Choose a House Sitter

If you’re planning on temporarily leaving your house for days, weeks, or even months, you might want to consider hiring a house sitter to take care of your home while you’re gone. But entrusting a stranger with your home can seem like a daunting task. When choosing a house sitter, focus on finding someone that is right for your home, and don’t be afraid to be picky!

Steps

Finding the Right House Sitter

1. Establish what services you need while you’re gone. House sitters are able to provide a host of services, including watering your plants, collecting your mail, and walking and feeding your pets, if applicable. Knowing what you need during your absence will help you find the house sitter that’s right for you!
2. Decide between a daytime or overnight house sitter. If you’re only going to be gone for a short period of time, you could consider asking a house sitter to stop by once a day to make sure everything is in order. However, if you’re planning on a longer vacancy or need your housesitter to do more frequent tasks, like feeding your pets, you should probably hire an overnight house sitter.
3. Set a budget. Consider how much you want to pay, and what you’re offering the house sitter in return. If you’re looking for a short-term overnight stay, you can probably find a house sitter for free in exchange for free lodging. However, if you’re expecting your house sitter to cover your house for an extended period of time, or if you’re requesting additional services, you will probably need to pay them.
   • The average house sitting in the US ranges from $15 to $50.
   • Price also varies depending on location, house sitting duration, and additional services.
4. Ask friends and family if they know a potential house sitter. Even if you don’t know anyone who might be a perfect house sitter, there’s a chance your friends or family members do. Ask around to see if anyone knows a house sitter. Make sure to specify if you’re planning on paying your house sitter and how long you will be gone.
5. Look for potential house sitters online. If you can’t find anyone from your friends or acquaintances, search one of the many professional house sitting services on the Internet. Once you find one that fits your budget and has good testimonials, create a profile, input your information, and wait for potential house sitters to contact you.
   • Beware of classified advertising sites! Posting an ad on these sites lets potential thieves know that your house will be vacant.

Interviewing Your House Sitter

1. Connect with your potential house sitter. Whether you’ve chosen to contact a friend or acquaintance or are using a professional house sitting site, reach out to your potential house sitter to set up interview. If they’re local, consider inviting them to your home in order to get to know them face to face. If not, ask them to video chat with you, so you can decide if they’re the right sitter for you.
2. Prepare interview questions. Spend some time thinking about the qualities you’re looking for. Prepare questions and decide if you have any deal breakers. With the proper preparation, you’ll have an easier time getting to the heart of what you’re trying to learn.
   • If you have a partner or roommate that will be interviewing with you, make sure you two are on the same page.
   • Decide how long you want the interview to be, and how structured you want to make it.
3. Interview your potential house sitter. Look for house sitters who seem reliable, show up to the interview on time, speak confidently, and are willing to provide references. Ask them why they want to be a house sitter. Give them an opportunity to ask questions as well, but take careful note of the questions they ask you. If anything they do raises a red flag, consider hiring someone else.
   • Typically, house sitters are writers, academics, or retirees, though people choose to house sit for many reasons.
4. Have your potential house sitter walk through some scenarios. In order to get the best sense of what your house sitter prioritizes, set up scenarios and ask them to walk you through what they’d do. Some scenarios include asking them what they’d do if a toilet overflowed or a pipe broke. You can also ask them what they would do if they broke something.
5. Ask scenario questions about any additional services they’re providing. If your house sitter will also be looking after a pet or a pool, or providing any other additional services, ask them about their experience in that area. Explain any particulars they need to know before asking them more questions. For example, tell them more about your pet, and then ask them what they would do if your pet got sick, or ran away.
6. Check their references. Ask your potential house sitter for prior experience, references, and testimonials. Don’t be afraid to be picky! There are many more potential house sitters than there are houses, so don’t worry about looking until you find the house sitter that’s right for you.

Closing the Deal

1. Draft a contract. A contract between you and your house sitter gives you extra protection. Include in the contract what you will pay the house sitter and what your house sitter will need to do during your vacancy. Specify in writing if they can use things like your car or pool, if applicable.
   • If you use an online agency, chances are they will have built in a contract for you. If not, reach out to your lawyer or other law professional for help drafting one.
   • If you feel the need, you can also ask for a security deposit against potential damages.
   • Traditionally, house sitters don’t pay for anything in the house itself, but if you’re gone for long enough, you might consider also asking them to pay for the utilities they use.
2. Exchange contact information. Make sure your house sitter knows how to contact you in case there are any problems with the house. Inform them of all necessary specifics, like anyone who might be accessing the house like a gardener or cleaner or how often they should feed or walk your pet, if applicable.
3. Ask friends or neighbors to check in every once in a while. If this is your first time hiring a house sitter, or if you’re hiring a house sitter who doesn’t have too much experience, ask someone you trust to check in occasionally and make sure everything is going smoothly.
   • Feel free to contact the house sitter during your time away and make sure everything is going smoothly.

Tips

• Hide your valuables. While the majority of house sitting arrangements go off smoothly, its always better to be safe than sorry!

References

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