far less anxiety than one who is uncertain and scrambling. It protects your property — a sitter who knows where the stopcock is can prevent a minor leak from becoming a major problem. And it protects the relationship — clear expectations on both sides mean no awkward conversations when you return.

According to our survey data from 125,000+ active homeowners and sitters, 40% of homeowners said their biggest challenge was finding a sitter with the right skills for their property. The experience you give a sitter directly affects whether they come back, whether they recommend you, and the quality of their review on your profile. Preparation is not just courtesy. It is how you attract and keep good sitters.

Before You Confirm: Have a Proper Pre-Sit Conversation

The handover starts before the sitter arrives. Once you’ve selected someone, have a video call or phone conversation before the sit is confirmed. This is not just about logistics — it is about establishing trust and making sure both parties feel comfortable with the arrangement.

Cover these points in your pre-sit conversation:

• The full daily routine for your pets — feeding times, walk schedules, any medical needs
• Whether the sitter is comfortable with the property’s specific requirements — pool, garden, alarm system
• Your preferred communication style while you’re away — daily updates, emergency only, or somewhere in between
• What to do if something goes wrong — who to call, what to escalate, what to handle independently
• Arrival and departure times — when you need them there for handover, and when you plan to return

Everything agreed in this conversation should be confirmed in writing via the platform’s messaging system. This protects both parties and gives the sitter a clear reference point throughout the sit.

Create a Welcome Guide — and Make It Genuinely Useful

This is the single most impactful thing you can do for your sitter. A welcome guide is not a list of rules — it is a practical document that gives your sitter everything they need to care for your home and pets confidently without needing to contact you.

TrustedHouseSitters has a built-in welcome guide system that prompts homeowners through the key sections. If you’re on another platform, we’ve created a ready-to-use document covering every category worth including — print it, fill it in, and leave it somewhere obvious.

A genuinely useful welcome guide covers:

Pets:

• Full name and physical description of each animal
• Daily feeding schedule — exact times, portion sizes, food brand and where it’s stored
• Walk schedule — duration, usual routes, any behavioural notes (reactive to other dogs, nervous around strangers, tends to bolt at the gate)
• Medication — what, when, how, and what to do if a dose is missed
• Vet details — name, address, phone number, and whether they have your payment details on file
• Any quirks, fears, or comfort items worth knowing about

The House:

• Alarm code and full operating instructions — show the sitter how to use it in person, don’t just write it down
• Wi-Fi name and password
• Heating and cooling — what settings to maintain and how to adjust
• Bin collection days and where to put each bin
• Any appliances with quirks — the washing machine that takes an extra push, the shower that runs cold for two minutes
• Location of the fuse box, stopcock, and any other essential systems
• What to do if the power goes out

The Neighbourhood:

• Nearest supermarket, pharmacy, and vet
• Parking notes if relevant
• Any neighbours worth knowing — who has a spare key, who is available in an emergency
• Local coworking space or cafe with fast Wi-Fi if the sitter works remotely

Organise the Practical Essentials Before You Leave

A well-organised home is easier to look after than a chaotic one — especially for a sitter navigating an unfamiliar space. Before your departure, go through each of the following:

Pet supplies:

• Stock enough food for the full duration of the sit plus a few days extra — running out mid-sit is stressful for everyone
• Label food containers clearly, especially if you have multiple pets on different diets
• Leave medication in an obvious, labelled location with written instructions alongside
• Make sure leads, harnesses, and any other equipment are accessible and in good condition
• Leave a supply of waste bags somewhere easy to find

If you have dogs and want a template specifically built around dog care routines, our dog-specific handover sheet covers feeding schedules, behavioural notes, vet contacts, and everything in between.

The kitchen:

• Leave the fridge reasonably stocked — milk, basics, something easy for the first night. It is a small gesture that makes a significant impression
• Clear out anything that will expire during the sit
• Make sure the sitter knows which cupboards and shelves they are welcome to use

The bedroom and bathroom:

• Clean the space the sitter will use before they arrive — fresh sheets, clean towels, clear wardrobe space
• Leave toiletries they might need — soap, shampoo, toilet paper stocked
• If you have a streaming service, set up a guest profile so they can use it

The garden:

• Leave clear written instructions for any plants that need watering — frequency, amount, which ones are sensitive
• Show the sitter where the hose, watering can, and any garden tools are stored
• If there is a pool, walk them through the maintenance routine in person before you leave

Do a Walkthrough on the Day You Leave

No written guide replaces a proper in-person handover. Set aside at least an hour on your departure day to walk through the home with your sitter. Cover:

• Every room and any access restrictions
• The alarm — demonstrate arming and disarming, don’t just hand over the code
• Pet routines in real time if possible — feed them together, do the morning walk together
• Any appliances with specific instructions
• Emergency contacts — point out where they are written, don’t just mention them verbally

Let the sitter ask questions. If they’re asking a lot of questions, that is a good sign — it means they are paying attention. The sitters who ask nothing are often the ones who struggle later.

Allow the pets to settle with the sitter while you are still present. Animals pick up on your departure anxiety. If you spend time with the sitter and your pets together before you leave, the transition is significantly smoother — particularly for dogs.

What Not to Do Before You Leave

A few things that consistently create problems:

Don’t leave the house in a state you wouldn’t want to return to. Your sitter is not a cleaner. They will maintain the home in the condition they find it — if that condition is chaotic, it will remain chaotic.

Don’t give last-minute instructions at the door. Anything critical needs to be in the welcome guide and covered in the walkthrough. Information delivered in a rush as you’re heading to the airport doesn’t stick.

Don’t overload the sitter with contact from abroad. Check in periodically as agreed, but resist the urge to message daily for updates unless something is wrong. Your sitter is a trusted adult — treat them like one.

Don’t leave access to things you don’t want touched without being explicit. If a room is off-limits, lock it or label it clearly. If there are valuables that should not be moved, say so. Ambiguity creates awkward situations.

For Homeowners Using House Sitting Platforms

If you’re finding a sitter through a platform rather than a personal contact, there are a few extra things worth doing.

Check the sitter’s review history carefully — look for consistency across multiple sits, not just a star rating. What previous homeowners said about their reliability, communication, and pet care is the most reliable predictor of how they’ll perform for you.

Make your listing as detailed as possible. Vague listings attract vague applicants. The more specific you are about your pets, your property, and your expectations, the more likely you are to attract sitters who are genuinely right for the job.

Respond to applications promptly. Good sitters apply to multiple listings simultaneously. If you take a week to respond, the sitter you wanted may have already confirmed elsewhere.

If you want to understand what the vetting process looks like from the sitter’s side — what platforms verify and what to look for in a sitter’s credentials — our complete guide to background checks and platform vetting covers every major platform’s process in detail.

Not sure which platform to list on in the first place? We’ve spent a decade using them — our breakdown of every major house sitting website covers pricing, homeowner fees, and which platforms attract the most experienced sitters.

The Golden Rule

The homeowners whose sits we remember most fondly — the ones we’ve returned to, recommended, and stayed friends with — all had one thing in common. They treated the arrangement as a genuine exchange between two parties who both wanted it to go well, not as a transaction where they were doing us a favour by letting us stay.

A well-prepared home, a thorough welcome guide, a stocked fridge, and a proper walkthrough cost almost nothing. The goodwill they generate — and the quality of care your pets receive as a result — is worth considerably more.

Ready to Find Your Sitter?

If you’re still looking for the right person, we’ve put together a complete guide on how to find a house sitter you can genuinely trust — covering where to look, what to include in your listing, and how to evaluate applications properly.

👉 Start here to find your perfect sitter