A housesit is an arrangement between two parties, homeowner and housesitter. The arrangement is usually made to ensure the home and also perhaps pets, of one, are cared for by the other. At Housesit Match we facilitate the housesitting arrangements between two such parties.

We operate through the internet and so we can connect people across the planet. As long as both parties have an internet connection they can make arrangements online through a chosen housesitting website.  In general, there are some guiding principles to ensure a good and successful housesit experience. Read on to learn more about what is a housesit.

What is a housesitter?

Before understanding what is a housesit we should explain what is a housesitter. A housesitter is a person who stays at a person’s house to look after it while its owner is away. The presence of a house sitter is the number one burglar deterrent. And often housesitters are asked to move into a home to care for the resident pets in their own home.

What is a housesit?

It is no coincidence that we chose the name Housesit Match to call our housesitting business. And yes we also support petsitting arrangements. In fact the large part of our housesit assignments involve the care and management of pets while the pet owners are away from home.

Understanding all the factors of what is a housesit

So what is a housesit? It is the care and management of pets and a property in the owners absence. Read on to learn more about what is a house sitting.

• Length of housesit assignment – Housesits in our experience can span an enormous range of durations. So thinking about what is a housesit and the during of he assignment is important. Some people want a house or pet sitter to care for their pets or property for a short period, perhaps for a weekend. Some of our homeowners join because they need a sitter just for a day or two, perhaps to cover a wedding event.
• Wedding house and petsitters – So a pet sitter might invited to their home to care for the pets while they are away at a wedding, perhaps their own!
• Honeymoon house and petsitters – Sometimes a petsitter might be invited to stay not simply to care for the pets during the wedding but also the duration of the honeymoon when the owners are away from home.
• Holiday house and petsitters – Most of our housesitters are invited into the owners home to care for pets and property while the owners are on holiday. This is usually a period of between one to four weeks. The longer the housesit the more extensive the housesitter responsibilities.

• Long term house sitters – Sometimes homeowners plan an extended trip away from home. They will need sitters to manage everything while they are away. People who work for volunteer organisations or operate as expats may need sitters for extended periods at their house. They will be working or volunteering abroad. Long term house sitters may be asked to look after pets as part of their house sitter duties and responsibilities.
• Location of housesit – Choose a location that you can easily access, to ensure you can get there as agreed with the homeowner.  Some housesits are located locally in your own country. However, some housesits that are published for example on Housesitmatch.com are located in wonderfully exotic locations offering house sitting in Costa Rica or further afield.

We have had housesits in many countries around the world with homeowner clients relying on our trusted house sitting services.

If you fancy house sitting abroad consider a country you like and where the housesitting responsibilities will be achievable.  Consider your language skills and how comfortable you are discovering a new location. We have a range of housesitting opportunities all over the world. Some of our more popular blogs recounting housesitter stories include the following –

Check out our destination blogs –

• Housesitting in Australia – We have many members of our network based in Australia or originally from Australia and New Zealand.

• Housesitting in Beijing – We have expat homeowners who occasionally ask us to find housesitters who love pets to care for their animals.

• Housesitting in Ireland – Home and petowners based in Ireland often join Housesitmatch to experience housesitting and support affordable travel opportunities.

• Housesitting in London – London is an exciting city to visit and of course to live in. However, it is an expensive capital city with accommodation and pet care prices to match. We make travel and accommodation affordable through our collaborative arrangements. No money changes hands between homeowner and housesitter through Housesitmatch.com. We offer an exchange of services.

• Housesitting Paris – Paris is another a wonderful city to visit. However, it is an equally expensive capital city. Accommodation and pet care prices are high. Housesitmatch makes travel and accommodation affordable through our collaborative arrangements.

• Housesitting in Spain – Spain is probably one of our most popular countries not only as a destination for housesitters looking for assignments.

What is a housesit … is it a petsit?

Most of our assignments are indeed also petsitting gigs.  The most popular assignments are for dogsitters, catsitters, rabbit sitters and some include guinea pig sitting! However, we do get requests for housesitters to care for donkeys, horses and some exotic animals and insects!

HOUSE SITTERS PLEASE NOTE 

Check the advertisement carefully before applying to make sure you have noted all the petsitting responsibilities will be required to manage.

Do I need experience to try housesitting?

When you think about the question ‘ what is a housesit ‘ which points come to mind? If you are thinking that you will need to keep a home secure, clean and tidy then you’re on the right track. To get started as a housesitter we always recommend that you start with a short local gig first.

Complete this assignment successfully, where you know the landscape and possibly the animals involved. This first sit it will give you confidence and the experience to go further afield. Ask for feedback from the home and petowner to ensure you met their expectations. Take that feedback on board. Do some more research to learn how you can improve your skills and knowledge, especially in pet care.

Housesitter’s check list for what is a housesit

There are a number of skills you could offer as a house sitter.  Work on these skills and experiences to improve your appeal to home and pet owners:

• Check the responsibilities requested of you by the homeowner – ask them to write them down
• Home care – cleaning and simple home maintenance (only touch what the homeowner knows you are going to fix)
• Garden maintenance – watering and feeding plants, weeding, mowing the lawn, planting out seedlings, slug patrol techniques and managing beer traps
• Pet care – dog walking, dog sitting, cat sitting, rabbit sitting, guinea pig sitting – note in your profile if you have dog handling experience or pet first aid
• Get references for any assignments you complete – homeowners like to research what others have thought of your housesitting

What are the responsibilities of a housesitter?

The top 10 list of housesitter responsibilities includes the following:

1. Keep the home secure
2. Care for the pets as if they were your own
3. Communicate with the home owner in the way they have requested
4. Manage pet food supplies
5. Keep the home clean and tidy
6. Manage the garden as you have agreed with the homeowner
7. Replace kitchen and food supplies if you have used the owner’s
8. Manage deliveries to the house
9. Maintain a living presence in the home
10. Offer a gift of appreciation.

So now you understand more about ‘what is a housesit !’

A final note on your understanding of ‘what is a housesit’ –  does it sound like fun? If so then you are likely an adventurous housesitter. Do some research, watch the YouTube Videos, read the blogs to learn more about the opportunities that might exist for you in housesitting.

Check out our Housesitmatch website for more information about what is a housesit, what is a house sitter job, and any housesitting opportunities available for housesit adventures around the world.

How to become a housesitter

If you you’ve been contemplating what is a housesit, and are thinking of housesitting as a fun thing to try, then you need consider your next steps. So here are my top 11 tips for getting started as an international housesitter:

Join a small housesitting platform

Join one of the smaller housesitting sites such as HouseSitMatch. Posts on the larger sites can draw 30 or 40 applicants – daunting competition for a newbie!  But the smaller sites offer less competition and increased customer service that is often personalized.  I can attest to HouseSit Match’s unparalleled hands-on support. Also consider the option to become a house sitter for free.

It means you are volunteering and will exchange your services for free accommodation. The barrier is low to get started.

Other advantages of being with the right platform is they will have guidelines, templates and support documents to help you understand what best practice looks like. Make sure they have a responsive administration so you can ask questions about housesitting and petsitting. A good platform will support you in your endeavours.

Start housesitting locally first – it will help you get started as a housesitter

While you might be asking yourself ‘ are house sitters in demand? ‘ you should start locally first.

Looking for local housesitting jobs or house sitting jobs near me gives you a chance to meet the homeowners and pets ahead of time. This gives you a “leg up” on sitters traveling from foreign countries. It is worth doing if you possibly can. Local housesitting is definitely a good way to get started as a housesitter and a great way to find out what is housesitting.

JOIN HOUSESIT MATCH

Join Housesitmatch.com a professional service that offers access to help you find free checked live in petsitters and housesitters, for a moderate annual fee. These petsitters will help you keep pets at home safely and happy in their daily routine.

FURTHER READING ON WHAT IS A HOUSESIT, PETS AND FINDING HOUSE SITTERS

What are pet sitting services?

What is in home pet sitting and how much will it cost?

Housesitters keep pets safe at home and save money