When you sign up for a house-sitting job, you’re committing to take care of a person’s house.
For some house sitters, they can be unsure of what tasks are expected from them. Each homeowner likely has different needs and expectations so much sure you have a conversation with them about it.
Some the owner may ask for scheduled maintenance to be done. Some tasks may need to be done by a professional like fixing a broken pipe or swimming pool. We have listed some examples of the tasks we have been asked to perform in the past for you!
Table of Contents
Maintenance For House Sitters
Standard House Maintenance Tasks
Basic tasks that are fairly standard include the normal maintenance of taking care of a house. Taking care of plants and animals is something that we do on a daily basis. Taking care of any pets may be needed.
For example, walking the dog or cleaning out the cat’s litter box is a fairly standard task. Other animals such as fish are also included and may need to be done on a daily basis.
General Cleaning
Cleaning is also generally expected when house sitting. Any messes that are made while the house sitter is present will need to be cleaned.
There can be other tasks such as taking out the trash or cleaning the pool that can also be done. We can perform these tasks as needed.
Generally, the homeowner will provide a list of any cleaning that should be done while gone. Normal tidying up is generally expected.
Garden Maintenance
Yard and garden maintenance may be something that needs to be done. Indoor plants can be watered as needed.
Lawn mowing is fairly common and may need to be done if there is not a service scheduled. If the house has a garden, the owner may need the sitter to weed the garden or pick any vegetables that ripen while gone.
Fertilising the lawn is also a maintenance task that may be requested. This is more common for longer stretches of house sitting.
Appliance Maintenance
Most standard appliances require some sort of maintenance on a regular basis, so this may be a task that’s desired. For example, a dryer often needs to have the lint removed.
Other appliances may need a deep cleaning a few times a year. A common maintenance item is deep oven cleaning. This is usually done on a yearly basis. House sitters may be asked to perform this task as well.
When in doubt, it’s always a good idea to ask the owner for clarification before taking on a house-sitting job. People who are not comfortable with some of these basic maintenance tasks may not want to take on certain jobs for this reason.
