In this article, I’m going to share 5 important things we wish we’d known about house sitting before we started. We’ll share some important lessons we’ve learned – so you don’t have the learn them the hard way!
Why Should I Become a House Sitter?
House sitting changed our lives, in the best way. It’s helped us to travel around five different continents and counting. We’ve cared for many adorable animals and met some pretty awesome hosts too. Many of which we are still in touch with, even 3 years down the line.
We have open invitations to return to many of our sits, as friends as well as sitters. This is a bonus that we didn’t see coming when we started our house sitting journey many moons ago.
What Do I Need to Know About House Sitting?
House sitting has been a learning curve for us.
Our first house sits in our hometown (to gain some good reviews) were a walk in the park. The location was familiar to us and we could still more or less go about our normal routine. The first two sits involved only looking after two very self-sufficient house rabbits!
As time has gone on though, we’ve traveled further afield, to different countries with varying cultures. At times we’ve even consecutively hopped from one house sit to another. Along the way, we have learned some important things.
House Sitting Top Tips – Things You Need to Know
I’ve outlined some of the most important house sitting lessons we have learned over the years. Below is my advice on how to hit the ground running if you are hoping to become a house sitter. It will help you steer clear of some common pitfalls along the way too.
1 – Only Confirm House Sits Through the Proper Channels
Trusted Housesitters is our house sitting website of choice. The web and app-based platform is super easy to use. You can set alerts for locations and dates so you are notified as soon as a relevant sit goes live. Best of all there are thousands of listings all around the world. We’ve used THS to secure sits in the US, Australia, Vietnam, and Singapore to name but a few.
Sit Cancellation Plans
THS is great because of its Premium Sitter subscription, which is priced at $259/year and includes a sit cancellation plan. A basic membership without sit cancellation is $129/year.
In the unlikely event of a host canceling, THS will provide up to $150 compensation per night for alternative accommodation. This tops out at $1500 per sit. You are covered for 30 days annually over as many sits as you like. For longer sits you’re still covered for your first three sits each year, even if they span over 30 days.
However, to get this cancellation benefit you need to be officially offered and have accepted the sit via THS.
A Verbal Agreement Isn’t Enough
Verbally agreeing on a sit, without going through the proper channels, is not advisable. It will mean that things are not properly confirmed and not officially agreed in the eyes of THS.
This could lead to THS not providing the benefits of the cancellation plan if the worst were to happen.
For many people, the big benefit of using house sitting is the cost-saving it offers on accommodation. So, if you have a sit lined up that cancels and haven’t officially confirmed things with the host, you could face a hefty and unexpected accommodation bill.
Our Experience
Luckily enough, we have never had a sit cancel on us last minute. Although we did come pretty close once in Nashville. The host nearly canceled their trip the night before we were due to arrive because of a serious water leak.
This was on 26th December and the cheapest accommodation option started at around $150/night. It meant our planned month in Nashville with free accommodation thanks to the sit was starting to look pretty expensive. Thankfully the leak was quickly fixed and the house sit went on as planned. We were so relieved knowing we had the insurance in our back pocket, though.
Not All Plans Offer Cancellation Insurance
The Trusted Housesitters Standard and Basic Sitter plans do not offer any cancellation insurance. If you are considering traveling far and wide to complete sits, we would highly recommend the Premium Sitter subscription. It gives you the peace of mind that you won’t be left without accommodation if a sit falls through.
As an added bonus, the Premium Sitter subscription also gives you two free airport lounge passes per year!
2 – It Might Take a Night or Two to Adapt
We’ve found that arriving at another person’s home, with new people, pets, and amenities to navigate can be a full-on experience. It’s exciting, exhilarating, and definitely keeps you on your toes. There’s lots of information to take in, house quirks to get used to, and new beds to settle into.
The animals will need some time to get used to you as their new carers. Don’t always expect them to settle in immediately (although in our experience, they are often quick to adapt).
Your First Night
In the best case, you’ll sleep like a baby from the very first night. We’ve certainly had plenty of these kinds of nights after a long journey. But, be prepared to perhaps have a slightly disrupted first night’s sleep as you get used to your new environment. It’s part and parcel of house sitting – new places, sleeping environments, and living spaces.
Don’t Panic
If you struggle to sleep on your first night, don’t panic! Give yourself a night to adapt. My top tip is to travel with earplugs and an eye mask. Perhaps look into some white noise or calming phone apps to help you get through any potential first-night discomfort.
Our Experience
If you go in prepared not to get your full 8 hours on the first night, you’ll be pleasantly surprised if you do. By the following night, you’ll probably sleep much better. You’ll have figured out the optimum A/C temperature and the animals will be more settled and comfortable with you being in their home.
3 – Don’t Blow Your Budget Getting There
It can be hard not to get carried away when you’re applying for house sits. A beautiful house on the beach, a penthouse city apartment, an Italian farmhouse – all these options and more, are available.
But something we learned early on, is that before applying for a sit, do some research into the costs of getting there.
Plan a Cost-Efficient Route
A sit in Barbados for a week sounds amazing. But if it’s going to take you 19 hours and $2500 to get there, is it worth it? For many long-term travelers, budgets can be tight. You need to keep a close eye on costs, so bearing in mind the travel logistics of getting to and from a sit is important.
Consider if there are some alternative house sitting opportunities closer to your current location that come with a more cost-efficient route.
Long Distance Sits
Don’t discount the sits that are further afield, but if you are investing in substantial travel costs, consider staying in those locations for a longer period so you can justify the cost of getting there. This way you can really immerse yourself in the country or region.
Our Experience
In late 2023 we flew to Vietnam from France – not a cheap flight I can tell you. But, as we stayed in Vietnam for 3 months, completed several house sits, and slowly made our way across the country. This meant our initial financial outlay to get to Vietnam was worthwhile in the long run. It was a good investment overall as we didn’t just stay for a fleeting visit.
We also used Vietnam as a stepping stone towards other countries on our travel bucket list such as Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand.
4 – Double Check the Host’s Travel Plans
We’ve found a few times that a host will make a listing live with start and end dates, but when you end up talking to them and maybe even after you have accepted the sit, these dates may flex as their travel plans firm up – especially if you accept a sit that starts many months in the future.
Communication is Key
We keep in touch with hosts before the sit and confirm exactly the date and time they want us to arrive and when we should plan to leave. Regular communication is key in the lead-up and during the sit so you can coordinate timings effectively with your hosts.
I’d recommend setting up a Whatsapp group with the hosts as soon as the sit is confirmed so you can keep in touch before, during, and after a sit. Yes, after a sit! We are still active in chat groups with our previous hosts and love to check in from time to time.
Consider a Buffer Zone
It’s a good idea to leave a buffer zone on either side of the confirmed dates – in case for any reason a host’s travel plans change unexpectedly, or their return flights are delayed or canceled. We’d hate to leave a sit and have the animals left alone for longer than necessary because the hosts are delayed for any reason.
In fact, it is a good idea to have an ‘in-person’ handover and hand back – as you’ll see in point 5.
Our Experience
We’ve had to cancel a couple of planned nights in hotels between house sits due to hosts changing their return plans last minute. Usually, it is because they didn’t factor in the time difference flying home or they didn’t consider that to get to our next stop, we might need to get a bus or train at a certain time of day, and assumed we would be hanging around until they returned home!
It has never been too much of an issue as we still had accommodation for the night, but money has been wasted on hotels we didn’t end up using.
Losing a night in a hotel isn’t the end of the world, but if we had another house sit to be at, it could have been a big problem. The first hosts would have to arrange a temporary carer for their home/pets if we had been unable to stay past the previously agreed time.
As a sitter, you don’t want to cause any problems for the hosts or the animals, so it is very important to get confirmed dates and times well ahead of your arrival date.
5 – Embrace the Social Aspect of House Sitting
We’ve been lucky enough to have made some firm friends with many of our hosts and pet parents over the years. This is because we’ve spent quality time with them before and sometimes after a sit.
Spend Some Quality Time
Many hosts prefer you to arrive at least the night before a sit starts so that they can show you the ropes in person. It’s a great way for the pets to get to know you in the presence of their owners. It can also accelerate the time it takes for them to feel comfortable with you.
Having all the relevant information written down in a handbook or discussing the ins and outs on a call beforehand is great. However, this doesn’t beat the in-person walk-through.
Arriving ahead of time is a great way to cement your understanding of the task ahead. You can enjoy a friendly meal with some interesting people and get some top tips on the local area from people who live there.
Our Experience
We’ve stayed as much as a week on either side of house sitting assignments, living with the hosts and enjoying the location with them. We have felt like extended members of their family. We’ve also experienced sits where we never met the hosts at all. We much prefer the first option!
Expect and embrace this social part of house sitting, even if you are a bit introverted or perhaps a little travel-weary by the time you arrive. It will enrich your travel experience and help you feel better equipped and prepared to give the home and animals you are in charge of the best care.
Find Out More About House Sitting
If you’d like to discover more about Trusted Housesitters, sign up for free and start browsing all the amazing places house sitting could lead you.
Interested in becoming a fully signed-up member? Use our unique referral code BEACHES25 at checkout to save 25% on any membership option, click here to get started. Find out which membership is right for you with my previous article – Everything You Need to Know About Trusted Housesitters
Conclusion
So, there you have it. Five of the top things we’ve learned about house sitting over the past few years. With this list, you can skip the learning curve we took to understand these and embark on your house sitting adventures fully informed and prepared.
Knowing what to expect will help you navigate a house sitting lifestyle like a pro. Happy house sitting!
If you’d like to read more about our house sitting adventures, be sure to read Rob’s article – ‘A Review of 5 Amazing House Sitting Experiences’
*Owners consent given to show property and pets