{"id":250819,"date":"2022-11-03T08:00:32","date_gmt":"2022-11-03T12:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nomadicmatt.com\/?p=250819"},"modified":"2024-12-19T00:55:48","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T05:55:48","slug":"how-to-start-house-sitting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nomadicmatt.com\/travel-blogs\/how-to-start-house-sitting\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start House Sitting"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sam,<\/p>\n

House sitting is one of the best ways to lower your travel costs as a long-term traveler. To help you learn more about house sitting, our lead content editor and researcher, Sam, shares her tips and insights from years of traveling the world as a house sitter.<\/em><\/p>\n

For years, I lived the life of many budget travelers\u2019 dreams: traveling full-time and living rent-free in idyllic locations, like the US Virgin Islands; cosmopolitan cities, like NYC and London; tourist hot spots, like Granada, Spain; and many off-the-beaten-path places, like the forests of North Carolina. <\/p>\n

I stayed everywhere from luxury condos with literal hot tubs on the roof to solar-powered homes with outdoor showers. <\/p>\n

I got to hang out with the sweetest pets, from a cuddly kitten named Marshmallow to a hilarious parrot called Sunshine. <\/p>\n

I also made friends with locals around the world, getting tips on the best lesser-known places to eat, and truly living like a resident in each destination. <\/p>\n

When I paint this picture to fellow avid travelers, the immediate response is, \u201cWhat a dream life! How do I live like that?!\u201d <\/p>\n

The answer is to house sit. <\/p>\n

House sitting is when you take care of someone\u2019s pets and home while they\u2019re traveling in exchange for accommodation. No money is exchanged between parties, as it\u2019s a mutually beneficial arrangement: you get a place to stay at no cost, and the owner gets home and pet care at no cost. (I avoid using the term \u201cfree accommodation,\u201d as it implies that there\u2019s no work involved, which is not the case.) <\/p>\n

House sitting is gaining in popularity, but it\u2019s still a little-known landscape for so many travelers. While I\u2019m usually met with excitement when I discuss this topic with people who are not familiar with it, that also often comes hand in hand with skepticism \u2014 and understandably so. There are a lot of variables to consider, and if you\u2019ve never met anyone who\u2019s done it before, it can be easy to think that it sounds too good to be true. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m here to tell you that house sitting in order to travel at a reduced cost is absolutely attainable. You\u2019ll not only remove most accommodation expenses (you might still have to pay for a night here and there, depending on how long you\u2019re on the road), but also connect with locals wherever you go (the people for whom you are house sitting), feel a sense of home on the road, and often get other perks as well, like a vehicle to use. <\/p>\n

The only prerequisite is that you must love animals, as 99% of gigs involve pet care. But if you can do that, then you are good to go!<\/p>\n

In this post, I\u2019m going to show you how to start house sitting, so you can learn about the process and see what\u2019s required before jumping in and giving it a try yourself.<\/p>\n

1. Determine your goals and preferences <\/h3>\n

\"House
\nAt this point, you might be anxious to dive right in, find a gig, and hit the ground running. But I promise that you\u2019ll set yourself up for a better experience if you take some time to determine what you want to get out of house sitting. <\/p>\n

Your goals will greatly impact the choices you make along your house sitting journey, and whether you walk away with a positive experience. (Because yes, like with anything travel-related, there\u2019s always the potential for things to go wrong \u2014 I\u2019ll share how to minimize the likelihood of this happening later.)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s pretty much a given that if you\u2019re interested in house sitting, your goal is to reduce your travel costs so that you can travel more and\/or longer. <\/p>\n

But do you want to house sit only locally, or around the world? Are you scoping out places where you might eventually purchase a home, take a sabbatical, aspire to travel full-time, or simply looking to reduce your costs on a weekend getaway? <\/p>\n

These are all common reasons. Think about which ones apply to you. <\/p>\n

For me, I wanted to extend my travels for as long as possible while freelance writing, growing my travel blog and podcast, and seeing what it was like to live in different places around the world. I couldn\u2019t have done any of these things without house sitting, which lowered my costs so significantly (after all, accommodation is usually one\u2019s biggest travel expenditure) that I could keep traveling despite not earning much money yet.<\/p>\n

In addition to your goals, think about your preferences. Do you feel more comfortable with dogs or cats? Do you prefer the city or the countryside? Do you have an ideal length of time that you want to spend in each place? <\/p>\n

In order to work effectively on the road while still getting to explore each place, I prioritized longer house sits (around 1\u20133 months). I also prefer urban environments where I can explore on two feet or two wheels rather than needing a vehicle, so I mainly searched for gigs in cities. <\/p>\n

These are just a few variables that will help you narrow down which opportunities you consider. You\u2019ll also likely develop these preferences over time as you figure out what works best for you.
\n <\/p>\n

2. Sign up for a website <\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re serious about house sitting, your first order of business is to sign up for a website. These platforms connect pet owners and house sitters to arrange mutually beneficial stays. They\u2019re the easiest and most direct way to start. <\/p>\n

Pet owners put up listings with their location, the dates they need a house sitter, their pets and type of care needed, any home care needed, and (ideally) photos of their home and pets. Potential house sitters create profiles listing their experience, references, why they want to house sit, photos, and any other details they want to include. <\/p>\n

House sitters respond to opportunities that they\u2019re interested in (pet owners can also reach out to house sitters privately), sparking a conversation that may eventually lead to both parties coming to an agreement.<\/p>\n

Most websites operate on a membership basis, meaning that members must pay a fee to be a part of the community and to be able to arrange gigs. <\/p>\n

Many would-be house sitters balk at the idea of paying a yearly membership fee for these websites. Isn\u2019t house sitting supposed to be free? <\/p>\n

But when you think about the amount of money that you could save, it\u2019s a no-brainer. Even the most expensive website, TrustedHousesitters<\/a>, still only costs the equivalent of a couple of nights of accommodation. You only have to do one stay per year to recoup your costs, and chances are that you\u2019ll be doing a lot more than that, even as an occasional house sitter. <\/p>\n

There are a variety of websites to choose from, but the main ones are these: <\/p>\n

1. TrustedHousesitters.com<\/a> (starts at $129 USD\/year<\/em>) \u2013 This is the biggest such website worldwide, with thousands of active listings all around the globe. It started and is based in the UK, so you\u2019ll find the highest number of gigs there, though Europe, the US, and Australia are also well represented. If you are open to house-sitting anywhere in the world, this is the site to choose. You can read my review here if you want to learn more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Nomador.com<\/a> (starts at $99 USD\/year<\/em>) \u2013 Nomador centers on opportunities in Europe (mostly France), though you can also sometimes find some in the US and Australia too. There\u2019s a free \u201cDiscovery\u201d option, so you can look at what\u2019s available, as well as a \u201cStopovers\u201d feature, which is like Couchsurfing, so you can find a place to stay with members of the Nomador community between your gigs. <\/p>\n

3. MindMyHouse.com<\/a> ($20 USD\/year<\/em>) \u2013 This site has a low fee to join, a fair number of listings (primarily in North America and Europe), and a well-laid-out website. <\/p>\n

In addition to the above websites that cover multiple countries, there are also country-specific ones, such as House Sitters America, House Sitters UK, House Sitters Canada, etc. If you\u2019re only interested in house sitting in a particular locale, these websites usually have way less competition than the bigger players, making it easier to get your first gig. They also have lower annual membership costs, making it a more palatable choice for getting your feet wet.
\n <\/p>\n

3. Create your profile<\/h3>\n

\"Sam<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve signed up for a website, it\u2019s time to create your profile. Above is an example from my TrustedHousesitters<\/a> account.<\/p>\n

Your house-sitting profile is like your r\u00e9sum\u00e9. This is where pet owners look to learn more about you, and it\u2019s essential to detail any and all pet-care experience you have. Have you done any house- or pet-sitting for friends and family? Many people have looked in on a neighbor\u2019s cat while they were away or taken a family member\u2019s dog on walks. <\/p>\n

Include anything you can to show the breadth of your pet-care experience (though of course be honest). Any relevant home-care experience or other skills (such as if you speak another language) are worth mentioning here as well. <\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also want to include a bit about yourself, with information about why you want to house sit, what you like to spend time doing, and anything else, so as to paint a portrait of yourself. <\/p>\n

Finally, choose some photos of you (ideally with pets) to round out your profile, so that the owners can see who you are!
\n <\/p>\n

4. Ask for references <\/h3>\n

\"Sam,
\nNow that you\u2019ve filled out your profile, it\u2019s time to seek references to beef up your profile. <\/p>\n

Once you start house sitting through these websites, you\u2019ll get \u201cnative\u201d references showing that the gig was arranged through the website, increasing your trust factor for people you might house sit for in the future. <\/p>\n

But most websites also allow you to get \u201cexternal\u201d references to show that you\u2019re a trustworthy person before your first \u201cofficial\u201d gig. Ideally, you\u2019ll have done some kind of pet-sitting before and can ask these folks to provide a reference. But references can also come from work colleagues, a landlord, or anyone else that can speak to your responsible character. <\/p>\n

These references are key in the beginning, as being vouched for can be a powerful trust indicator. Don\u2019t skip this step!
\n <\/p>\n

5. Browse and apply for house sitting gigs <\/h3>\n

\"Screenshot
\nSo you\u2019re all set up with your profile and references filled out. Now comes the exciting part: browsing for and applying for gigs! <\/p>\n

Spend some time looking through the listings on the website(s) you\u2019ve joined. If you find one that sounds good to you \u2014 and you\u2019re available for the time frame \u2014 don\u2019t hesitate to apply! Gigs, especially in desirable areas, can go very quickly, so don\u2019t dawdle if you\u2019ve found one that you\u2019re interested in. <\/p>\n

Remember: An application is not an agreement to house sit; it\u2019s simply a statement of interest.<\/p>\n

In your message to the pet owner, include a bit about why you\u2019re interested, highlight your relevant experience, and indicate that you\u2019d love to set up a time to chat further about the opportunity. You don\u2019t need to write an essay here, just enough to pique their interest and have them look at your profile for more information.
\n <\/p>\n

6. Arrange a video chat <\/h3>\n

While you might be so excited to start that you may want to agree to an opportunity as soon as it\u2019s offered to you, don\u2019t skip this important step. In a quick video call, both parties can ask questions to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the arrangement is a good fit. <\/p>\n

As a house sitter, you\u2019ll want to ask questions about pet and home care to ensure that you can (and want) to do it, as well as the immediate area around the house or apartment, home amenities (always ask about Wi-Fi!), and anything else that you\u2019re itching to know. <\/p>\n

Every single time that I hear of a house sitting gig gone wrong<\/a> (while it\u2019s rare, it does happen), it\u2019s due to mismatched expectations that usually could have been avoided with a direct and honest initial conversation.<\/p>\n

I absolutely never agree to house sit without a video call. This is a personal choice, and some people do forgo this step, but it has never steered me wrong in the past, and personally, I\u2019d rather be safe than sorry. A video call takes 20-30 minutes and does wonders for putting both parties at ease \u2014 and getting excited about the gig! <\/p>\n

After years in a pandemic, we\u2019re all familiar (maybe too familiar) with Zoom these days, so there is (in my opinion) no reason why both parties shouldn\u2019t be able to sit down face-to-face for a brief conversation. <\/p>\n

Some things that you might want to ask in the video chat step above and\/or leading up to the gig include the following:<\/p>\n