Finding a good house sitter online

[jacquespluto]

Anyone with experience finding good house sitters on Mind My House, Trusted House sitters or other similar sites?  Curious to hear any suggestions on the following.

- What to look for in a good house sitter for 1 high maintenance dog, 1 low maintenance cat

- Should we ask for any compensation for utilities?

- What rules to include?

Appreciate any experience, good or bad that folks can share.

[Adam Zapple]

Can you clarify.  Are you looking for a pet sitter or a house sitter?  I would consider these two different things.

[jacquespluto]

House sitter - but 95% of responsibilities will be the pets.  Other than that it's just watering a few house plants and getting the mail.

[Adam Zapple]

I would consider stopping by your local fire department or police department and asking if anyone house sits.  Due to shift work they like to have side hustles and will generally be trustworthy people.  Firefighters also are used to dealing with routine household emergencies like water leaks, electrical problems, home heating malfunctions etc so that is a bonus.  Just an idea.

[jamaicaspanish]

We have been on trustedhousesitters (as sitters) for two plus years.

Our experiences have ranged from positive to extremely positive to practically perfect.

Most normal job-interviewy type stuff applies here, too.  We make sure that our references, background info, and cover letter are all be error-free and positive.   We also took all the steps to be super-certified in their system.

Since you are asking for fairly specialized care for one pet, I would look for someone with that specific experience (giving meds, administering shots, expressing glands, etc.).

Asking a sitter to pay for utilities would be an immediate deal-breaker for us, especially with a high-needs pet included.

The best part of sitting for us is allowing pet owners to travel worry-free, and allowing their pets to be happy in in a normal-ish routine.

Best of luck in your search.

[jacquespluto]

We have been on trustedhousesitters (as sitters) for two plus years.

Our experiences have ranged from positive to extremely positive to practically perfect.

Most normal job-interviewy type stuff applies here, too.  We make sure that our references, background info, and cover letter are all be error-free and positive.   We also took all the steps to be super-certified in their system.

Since you are asking for fairly specialized care for one pet, I would look for someone with that specific experience (giving meds, administering shots, expressing glands, etc.).

Asking a sitter to pay for utilities would be an immediate deal-breaker for us, especially with a high-needs pet included.

The best part of sitting for us is allowing pet owners to travel worry-free, and allowing their pets to be happy in in a normal-ish routine.

Best of luck in your search.

Thanks, this is very helpful.  Interested in spending a month in the PNW starting mid-Jan? :)

[Miss Piggy]

- Should we ask for any compensation for utilities?

You're kidding...right?  (How many years will you be gone?)

[jacquespluto]

- Should we ask for any compensation for utilities?

You're kidding...right?  (How many years will you be gone?)

No, I wasn't kidding.  A general search about how this works and I found that was optional.  Which is why I'm asking the question.  Thanks for the comment and the sarcasm though.

[Miss Piggy]

- Should we ask for any compensation for utilities?

You're kidding...right?  (How many years will you be gone?)

No, I wasn't kidding.  A general search about how this works and I found that was optional.  Which is why I'm asking the question.  Thanks for the comment and the sarcasm though.

I'm shocked to hear it's even "a thing." Not for you, but for the industry. I mean, it sounds like you wouldn't really need a housesitter if you didn't have pets.  It sounds like the plants are secondary; you could always "loan" the plants out; and you could have your mail stopped temporarily. So for the sake of this discussion, would it be safe to say it's pretty much all about the pets? If so, the housesitter will be fulfilling a huge need for you, and an important one. Any talk of charging for utilities might seem insulting and nickel & dimey to me. It could limit your options of great housesitters. Just having your pets cared for properly will be a big win-win.

[jacquespluto]

- Should we ask for any compensation for utilities?

You're kidding...right?  (How many years will you be gone?)

No, I wasn't kidding.  A general search about how this works and I found that was optional.  Which is why I'm asking the question.  Thanks for the comment and the sarcasm though.

I'm shocked to hear it's even "a thing." Not for you, but for the industry. I mean, it sounds like you wouldn't really need a housesitter if you didn't have pets.  It sounds like the plants are secondary; you could always "loan" the plants out; and you could have your mail stopped temporarily. So for the sake of this discussion, would it be safe to say it's pretty much all about the pets? If so, the housesitter will be fulfilling a huge need for you, and an important one. Any talk of charging for utilities might seem insulting and nickel & dimey to me. It could limit your options of great housesitters. Just having your pets cared for properly will be a big win-win.

I agree, but it's also an exchange.  Housing and temporary lodging (hotels, airbnb) are certainly not cheap where I live.  A lot of house sitters take assignments specifically to travel and not pay for lodging or they are digital nomads and make a lifestyle out of it.  Understanding the value of the exchange for each side can vary depending on responsibilities, housing condition, location etc. 

The responsibilities for my specific situation is less than an hour a day while rent and utilities for the type of home I have is well over $2,500 / mo.   I've also read that some house sitters ask for additional compensation beyond housing and utilities, so the nickel and diming as you call it works both ways.  That's why I asked the question.  I wasn't planning on asking for utilities to be paid, but just trying to figure out the norm.  It does sound like the best situations are when both parties agree to an equal exchange with no money involved.

[Jules13]

We found one who lives in our neighborhood through Rover.com.  The rates range from $25 -$100 per night.  You can see their reviews, etc and what services they offer.  And you are paying them (or not in the case of an exchanage) to watch your house and your pet while you are out of town, to give you peace of mind.  You would not then charge them for utilities. 

[Dicey]

If it's available in your area, try NextDoor. Finding people who live in your immediate area is a huge plus. I found a babysitter for my MIL who has ALZ and lives with us this way, and she is awesome! Of course, do the same due diligence you would anywhere.

[Miss Piggy]

If it's available in your area, try NextDoor. Finding people who live in your immediate area is a huge plus. I found a babysitter for my MIL who has ALZ and lives with us this way, and she is awesome! Of course, do the same due diligence you would anywhere.

I had a similar thought, but the OP is going to be gone a month. People on NextDoor would expect to be paid, and would be less likely to want to stay at someone's house for a whole month. Instead, the OP is looking at more of a "bartering" type situation...you take care of my pets/mail/plants/house, and you can stay at my house for free. It appears that there's a good market for this type of tradeoff now.

[honeybbq]

House sitter - but 95% of responsibilities will be the pets.  Other than that it's just watering a few house plants and getting the mail.

I don't understand. If you want a house sitter, 95% of the responsibility shouldn't be pets. What you want is (really) a dog sitter who lives in your house.

Try rover with the 'stay in the house' option. It will be expensive for a month.

[jacquespluto]

Well ideally I'd like it not to be expensive and more specifically free.  This is a mustache forum, right? 

Maybe I should have been more clear in my original post.  I'm really looking for people who have direct experience using websites that are geared towards this type of arrangement and there are many out there including Trustedhousesitters, Mindmyhouse and Nomador to name a few.  In fact there are far more sitters than home owners available on most of these sites, so if anything the demand for this sort of exchange - watching pets and homes for a free place to stay - far exceeds the supply. 

[LateToTheParty]

I use TrustedHousesitter when we travel, and I am also a sitter on the site. I also sit for Rover, and charge $45/night to housesit thru that site.

When we use TrustedHousesitter for pet sitting in our home, I feel like I am getting a bargain. I would not ask someone for utilities. I save so much money not having to pay for a pet sitter or to board our dogs, plus the fish get fed and mail managed. It really is an equal exchange in my opinion.

We have had nothing but good experiences.

[jacquespluto]

I use TrustedHousesitter when we travel, and I am also a sitter on the site. I also sit for Rover, and charge $45/night to housesit thru that site.

When we use TrustedHousesitter for pet sitting in our home, I feel like I am getting a bargain. I would not ask someone for utilities. I save so much money not having to pay for a pet sitter or to board our dogs, plus the fish get fed and mail managed. It really is an equal exchange in my opinion.

We have had nothing but good experiences.

Thank you, this is good to hear.  I'm going to sign up for an account on a few sites including Trustedhousesitter.

[Adam Zapple]

Feel free to ignore this since it does not directly answer your question, but what about a pet-swap situation?  I posted an ad on craigslist one time to ask if anyone wanted to watch my dog for a week in exchange for watching their dog for a week.  I got several replies but did not end up going through with it for reasons I don't remember.