A House Sitting promotion
Step By Step Guide
– How To Become A House Sitter
We have been invited by HousesitMatch to show you just how easy it is to become a house and pet sitter with our Step By Step Guide on how you can become a House Sitter, just like us.
With many people traveling for vacations, business deals, or even for medical care, their homes, and pets are left behind and require someone to care for them.
As a result, there has been an increase in the demand for pet and house sitters. A house sitter or pet sitter is a person who is offered accommodation within other people’s homes to either provide security and ongoing daily maintenance while the owners are away or to look after their pets.
Pet and house sitting is a very cost-effective way of finding accommodation for the sitter, more so if you are trying to avoid the high expenses you might have otherwise incurred if you checked into a hotel room when traveling, or rent and utility expenses.
It is also a relief to home and pet owners who are assured that their homes are left occupied and pets are well cared for.
If you have a desire of becoming a house sitter and don’t know where to start the process, we are here to help you.
When you break it down into a step-by-step process, it will make it clear and easy for you to achieve.
So here is our
STEP-BY-STEP guide
on how to become a house sitter
©Exploramum and Explorason – Steps in Rio where we did one of our first house sits
Step 1: Make The Decision
Firstly, you first need to be sure that you are ready for this exciting new chapter of your life.
So, are you really ready to be a pet or house sitter?
If YES, then you should list your desires and expectations in full and have a clear understanding of what you want and your strengths and weaknesses etc.
Let me give you a few ideas on this.
- Do you wish to travel or stay in your own city, state, or country?
- If you want to travel to countries are of interest?
- What is your desired length of stay on a property?
- What is your most convenient location for pet and house sitting as far as transportation?
Be sure to lay emphasis on travel distances in relation to your current location and any costs that may be incurred by your when offering your services as a pet or house sitter.
©Exploramum and Explorason – It is important to take the right steps when signing up to house sit
Step 2: Consider Types Of Properties
From RV campervans and tiny flats to grand mansions and country estates, there is a myriad of dwelling sizes out there that folks live in. Some homeowners are hippies with a layback lifestyle; others might be your regular suburban family, and then there is the top-end executives and professionals.
Some properties are remote – in fact, there are even properties only reachable by 4WD; or what about only by boat? You would need to know how to maneuver a watercraft to even reach it or fetch weekly supplies!
Each and every building and home and each and every owner has different needs and expectations, and it is important you list out what type of person you are, and what type of property you would feel comfortable caring for.
There are different maintenance requirements for different properties too. Those with swimming pools require pool maintenance, while those with lawns require mowing and watering. Also, homes with trees and animals require raking up of leaves and cleaning up of messes.
In other words, so much is expected of house and pet sitters as they move into homes. If you aren’t experienced in pool maintenance, then you might want to avoid homes with pools as this is a learned skill.
You might also want to avoid multi-story properties if you are elderly or physically impaired in some way. Plus, their sheer grandness and size ma just ‘freak you out’ at night when all the rooms and grounds are empty and dark, and this is even more so if you are dwelling in the property alone.
©Exploramum and Explorason – An important part of house sitting is choosing which types of pets you are comfortable caring for. We cared for Lucy, strong, big and loveable dog in Sydney, Australia in 2016
Step 3: Pet Types
It is extremely important that you are honest with yourself about this topic when you follow our steps to become a House Sitter. Do you, or do you NOT like animals and pets? Because I know folks who can’t stand any dogs; others cats; and one person I know is petrified of being pecked by a hen – so why would you want to care for these creatures if you don’t have an affinity with them? In Turkey, we looked after an aggressive male turkey who actually beat down his own pen and escaped! It was a petrifying experience for my young son (as we guarded ourselves with a broom) from being attacked every time we had to go down the garden path. Needless to say, I think we would think twice about caring for a male turkey again!
So, if you are a pet lover, you need to be specific about the type of pets you can comfortably handle. This helps you avoid being put in charge of pets like snakes and rats that would probably freak you out unless you love them. In other words, if you are only comfortable with cats and dogs, then list them down, and please be honest. You might want to get more detailed with this by listing the specific types of animals and even species of pets you have an experience with. For instance, if you love dogs, have you had an experience with dog species like a German shepherd, poodle or bulldog? How about the different species of birds and cats that you probably love?
So get cracking, and write that ‘pet like and dislike’ list!
©Exploramum and Explorason – Identifying your strengths and weaknesses is an important part of housesitting. These steps are in Italy – we house sat in Tuscany and these steps are inside the Leaning Tower Of Pisa.
Step 4: References
Homeowners look for proven people with remarkable characters so consider this when you wish to become a House Sitter. They seek those who are kind, reliable and responsible and more. But the homeowner will require a reliable source to authenticate your purported credibility – or a referer.
Without a referer – regardless of how good you are – you will not be able to convince most of them that you are worth the total trust they intend to bestow on you.
But don’t be alarmed – if you have never house sat before and have no house or pet sitting references, there are several ways to address this. Have you pastor, a sports coach, a neighbor, a teacher, an employer or longtime friend write the reference for you. Do not use a relative. Try and attain several references from different sources. If you rent a home ask the agent or owner to write a reference for you on your level of property care. There are many people you can seek for this reference as long as they know your character well enough to vouch for you.
©Exploramum and Explorason – Choosing which countries you would like to house sit in are one of the important steps to successfully housesitting. These steps are in the Leaning Tower of Pisa – not far from where we house sat in Italy.
Step 5. Police Clearance
A Police Clearance (also known as a Police Certificate or Police Background Check) is always required to house and pet sit. It is proof of your expected high integrity and vital that you are transparent about your ‘legal actions’. You can get Police Clearance from a Police Station near you at a fee payable when ordered. In certain regions of the world, this can also be done online. The Police Clearance document lasts for approximately 1 to 3 years depending on the country of origin.
A Police Clearance assures the homeowner that the sitter can be trusted. It comes as a relief to them as they will be leaving you in charge of their sentimental and valuable possessions. Remember, the two of you together – homeowner and house sitter – are probably complete strangers to one other and are therefore only brought together by the assurance that your integrity is not questionable.
©Exploramum and Explorason – A Police Clearance ensures you and the homeowner don’t have a rocky path ahead.
Step 6: Selecting Where To Register
The internet is like a ‘fertile ground’. It produces high yields – regardless of what is planted in it. So now it is time to find the right house sitting site for you to be ‘planted’. A site where homeowners can find the perfect sitter they are looking for, and where house sitters can seek the confidence and comfort that they are using a secure and trusted site that cares for them as an individual, not just a number or monetary value for their subscription.
Whilst many think that it is better to only register with the largest sites, I find the opposite can also be true. Using a more personalized and smaller site means that you are not lost in the thousands of other sitters and that you have a greater chance of securing a sit that is right for you.
With a smaller house sitting site, you will find that the actual site itself is keen to grow and nurtures their sitters and homeowners with care. If you have any problems or concerns they are easily reached and will address all matters promptly and professionally and this needs to be considered when you wish to become a House Sitter.
©Exploramum and Explorason – Use caution when signing up to larger housesit sites as often there are unseen pitfalls or you are lost in the crowd.
Step 7: Registering To House And Pet Sit
So now comes the fun part now that you have decided to become a House Sitter. You need time to sit and focus and to ensure you include the correct information that best presents you to the prospective homeowner.
We use Housesit Match and will show you Step-by-step how to sign up easily and what you need to include.
- Go to secure website URL https://www.housesitmatch.com/register/ and select the membership type you’d like. You can always upgrade or downgrade later.
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- Use the 50% off code displayed at the base of this article SUPERB50 (refer notes at the base of this article).
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- When you register to become a House Sitter, remember your username can’t be changed and is on display so select one wisely.
- Keep a record of your login details in a safe place.
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- Once you have logged in https://www.housesitmatch.com/member/xxxx/?profiletab=verification Follow Step 1 ‘FREE ID VERIFICATION’.
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- Here you will enter two photos and they do take a minute to load so be patient. The first is a longer photo – a banner and should show your face clearly. the second is a smaller profile picture. You should have 3 photos on the Standard, and up to 9 (inc masthead) on the Premium.
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- Next, you have the chance to write a captivating paragraph to the prospective homeowner about yourself. It is short but needs to be personalized just for you, so think this through.
- Then comes your profile description. You have 150 words.
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- Next fill in several fields pertaining to your experience and personal details.
- Then update the profile.
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- The next step is then to go to ‘Hooyu Verification’ A. ADD YOUR SELFIE B. ADD YOUR DIGITAL IDENTITY C. ADD YOUR PHOTO ID. Now before you get alarmed that this is a whole lot of personal information, please consider that firstly this is a secure site, and secondly, you are applying to care for someone’s property worth probably more than you have in the bank. Generally speaking, you are probably more of a risk to the homeowner that they are financially a risk to you. The minimum data required for ID is – Selfie, Passport or Photo Id + 1 digital footprint (Facebook, Linkedin etc).
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- Should you wish to upgrade or downgrade your account to enable more photos and features, follow these easy steps.
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Select Housesitter – Premium – £79.00 – 1 Year HouseSitter – the Premium level of membership.
@Exploramum and Explorason – You’ve finished taking all the steps – now get ready to pack your bags and explore the world like we did when we house sat in Eastern Europe.
All Complete!
Now that the hard work is done, you are ready to become a house sitter!
With trusting a secure site like Housesit Match you will also have the option to select the newsletter and be notified when new sits are posted.
You can also follow them on Facebook for up to date news, tips and tricks and fun competitions that they host too.
From us to you – Good Luck! House sitting is a LOT of fun, and a great way to see the world too. We hope you enjoy it and it enriches your life and brings you many memorable experiences.
Special Offer / Code
If you are wanting to Become A House Sitter with HousesitMatch then you will want this code
And with 50% off their joining fee, today is the perfect day to sign up on their website.
50% off special deal
Use discount coupon code SUPERB50
(Discount code must be written in capitals with no spaces as seen)
Please feel free to share this article with anyone you know that might be interested in becoming a house sitter too.
Offer To Sign A Contract
©Exploramum and Explorason – Exploramum with our dog Coco. Offer to sign a contract as it shows you are honest. Our petsitter in 2013 wrote to us and stated she refused to return our Coco dog. We’ve been trying to get her back ever since! A contract protects the pet sitter and the owner and shows your integrity.
A good housesitting site like Housesitmatch.com has contracts. They protect you and the homeowner. Always offer to sign a contract as it really protects you as we found out the hard way!
Questions and Comments:
- What more do you need to know to Become A House Sitter?
- What tips would you share if you already house sit with our readers?
- Please respond in the comment section below.
What a great resource for newbie housesitters!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Irene – Good to hear from you again, Ruth
My husband and I started housesitting this past year and have done two housesits. I agree that it is important you be honest with yourself about what you can handle. I am allergic to cats, so sits with cats are out. The two sits we did had dogs and were wonderful experiences. People also need to realize it comes with responsibility. That being said, it can be a great way to experience another part of the world.
Totally agree, Donna – It is not a FREE vacation as so many try to advertise it as. It is a responsibility. I hope you enjoy many more housesits.
You definitely have some good tips here. I would add that you might consider asking the homeowner for references as well. And possibly write up a contract although if you are a foreigner you may have no recourse.
We have had some great experiences house and pet sitting but we did have one horror story where the homeowner decided to charge us for heating, water and, internet (having never mentioned this in our 3 skype calls and multiple emails previous to the house sit) and continued to harass us for months after we had left. They ended up being banned from the house sitting website but eventually just changed their email address and there they were again, advertising for a housesitter.
Yes – good points – I once had a homeowner walk up at the end and hide an internet bill behind her back like I’d been a naughty little girl – she ended up making me pay before we could leave. It would have been nice to know ‘up front’ if that was going to be an issue and just how much internet we were permitted to use. Considering it was in UK in winter and they provided no wood for heating it as a rough deal. The housesit was a difficult one because it was our early days. I think a good housesitting site can help avoid these dramas as they vet their homeowners well and also have them complete a lot of detail. I know people think it is time consuming completing a lot of detail when first enrolling on this site but it is worth it as knowledge is king.
I’d also suggest not being blinded by the location of the housesit and listening to your gut. In our case, there were a few times where we thought the questions they asked were strange like “do you have liability insurance?” to which we answered no and the response was “well what happens if you break something, like a glass?”.
Ask all the questions before you accept that way you only have yourself to blame or congratulate 🙂
I haven’t done any house sitting yet, but it’s something I’ve been considering to help make travel more affordable. There are good considerations to think about before taking on the responsibility.
Cindy – I hope you do get to housesit – it is definitely a wa to make travel more affordable and a great way to immerse yourself in local life and meet new friends too. Thanks Ruth
Nice collection of pointers (and I like all your photos of ‘steps’)! We’ve housesat before and it is good to hear these important points again. It is a job, after all, and requires a considered approach. Glad to learn of this company which we’d not heard of before. Thanks.
Thanks Kirsten, I like the fact you call it a job – I agree – and appreciate your comment, Thanks Ruth
House sitting sounds like a brilliant way of experiencing how people in that country/area live. It sounds very appealing to me but I’m also a bit nervous about applying to do this for the first time. This blog post has been extremely useful for me.
Thanks, Ingrid – It can be a big decision but I love housesitting – you get to see the world and live like a local. Some even leave you their car to drive! Cheers Ruth
I’m a teacher, so I have the whole summer off… this has been something I’ve been considering doing! Looks like it’s not too hard to set up!
Hi Carly – I love your name – did you know in Aboriginal it means your child will always return to you! Good luck if you decide to husesit. We are here to help. Ruth
I have looked into housesitting as being an option for our family of 6. Have you found that you can find great opportunities with children? That’s our hesitation.
I know several families that housesit. What you need to do is to apply for the family-friendly sits that do come up. I even know a family with 10 kids – so 2 all up that have housesat around the world – so they are out there.
Great article! I have been doing housesitting for about a year and I am presently on my 4th assignment. It’s been amazing so far. All great families and I fell in love of all my pets. However, I have found them on facebook groups only and it ‘s been great and easy so far. Happy housesitting!:)
That’s really great that you are enjoying your housesitting. Facebook groups are a good way to stay connected with housesitting too and a lot of the bigger sites also have their own homepages you can watch for upcoming sits too
I’m really interested in housesitting, but in the past I always thought it sounded too good to be true and there must be a catch. Thanks for the information!
Its great Maire – I hope you get a chance to experience it.
Very informative. You have covered everything. I’ve been thinking about getting a housesitter to care for my poultry while I travel Australia or do I sell them before I go. The fish still need feeding and filters cleaned and the water changed. Is it too much to ask someone to buy the poultry food change their water and collect the eggs and look after the fish for 6 months? Is it ok to ask them to pay for firewood for the 6 months? Obviously I would leave money for the animals food. The dog would be with me. Thanks for such an awesome blog.
You can come to whatever arrangement works for you financially. You do need to cover any bills relating to animal food, but heating they can be responsible for and some also charge utilities depending on the length of time. Glad this helped you. How exciting that you could explore in Australia. Such a vast country it would take at least 6 months.
I have toyed with the idea of house sitting. This is a phenomenal resouce. Thanks for your help.
You are welcome Stuart. Its here if you change your mind or know of anyone wanting to use the service.
Great info about house and pet sitting 🙂 I particularly like the advice about being honest with yourself about whether you want to/can cope with caring for people’s pets. If I were looking for a housesitter, experience and knowledge about dogs and cats would actually be one of my top considerations. My animals are part of my family and I want to be comfortable they are in good hands.
Thanks, Joanna. It’s so important to be confident and caring with the animals we care for. You sound like you have a nice ‘family’ that is well loved. We have some more pet articles coming up soon. All the best, Ruth
This is a superb post! we have been travelling as a family around the world for almost a year now and (along with couchsurfing – which is my new found passion!) have done some amazing housesitting. Like you, I really can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s so easy and you get to live and relax in beautiful homes with lovely pets! Perfect 🙂
I hope you have a great time, Liz. Housesitting is a great way to make local friends too.
I’ve been a babysitter before and I was always wondering how do people get housesitting jobs! Sounds like a pretty cool gig on a side! 😀
Petsitting is a bit like babysitting for pets so you might find it is the perfect next step to take.
This is a great guide! I would love to try out house sitting. As someone who can’t stop travelling but also loves animals, this seems like a perfect solution!
Loving animals is definitely an advantage, though some house sits have no pets – we have done these also.
Housesitting is still one of the few modes of accommodation we haven’t done. We’ve done our fair share of couchsurfing, Airbnb, and of course, hotels, hostels, and so forth, but one day we have to try this and live like a local for a while.,..
Housesitting is another good option to add to your list by the sounds of it
Great advice, thanks for sharing! It’s a long time that I wanted to try house sitting, but didn’t know from where to start, even because I don’t know anybody who’s already done it, as here in Europe it’s not so popular. Now I’ve all the information I need.
Housesitting is actually very popular in Europe and there are quite a few sites. Spain and France offer many house and pet sit opportunities.
In our country (spain) we say: “Compartir es vivir” …. more or less minds “To share is be alive”. Good option to travel the housesitting
I like that quote Javier
Oohhh I did a few housesits while we were traveling and it was so great to just stop for a bit and have a home! This info is so so helpful! Thank you. Evie
Yes housesits are great for vacations too
I have never been a house sitter before! It’s something I’d be interested in trying, especially since I am a long term traveler. I usually use sites like Couchsurfing to get free accommodation. Is it easy to get accepted? With Couchsurfing, it’s easier to get accepted if you are female and have a lot of reviews. Usually, people host first on Couchsurfing, so that then they build up their reviews and when they want to couchsurf somewhere else they have a higher chance of being accepted.
I like housesitting WAY more than Couchsurfing
Thank you for making this travel opportunity so clear. It’s been in the back of my mind as another way to embrace our travel habit after we retire this year.
Happy reirement – the best is yet to come
House sitting is a fabulous way of getting to visit new countries and cities. I haven’t done it yet but maybe in the future.
I hope you get to housesit soon
I never even knew that this was a thing. I see how it would be enticing to those who want to travel and don’t have a lot of money in which to do so. That’s heartbreaking about your puppy dog though! I would come unglued! It definitely makes you think about all of the details that would need to be addressed up front to avoid conflict.
Yes, it was heartbreaking. There are so many aspects to housesitting, and I still live and learn even as I type.
What an awesome way to travel! I have a friend who was able to travel all over Australia through house sitting. She was lucky that she had friends living over there and they were able to act as a reference for her. Through word of mouth she was able to get more and more gigs. She loved doing it and met so many great people.
There are many great housesitting sites vs word of mouth too
What a helpful guide! I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of housesitting and I’m thinking of trying it out in the future. I absolutely love pets so that would be the best part of the job for me.
Hi Patti, Yes we get to care for many adorable pets. I hope you enjoy housesitting
House-sitting isn’t really something I’d considered until recently. I’ve been seeing some families with young children doing it. Thanks for your honesty about the fact that it requires some work and that needs to be considered when you think about doing a house-sit. I’m not sure we are quite there yet with 3 young children, but definitely something to consider!
Yes – if you have 3 young children, that makes more of a challenge but we met a family from Australia housesitting in France on a hobby farm and the kids loved it
Thanks for sharing such a detailed guide! I have been thinking about this a lot lately, but have never done it myself! I’m a Travel Writer and often work remotely. I usually use Airbnb but sometimes I don’t like some of the ethical aspects of it (Airbnb pushing people out of their neighbourhoods) and of course, housesitting is free! I will set up a profile and give it a try. Thank you!
It is a great alternative to AirBnB – that is for sure
Thanks for sharing this valuable information. As a location independent business owner I’m often thinking about doing house sitting, because I love to travel and pets.
This article was very helpful.
Christina
That’s great to know Christine
Great tips! I’ve always been interested in house sitting. I’d really love to start next year. Thanks again.
Im glad you commented as we are getting a dog again soon and I need to read your articles!
I always loved travelling but after volunteering abroad for 6 weeks during my studies I discovered the pleasure of diving into local cultures of other countries and living like a local. I volunteered two more times since then and I am definitely not done. I would like to try house sitting too 🙂
I’m glad you have been volunteering – more people need to give of their time
I did housesitting last year and loved it. I looked after cats and since I dont have my own pets due to travel commitments it was great fun. I love these tips I will hopefully be able to put them into practice when I do some more housesitting
I had never considered this as something to do once we retire. These are great tips for getting started. Thank you.
This is a really great resource for people looking to become a house sitter! My husband and I recently decided that we’d like to explore this path and we’re excited for our first sit!