House & Pet Sitting
Everything you need to know about house and pet sitting – the smart way to travel
If you haven’t tried house sitting before you might just find information and inspiration on this page that’ll change your life.
Intrigued?
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Have you considered house sitting?
Over the years we've saved thousands of pounds on accommodation costs by house sitting all over the world. If you’re new to the concept but want to give it a try, you’ll need to sign up for one or more specialist websites that connect homeowners with potential house sitters. The world’s largest platform is Trusted Housesitters, with tens of thousands of opportunities around the globe.
By creating a free account with them you can preview what housesits are currently on offer, filtered by country, region or city.
You can do that by following this link and choosing the “Find a house sit” tab. If you then decide to join as a member, you’ll also receive a 25% discount on your first year’s subscription.
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What is house sitting?
House sitting is an increasingly popular way of visiting a country without the need for booking accommodation.
Basically, it’s an exchange of services between volunteers (house sitters) and homeowners, whereby the sitters are on site to look after the owners’ pets and provide security for their home while they’re away for a period of time. In return, the sitters typically enjoy rent-free accommodation.
Usually, the cost of utilities such as gas and electricity, are covered by the host, too. So, for the house sitter, any financial commitment is normally limited to transportation and living costs. Where a financial contribution is required by the host it’s usually stipulated as such in their listing.
What are the best house sitting websites?
The biggest player in the market is Trusted Housesitters, who also happen to be the most expensive. But for the largest selection of housesits to choose from then it’s worth paying the extra. And they remain our go-to site for sits all over the world.
For housesits in the UK we also use House Sitters UK. And they have sister sites in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA, too.
Elsewhere, House Carers have been offering their house sitting service longer than anyone else. And Nomador are particularly good for European housesits.
Another cheap option is Mind My House (currently just $20 per year membership). We’ve used them in the past (especially in the early days) but we switched to Trusted Housesitters because of the sheer number of quality sits on offer.
Is long term house sitting possible?
House sitting assignments can last for anything from one day to one year, or even more. Of course, the longer term sits are much rarer – but they are out there.
We’ve picked up sits for six-month periods in the Caribbean and the US. And we’ve had a number of three-month sits in Brazil, France and the UK.
However, be aware that when they do come along, there’s usually fierce competition.
Can you get paid to housesit?
Yes, that’s possible. In fact, there’s an increasing number of people who treat house sitting as a business and will only accept paid assignments.
We’re not one of them. We prefer the flexibility of choosing from a wide range of sits where no money changes hands. Instead, it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement based on developing trust and personal relationships rather than a formal contractual exchange.
That’s not to say either way is the better option. If being paid to housesit is a motivator then go for it!
Is house sitting safe?
There’s no doubt that there’s a considerable element of trust involved during a housesit. Both for the homeowner and the house sitter.
As a homeowner, you’re entrusting a relative stranger with the welfare of your pets and the security of your home. And as a house sitter, you’ll be relying on the house being secure and the pets not having unexpected behavioural issues. Indeed, we’ve had one instance where a dog we were walking on a lead suddenly lunged and bit a passer-by, drawing blood.
Of course, where you housesit can have an impact on your safety, just as it would if you booked a holiday. For instance, we got caught up in the devastation of Hurricane Irma while we were house sitting in the British Virgin Islands. And our house in Panama got directly struck by lightning, taking out all the electricity with it.
But house sitting, as a concept, is safe. It just makes sense to do your due diligence before accepting an assignment. Make sure you have a phone or video conversation with the owners first and clear up any concerns upfront by asking the appropriate questions.
Is house and pet sitting the same thing?
The two terms are pretty much interchangeable. While there are housesits that don’t involve pets, more than 95% of those advertised will involve one or more animals.
if you find a housesit that doesn’t involve pets it’s likely to be because the owner doesn’t want to leave the place empty while they’re away. Perhaps because they are worried about security. Or there’s a need for an ongoing presence to attend to minor repairs, cold weather issues etc.
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