This guide is meant to help navigate the process of selecting someone to house sit when using free house sitting sites, as well as how to prepare your home for while you are away. It also includes a list of questions to ask potential sitters, how to write a listing, and what to include in your Welcome Guide.
The guide is broken into 2 sections. This first section looks at the free house sitting process, what to look for in a sitter, some suggestions for interviewing potential sitters, and advice on writing your listing.
The second section, which can be found here, offers tips on preparing your home for your house sitter and creating an instructional welcome guide. A free sample welcome guide is available for download.
How Does Free House Sitting Work?
Free house-sitting communities are a resource in which homeowners exchange accommodations for the services of a sitter. It is considered a mutually beneficial barter based on trust. The homeowner receives the benefit of having someone stay at their home who might also be providing pet care and/or plant care services. The house sitter benefits in receiving accommodations at no cost, which might allow them to stay in locations or destinations they might not otherwise have been able to or had previously considered visiting. Without this resource, sitters would need to rent properties or hotel rooms in locations they would like to visit and homeowners would need to hire individuals to perform specific tasks while they are away.
The homeowner is considered the host and the sitter is considered a guest (with benefits). Both the host and guest are usually looking for elements that align with their individual needs. Sitters typically evaluate potential sits based on the date and length of the sit, the location and the tasks required. Hosts tend to look for individuals who have experience in performing the needed tasks. While it varies with different housesitting sites, both the homeowner and the sitter also rely on reviews to find their best match.
What Type Of People Housesit For Free?
Sitters might be filling in a gap in their existing travel plans by housesitting, they might housesit full-time by selecting properties that are on route to and at the destinations they wish to visit, or occasionally select iconic destinations for a special getaway. Some remote workers have transitioned to full-time housesitting and are fine with sits that give them the ability to work and relax with no specific destination in mind.
These sitters may have a home base which might be rented out, they might be full-time RVers, retirees, digital nomads (people who work remotely and travel), or have chosen to forgo a physical address altogether and have opted to housesit in exchange for free accommodations.
Some sitters might use this as an opportunity for an occasional getaway. Others might enjoy traveling multiple times per year. And others have made this experience a part of their lifestyle, incorporating it with their work or as part of their retirement.
Why Would A Homeowner Use A Housesitting Exchange?
For some, it might just be a matter of convenience or peace of mind. They can invite someone into their home to keep an eye on things without having to ask family/friends or find someone to hire.
It can be difficult to find a house sitter who is available for hire for extended vacations (if you’ll be gone for weeks or months).
Hiring a house sitter can get expensive, especially if you want to travel frequently.
For those with pets, it could be any number of reasons
- The cost savings of hiring a pet sitter or boarding
- Some pets might not have done well with boarding in the past due to separation or anxiety issues
- A pet may have more needs than a drop-in pet sitter usually provides (health or behavioral issues)
Is It Really An Equal Exchange?
In the real world, a barter is the voluntary exchange of goods or services between two people who are under no pressure to make the agreement. For it to be truly equitable, both parties should be getting what they need. In a housesitting exchange, a sitter is benefitting by not having to spend money on accommodations and the host is benefitting by not having to hire a house and/or pet sitter.
Dollar for dollar, the barter boils down to the potential daily value of the accommodations (perhaps the Airbnb rate) in comparison to the daily cost for the services provided (pet care, plant care, gardening, etc).
Is A Housesitting Exchange Safe?
Some house sitting communities secure basic background checks (US citizens only), government ID verification, and phone/email verification. Although the homeowner is not provided with this information, it is on file with the service should it be needed.
An individual sitter’s reviews are very important. You can get a good feel about a sitter from their profile and previous reviews. If they have shared a LinkedIn, AirBnB, or other social media links in their profiles, take time to review those as well.
How To Choose A House Sitter
The process begins when the homeowner posts a listing. Your listing profile and your Welcome Guide should provide a thorough overview of what your listing involves. This gives a potential sitter a complete picture of what’s involved before applying for your listing. Essentially, potential sitters apply and you can evaluate the sitters from there.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that both you and the potential sitter are looking for characteristics that would make this a good match. The sitters will have reviewed your listing, and once they have applied you will be able to review their profiles.
By viewing a potential sitter’s profile, you’ll be able to see other sits they’ve provided as well as read the feedback from the homeowners. The dates of the feedback provide a good resource for determining how often they sit and what destinations they choose.
Once you’ve narrowed down the most eligible sitter, you’ll want to have a virtual face-to-face to get to know one another more. You will want to meet potential sitters before making any commitments. Reserve virtual meetings only for those sitters that seem the most suitable for your listing.
Set Up A Virtual Meeting
This is the opportunity for you and the sitter to discuss the listing, share one another’s expectations, and to see if this exchange works for both parties. Offer to show the potential sitter around the house during your video call. Just remember, the house sitter is also interviewing you.
It’s an opportunity to ask additional questions and get a feel for personalities through conversation before committing. During your conversation with the sitter, you should be able to gauge if your potential sitter is genuinely interested in your listing, and if they express characteristics that would make you feel that they are a good fit for your house and pets (and vice versa).
This meeting should not when you bring up any additional requirements (“Oh by the way, you need to vacuum the pool daily.”). The tasks you are seeking should be clearly outlined in your listing before this meeting. The less important nuances of the sit can be brought up later or saved for your Welcome Guide.
By making the meeting feel more like a conversation than an interview, you might elicit more natural, unrehearsed responses where the potential sitter might provide answers to questions you planned on asking later. Be familiar with their profile before your meeting, which should help in answering some of your questions in advance.
The video call doesn’t have to be long but you should have an advance list of the topics you feel are vital in helping you evaluate the sitter. If at any point in this conversation you realize that this may not be a good match you should gracefully let the sitter know, rather than continue through each of the topics. And, hopefully, the potential sitter will provide that same courtesy if they too realize this sit won’t suit their needs.
Topics To Cover During Your Virtual Meeting
- Get to know the sitter
- Discuss your listing
- The tasks involved
- Other circumstances/expectations
- How will they arrange travel/transportation
- Communication
- Wrapping up the conversation
- The follow up
Get to know the sitter
Ask them why they decided to become a sitter? Do they talk about animals, or only focus on travel and destinations? Do they seem enthusiastic about doing sits in general, meeting hosts and their pets, and visiting new locations, or do they just need a place to crash?
Get to know one another more than what is listed in your profiles. What is their occupation? Do they have families, pets, interests, etc?
What are their “deal breakers” for a sit? What are their “must-haves” for a sit? Those two questions always tend to provide the most interesting, and telling answers. Ask them about the worst sit they’ve ever had.
In this part of the discussion, it’s good to get a feel of how they view this “barter”. Do they feel they are exchanging their services for the opportunity to be in new locations, or do they focus on how much they are helping you out (doing you a favor)?
If they have very few reviews, ask what interested them in joining the house sitting community. What is their motivation? If you are willing to take a chance on someone new, you may want to go a little further and review their social media profiles as well, which could provide a hint about their character in general.
Discuss Your Listing
Why they were interested in your listing? What specifically appealed to them? Do they mention or express interest in your pets? Did they take the time to actually read your listing in detail? Are they traveling to the area because of work, to visit family, are on-route to another location, or specifically because of the location? If they are using your house as a base for them to work outside the home, that might mean they would be gone during the day or possibly need to have clients over.
A sitter might be flying in and would want to know that there is public transit nearby or some means of transportation for them to get around. They might want to sightsee and visit nearby areas of interest, which would not work out with a high-maintenance pet. If working remotely, they would need access to high speed internet.
- Are they traveling to another location and your listing was on route
- Do they have business, or family and friends in the area (is there a chance they’ll want to have guests over, or need to be gone frequently?)
- What is their primary motivation for choosing your location?
- Have they applied to other listings in your area or during the same time span? (are you the backup in case their first pick falls through?)
- How will they arrange travel/transportation (more on that below)
The Tasks Involved
At this point of the discussion, you would go into further detail about the tasks you stated in your listing and engage with the sitter to determine if they’re seem willing and able, and are up to the tasks at hand.
You might want to talk about your normal routine and how much time you typically spend on these tasks. From there, you can ask the potential sitter about their experience and comfort level with these tasks.
For pets, you should start with an overview on their personality and demeanor. You would then cover their normal daily routine (the good and the bad).
Examples of topics:
- I normally mow the yard every weekend. The clippings go in the compost bin and I use a blower to tidy up.
- I feed the cat breakfast at 8am and dinner at 6pm.
- I walk the dogs 3 times a day for 20 minutes each, otherwise they’re prone to potty accidents.
- I water the outside plants around the house every morning, unless it rained overnight. It usually takes about 30 minutes.
- I only water the house plants if their soil feels dry to the touch and use no more one cup of water each when watering.
- The dog has separation anxiety and can’t be left alone for more than 2 hours before becoming destructive.
Examples of questions:
- For yard work, do they have experience operating specific equipment?
- What experience do they have with your type of pet?
- Are they comfortable around large or bite-risk dogs?
- Would they be physically up for walking a dog at least one hour a day (if that’s what you need)?
- Can they administer medications?
- What experience do they have with birds?
- Are they okay with behavioral issues?
Other Circumstances/Expectations
While most of your requirements should have been clearly outlined in your listing, there may be some other expectations you have that you should cover during this conversation. Here are some possible scenarios:
- Are they comfortable in a rural setting (if there are no delivery services such as uber eats or door dash)
- Confirming that they are happy to commit to being there every night and not being out for more than about 6 – 8 hours in a day, if that’s your requirement. Do they plan on spending any overnights away from the house?
- Whether they are a non-smoker if that’s what you prefer, or whether you are fine with smoking outdoors.
- Do you have a no children and/or pets policy?
- Discuss your visitor policy. Is it no visitors, no overnight guests, or gatherings under X amount of people only?
- Will anyone else be coming with you? Some sitters are smart to ask/mention they’re bringing someon early on, but others might wait until the very end of your meeting (or days before the sit) to spring this on you. Find out whom exactly who is coming to the sit.
- Are they fine with cleaning personnel, gardeners, or maintenance workers coming to your property during their stay?
- Share how would you describe your house cleaning habits. Will they be able to clean the house at the end of your stay, including vacuuming and wiping down all surfaces?
Travel And Transportation
- How will they be traveling to your location?
- If flying, how soon would they be able to confirm reservations? Will they need to be picked up? How will they get around?
- Do they travel by car and do they need a place to park it?
- Do they need to be picked up at a bus stop, airport, or train station?
- If they’re overseas, do they have the appropriate visa/passport and insurance?
- Vehicle use discussion, if applicable.
- How do they prefer to do the handoff? Do they need to arrive a day early and leave a day late?
- How would you prefer to do the handoff? Do you prefer to arrive home to an empty house or would you prefer to see them before they leave?
Wrapping Up The Conversation
If they haven’t already, ask if they have any questions about your listing? A conscientious sitter should have their own list of questions to ask you. Do they have any specific expectations for this sit (freedom to be gone most of the day, use of your vehicle)? Do they see any aspects of the tasks for this sit as possibly challenging? Are they comfortable with any specific requirements you have (being gone no more than 8 hours a day, not having guests over, being alone in the mountains, milking the cow?).
Communication is the key to success. By the end of your conversation, both you and the sitter should have a better idea of whether you “sync” and whether this listing is the best match for each of you. If the conversation has gone well and you both seem to connect, now would be a good time to get their full name, contact information, and to discuss future communications and pre-arrival follow-ups.
If you will be giving them use of your vehicle, now would also be the time to let them know they’ll need to provide a copy of their driver’s license so that you can temporarily add them to your auto insurance. The benefit in adding them is that your insurance will do a driver’s history check before adding them.
Communication
- Let them know often would you like to receive updates/pictures.
- What is the preferred method of communication (phone calls, texts, or emails)?
- Exchange phone, text, and email details.
- In case you cannot provide a decent wifi connection, how do you plan to communicate with the sitter during his stay.
Pre-Arrival Follow-up
If all is looking good, schedule a time to touch base prior to the sitting. A week before to confirm all details? During this follow-up, you will want to confirm your own travel dates as well as the sitter’s travel dates, and address any transportation issues.
Creating Your House Sitting Listing
The key to creating a successful listing is to provide clear, concise information that touches on the important elements a sitter will want to know before applying.
Your listing doesn’t need to be too lengthy but it should include what the sitter’s tasks will be in exchange for accommodations.
Many sitters are looking for sits in specific locations or on specific dates, but a good listing might entice a sitter to take advantage of the opportunity and use it as an unplanned getaway.
A quick outline for creating a listing would be as follows:
- Photos
- Introduction
- Your home
- Your location
- Sitter’s accommodations
- Responsibilities (home and pets)
Photos
Good photos are essential for your listing. You should include pictures of your home’s exterior (if applicable), the primary living areas, the bedroom and bath the sitter will be using, any special amenities, and lots of photos of your pets (especially those that capture their personalities).
Introduction
Your introduction is a way to share a little about yourself, your interests or hobbies, and/or profession. It provides a sense of who you are. You can share why you are traveling and why you are looking for a house sitter (versus pet sitter).
“I am an insurance professional and travel several times a year for work. I love cooking and gardening, and have a stocked kitchen and plenty of fresh vegetables in the summer. My townhouse is in the art district of Baltimore, which I share with my 6 year old rescued indoor cat Evan. Evan is shy but friendly. He is fearful of other animals and did not do well in boarding, but does great at home (even with new people).”
About your house
What type of property do you have? What are some of your home’s best features or amenities? How would you describe the neighborhood?
“We live in a two-story home in a quiet subdivision. Our house (living room, dining room, kitchen, pantry, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths) has a large fenced backyard with a pool, covered deck and fire pit. We have high speed internet and Roku on all the TVs.”
About your property’s location
In this section, you will be providing a potential sitter with an idea of where you are, what’s nearby, and places of interest they might want to visit. Include the name of your subdivision if it’s relevant (“We’re located in the historic section of Belle County, 10 minutes south of Columbia”). If they aren’t driving, they’ll want to know how far the airport is, if there is public transportation available, and whether there are delivery services they can utilize (Uber eats, Door Dash, etc). If you are offering your car, you would include that here (along with any conditions). If they are driving and you live in an apartment or condo, let them know if they’ll have dedicated parking.
Be sure to mention what there is to do in your community. Can they going hiking or biking? How far is the beach or lake? Are there cultural points of interest or wineries worth visiting? Not being familiar with your area, a sitter would appreciate reading about two or three places of interest nearby that might make your listing more appealing.
“We are located in the Green section of Akron, near the center of the city with quick access to the interstate. A grocery store and restaurants are only minutes away and Walmart delivery and Door Dash when you don’t feel like going out. Both the state park and downtown are only 20 minutes away. Our local brewery has live music several nights a week and it’s definitely worth visiting.”
About the sitter’s accommodations
It’s always nice to let potential sitters know where they’ll be staying in your home and what they’ll have access to use. A couple that sits together might prefer applying only to those listings that offer at least a queen-sized bed. In other words, if they’ll be staying in the den and using a pull-out sofa or an inflatable mattress, let them know. You don’t need to spell out what isn’t included or what they can’t have access to, unless it would have an impact on their stay.
“You’ll have access to most of the house, a full-sized bed in our large guest room with plenty of drawer and closet space, as well as the guest bath with shower. You’ll also have access to any cooking staples you might need, two empty cabinets in the kitchen and shelf space in the fridge set aside for you.”
Responsibilities (home and pets)
And last, but not least, you’ll share what you would like from the sitter in exchange for the accommodations. It’s important to be honest, especially if you have a high-maintenance pet or the daily tasks will take up a significant amount of time or attention. It’s always nice to give potential sitters an idea of how much time it will take them so that they know whether there’ll be time to explore the area or if they need to stay close to home.
You should also clearly state if you have expectations such as specifically needing them to not be gone for more than 6 hours at a time, or if you need them to arrive a day early for the hand-off. If you’re super clean (especially if it’s a pet-peeve), you can hint that you keep the house neat and tidy and ask that they keep it that way.
For your home, specify whether they will need to accommodate maintenance workers (repairmen, gardeners, housekeepers), pick up your mail, set out the trash, or water your plants.
Regarding your pet, you should include a brief overview of your daily routine (feeding schedule, required walks and interaction time).
“We feed Jeremy at 8am and 6pm. We let him out for potty breaks about an hour after feedings, and watch him to make sure he doesn’t try to dig out under the fence. We also walk him around the neighborhood once during the day; no specific time. Other than that, he’ll chill with us on the couch, bring a toy for tug of war, or will go sleep in his crate. “
Listing Conclusion
Your listing doesn’t need to be (and shouldn’t be) lengthy. It just needs to include enough details to intrigue potential sitters and provide them with enough information to determine if it might meet their needs. All the other finite details can be addressing during your video meetup and in your Welcome Guide.
Click here to read more about preparing your house and creating a Welcome Guide.
