Last updated on March 31st, 2019 at 09:25 pm
There is a lot of competition for great house sitting assignments. The market seems to be getting more and more crowded every day as people learn about the benefits of being a house sitter. This can make landing an assignment more challenging and also make it difficult to know when to say no to a housesitting job. You may be tempted to compromise on knowing all the details about an assignment before committing to a homeowner. This can lead to serious disappointment or finding yourself in a difficult or uncomfortable situation.
We have learned how not asking the right questions can make a house sit an unpleasant experience. We now know there are things every house sitter should insist on having before accepting any housesitting job. If a homeowner is unwilling or unable to produce answers to our questions or confirm important details about our responsibility our answer will always be no to accepting the job. Here are the things we need to be confirmed before we say yes and accept any house sitting assignment.
Current Photos of the Home and Property
I know, it seems obvious you shouldn’t accept an assignment without seeing pictures of the place. Sometimes homeowners will have reasons for not posting pictures on their listing like their house is undergoing a renovation and they will post pictures later or they will forward pictures via email instead and never do. You absolutely must ask for as many photos of the home (inside and out) and property as you can and make it clear to the homeowner you will not accept the job until you have seen current photos of the home and property.
Knowing before you go could be the difference between this...
And this...
Outdated photos can also be a problem. They can make things look a lot better than they are present day. Current photos are the best way to eliminate misunderstandings and misconceptions. What a homeowner may think is acceptable living conditions could be vastly different from what you believe. A full kitchen to them could be a hot plate and a bar fridge and cleanliness standards can vary dramatically from one homeowner to the next as well.
We have had some homeowners give us tours of their homes on Skype. Seeing a home like this has definitely made us feel confident deciding if a housesitting job is right for us. This is now something we ask for in addition to photos for longer term house sits.
Firm Dates for the Assignment
We hadn’t been insistent on definite dates until we found ourselves having to pay more money for accommodation and transportation than we had wanted to spend. We didn't get a commitment on dates from a couple of homeowners and both times it cost us money we could have avoided spending had we pressed the homeowner to commit to firm dates. Having to change flights and book hotels short notice can be expensive. Before you accept a housesitting job and book your flights make sure you have a commitment from the homeowner on firm dates for the assignment.
A Clear Role of Responsibility
We have committed to house sits not knowing the total amount of pets we would be looking after. Some were unique situations like one homeowner was a foster home for abused pets. I worried about not knowing all the details until the day we arrived for the assignment. Fortunately, it worked out well for us those times but now we insist on a well-defined role of responsibility before accepting any housesitting job. These things include total number of pets, expectations for the care of each pet (feeding, walking, medication administering) and how much the homeowner wants us to be with the pets like can they be left alone for certain periods so we can go explore or do we need to stay close to home at all times.
It is important to have a clear understanding of homeowners expectations because not doing so is a part of house sitting that can be fraught with misunderstanding. You can ask for these things in writing with a house sitting agreement. You definitely need to understand the amount of work involved to know if you are willing and able to fulfill the homeowner’s expectations. You won't know if you are on the same page as the homeowner if you don't ask for a clearly defined role of responsibility.
Housesitting has been very rewarding for us. We have enjoyed so many benefits caring for homeowners lovely homes and cherished pets. Free accommodation is the clear benefit for house sitters, but the relationship is truly beneficial monetarily and emotionally for the homeowner as well. Kennels can be very expensive and traumatic for pets and insurance costs can go through the roof if a home is left empty. Homeowners can avoid the worry and financial burden of these things having a house sitter come and care for their home and pets.
If you are considering accepting a housesitting job you shouldn't compromise on knowing important details about the assignment, doing so could cost you money and peace of mind. Confirming certain details will help you avoid committing to a housesit that's not right for you. Make sure you have all of the information you need to be comfortable with a housesitting job and if you can't get that from a homeowner you should say no, you will find another more suitable assignment.
If you have more questions about house sitting, you can read a detailed post I wrote with answers to 20 of the most popular questions we are asked on the subject.
For a more detailed guide to house sitting please feel free to sign up for our free e-course.
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Just wanted to say thanks for lots of really good advice. We’ve been house and pet sitting in the UK since March this year and are on our 9th. assignment at the moment, revisiting our first ever house sitting job in Cornwall looking after a Pointer puppy, chickens, ducks and geese in a glorious converted mill near the beach.
Generally, we’ve had brilliant experiences and taking my lead from other house sitters, I’ve now developed our own website: http://www.housesittingandpetsitting.com and have been adding a blog article to the site for each house sitting experience. Mind you, I am a bit behind, having only featured 5 of them so far.
I’ve got to hold my hand up and admit we’ve been caught out a time or two and thought I should share my stupidity in case it helps others. One house sit we agreed to do used a photo of a completely different house to their own, so instead of the stunning Georgian house we were expecting, it turned out to be a rather ‘bijou’, red brick, two up, two down, terraced house on a street where it was impossible to park. I thought that was a little bit naughty on their part but then discovered the two bed house had a lodger in the other bedroom! In fairness, all’s well that ends well, as the lodger was lovely and their dog was utterly delightful, so we still had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Generally, with the right attitude, you can make anything work but I’ll be a great deal more careful in the future…
Good luck to everyone with their house sitting and do be careful!
You’re so welcome Brian! The swapped photo sit was a bit of a stunner I’m sure. I’m glad it worked out for you! Due diligence is so important with housesitting, for both homeowners and housesitters. It’s great that you are sharing your personal experiences. Access to those stories is so helpful for preparing new sitters for assignments. Good luck to you, and be careful as well.
Thank you for this article. We’ve yet to do a housesit, but it is something we’re interested in trying. Good to have some solid tips up front.
Glad to share what we’ve learned Karen! Check out our free ecourse, it has more tips and will help you land your first assignment.
We have not yet attempted house sitting and I expect we won’t. I’m too concerned with the unknown factors and if we make a commitment I wouldn’t want to bail, but at the same time I wouldn’t want to stay where we were uncomfortable. This is a well-written thoughtful post and provides some good tips. I’m glad house sitting is working out for you and you’re learning so much to share with others. Good for you!
Patti, we were really lucky our first house sit was such a great experience. We hadn’t considered all of the things that can go wrong at that time. Now knowing what we do, taking a few extra steps to make sure we have a good idea about what we are walking into has really served us well.
We agree with you completely. I don’t even apply unless it “feels” perfect and even then I may not get a response. We have had 3 housesits and lukcly for us they all turned out wonderful. (Spain, London and KL). It is a great way for us to also get in some pet time too, so that is the real driving force for us. Yes, free accommodation too, but there’s an exchange of caregiving and sometimes other duties. Our thing is to ask for a skype tour, to see the “real” home. I can’t do clutter, so when there is a refusal or a no to that it doesn’t sit well with me. We expect to give the best on our end and expect the same in return. Afterall we are also doing a favor for them, by caring for their loved ones.
Caring for the pets is the best part for us as well Heidi! For those considering housesitting, it definitely pays off to be particular for both the homeowner and the housesitter. It should be a mutually agreeable exchange, free accommodation for the care of the pets, home and property. When both parties have their expectations satisfied it is rewarding for all involved.
I so agree Rob. I have housesit all over the world and 3 stand out as ones I should have walked out of the moment I arrived. But when you have bought a plane ticket, and traveled across countries to get there it is very disappointing and on one occasion I was in too much shock at the filth to know what to say.
Funny thing is you can NEVER please a housesit owner when they leave you a garbage housesit. There seems always to be something wrong even if you clean the place up. Ive never got a reference from 3 I should have refused. I never wrote bad about them on our website either. I committed so we stayed. Outdated photos you mention are one big drawback. One homeowner had real estate properties and wanted to put us n a scuzzy flat and had posted photos up of their deluxe pool property. One in Turkey was written up as romantic retreat – it was a leaking hovel with incontinent pets – and quite a lot – 26 in total – not all incontinent but included a vicious turkey. Another in England had no photos but we had Skyped and the stench and filth and trash everywhere was just a disgrace – and she said she tidied up!! I think homeowners that project a false image on sites should be reported but there rarely is the facility to do so. Yes do your homework – a well thought out article – keep them coming!
Thanks Ruth! The housesit in Turkey, with 26 pets!!!!! You should have received a medal for doing that one. When you have spent time applying and money on airfare only to face an ugly situation when you arrive at the assignment really sucks. It is a very hard way to learn the lesson about due diligence before agreeing to a job. We understand how the desire to visit a place can make a housesitter overlook getting some important assurances. It isn’t worth taking such a huge risk, your 3 examples demonstrate that perfectly. Glad you found the article useful we only hope we can help other housesitters avoid some of the mistakes we have made. Thanks so much for sharing your stories.
I so agree Rob. I have housesit all over the world and 3 stand out as ones I should have walked out of the moment I arrived. But when you have bought a plane ticket, and traveled across countries to get there it is very disappointing and on one occasion I was in too much shock at the filth to know what to say.
Funny thing is you can NEVER please a housesit owner when they leave you a garbage housesit. There seems always to be something wrong even if you clean the place up. Ive never got a reference from 3 I should have refused. I never wrote bad about them on our website either. I committed so we stayed. Outdated photos you mention are one big drawback. One homeowner had real estate properties and wanted to put us n a scuzzy flat and had posted photos up of their deluxe pool property. One in Turkey was written up as romanitc retreat – it was a leaking hovel with incontinent pets – and quite a lot – 26 in total – not all incontinent but included a vicious turkey. Another in England had no photos but we had Skyped and the stench and filth and trash everywhere was just a disgrace – and she said she tidied up!! I think homeowners that project a false image on sites should be reported but there rarely is the facility to do so. Yes do your homework – a well thought out article – keep them coming!