What is a House Sitter?

So, what is a house sitter?

First you may ask what is house sitting? House sitting is a mutually beneficial arrangement between two parties to care for a home and pets.

This is called a housesit. Most housesits usually taking place between a homeowner and an individual with the responsibility of looking after the home and any animals present as pets in the home. This housesitting arrangements enables the owner to leave their property and pets in the care of the house sitters for an agreed period of time.

What are the responsibilities of a housesitter?

Within the protocols of Housesitmatch.com there are several responsibilities of a housesitter. These responsibilities or duties will span a wide range of requests.

The responsibilities of a house sitter can include:

• managing security in the property
• property maintenance
• pet care
• garden and tomato sitting!

However, each housesitting arrangement will be unique to each homeowner and house sitter.

Home sitters for property security

It is the responsibility of a house sitter, or home sitter as they are sometimes called, to provide care for the property. As a constant presence in the home the sitters will be keeping the home secure in the owner’s absence. Sometimes the property is at risk if it stands empty for a long period.

Most insurance companies will not uphold the home insurance guarantees if the property stands empty for longer than 5 weeks.

Housesitters for property management

Therefore house sitter or home sitters play a valuable role in keeping the property occupied. Maintaining and overseeing all the functions and facilities of the home is an essential responsibility.    Only by having a human to manage the property can you make sure that all functions remain in good working order.

Should anything go wrong, or if extreme weather causes damage then with sitters on site there will be people to manage the situation.  and report issues to the owners.

Is petsitting a housesitter responsibility?

A housesitting assignment often required pet care. Most housesitting websites like Housesitmatch.com display housesits as house sitting and pet sitting assignments. A housesitting website is where many people go to find a house sitter online  The adverts published on the website usually ask for live in house and pet sitters to care for property and pets.

Pet sitting is a responsibility if pets already live in the home It is quite usual. The usual responsibilities associated with pet minding include feeding and exercise of the pets. In addition you will be responsible for overseeing their well being to make sure they stay in good health. Sometimes pets must be given medication. If this is the case then the pet owner will document this and share the details with you.

Property cleaning and maintenance

Cleaning the property and maintaining the garden, or garden sitting is also a regular task for home sitters. There may be a regular cleaner who tends the house regularly. Or the homeowner may ask the housesitter to clean the home. And because of this, at Housesitmatch.com we recommend that you take time regularly to stay on top of the cleaning schedules.

There may be a gardener who tends the garden, or they may ask you as the housesitter to do that. You might mow the lawn and water plants, or even manage the tomato plants, for instance. This is called tomato sitting.

Pre-agreed between the two parties, the housesitting agreement last for the duration of the housesitters stay.

Using a housesitting website can facilitate the housesit arrangement

At HouseSit Match, every member of our site has to undergo identity verification. This applies to housesitters and homeowners. For house sitters we also strongly advise a background check. Once completed they appear on the housesitter profile.

When housesitters apply directly for an opportunity through the housesitting website we suggest a meeting. As a result of this meeting the home owners speak directly to housesitter applicants. And because they have spent time talking to the sitters they can make an informed decision about the best housesit match for their needs.

Free housesitting

House and Pet sitting arrangements are free. Housesitting agreements outline the responsibilities of the sitters. Written by the homeowner the agreements describe the agreement between the owner and the sitter. By reviewing these agreed responsibilities together it helps to ensure that everyone understands the process and their responsibilities.

If you would like to start the process to become a house or pet sitter, or would like to register as a home owner with HouseSit Match, sign up today! We’ve got two levels of membership – Standard and Premium – depending on your needs.

To find out more about House Sitting and Pet Sitting with HouseSit Match, visit our ‘About Us’ webpage, or you can begin the registration process straightaway here.