Beyond Free Stays: What No One Tells You About Housesitting

Think housesitting is just a free place to crash? Think again. Behind those dreamy photos of infinity pools and cozy countryside cottages is a real job, one that comes with serious responsibilities, unexpected perks, and a lifestyle that can change everything about how (and why) you travel.

If you’re curious about how people get paid (or not) to live in beautiful homes around the world, or just want to know what it really takes to be a trusted housesitter, this guide will pull back the curtain.

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My experience as a housesitter

After 8 years of housesitting and more than 15 assignments where I took care of beautiful homes and even more beautiful furry creatures, I realized what a professional housesitter being really means, and that I have always been one. It is very simple, really, but not many people have a clear idea.

So in this post, I will explain how to become a housesitter (a professional one) and where to find assignments, besides many other important aspects of being a house sitter that you should know.

Every time I read “I am a professional housesitter,” I wondered what made me a professional housesitter. Do I need a certification? Do I need to have a certain number of assignments to declare I am a “professional”? How do I know if I am a professional sitter?

After reading about the experiences of other house-sitters and the flattering reviews from my previous homeowners, I realized I am indeed a professional house-sitter, no doubt, and I have been that way from the very beginning.

And that’s why I have decided to write this post after so long.

In this post, I will explain what you need to become a professional housesitter, based on my own experience, and where to find housesitting opportunities. It’s a no-brainer, really, but I can see that it’s not entirely clear to many people.

No certification is required, nor any special career or specific qualification, but there are a few things that are a must, including some common sense and genuine love for animals and other elements that you should be aware of, before deciding you want to be a house sitter.

Because not everybody can do it.

If you’re interested in becoming a housesitter, I suggest continuing to read this.

What is a house sitter?

A housesitter is somebody who looks after a home and pets when the homeowner is away. In some cases, homeowners don’t have pets and just need somebody to look after the house.

This is usually the case with big luxury homes, where the owner needs someone to manage workers, such as gardeners or cleaners, or simply wants you to take care of their plants.

It can be anywhere in the world, and it’s usually an exchange, with no payment involved, so the housesitter lives in the house in exchange for looking after the pets and home.

So, even if you don’t get paid in cash, you save money on rent, which is, in a way, a form of payment if you don’t have your own house.

And that’s why, financially, it is more convenient for people who live on the road and work from anywhere, the so-called digital nomads.

However, there are many situations, especially in the US and Australia, where housesitting is a full-time job that involves payment. But in order to do that, you need to be eligible to work in the country legally.

I recently discovered specific websites to find paying house-sitting gigs, which I will discuss later in this post.

This is especially true in remote areas that are not particularly attractive and where nobody would want to travel for the sake of visiting, but also in more popular places, such as luxury homes that require management and full-time care of the premises.

I have started housesitting in Mexico, and I am presently in Guatemala as I am writing this article. I have never seen paid house-sitting gigs here, and probably for a reason.

In fact, there is such high demand for house-sitting positions that anyone would do it for free just to get a free stay in Mexico or Guatemala, for example.

In this post, I’m discussing housesitting as an exchange, as that’s what I’m familiar with and what I do.

Usually, housesitters are digital nomads or remote workers who travel the world and want to save some bucks on accommodation. That’s how I started looking for housesitting gigs.

When I left my job in Cancun, and I started my journey through Latin America, being a housesitter allowed me to stay in great places while saving money for my long-term journey.

However, although it is a great way to save on rent, you need to keep in mind that while housesitting, you don’t always have the same level of freedom to explore the surroundings as you would if you were just traveling and paying for your own rent.

You have responsibilities, and you need to make the interest and care of your pets your priority, and even your hunger for exploring comes after. Of course, it’s not always the case.

There are situations in which pets don’t require much attention, but this is a fundamental matter that you should discuss with the homeowner before accepting the assignment.

Although I must be honest, I never like to leave the pets on their own for too long, even when I know they are accustomed to it.

I will talk about it in detail in the section below of this post.

However, it is essential to recognize that there is a time for exploration and a time for housesitting. So I use my housesitting time to work on my business while the dogs, cats, and I are keeping each other company, and I leave exploring when I am not housesitting.

In doing this, I assure the pets have all the attention while I focus on my work. This is a win-win situation,n and it helps me to have a balanced life on the road.

You may find it hard to believe, but traveling full-time can be exhausting. Housesitting allows me to stay in a comfortable house without having to worry about my next move, but it creates a healthy routine instead, with home-cooked meals, exercise, and plenty of time spent with the pets.

Both cats and dogs get used to me easily because I am around all the time, and we get along from day one.

Oh well, maybe cats require more time; you know how picky they can be. But they will come around more easily if I am a constant presence.

I realized that from my very first housesitting gig on the Yucatan coast, near Merida. I was grateful to have been given a chance despite having no previous experience.

I was looking after two beautiful dogs (both of them now passed, RIP sweet babies), and I was never comfortable leaving them at home alone; I just couldn’t feel that they liked it. So even when I had to go grocery shopping, I tried to rush it.

And even with all my next sitting assignments I just loved and cherished all my time with those loving furry creatures and it was natural to put their needs first. That was the reason why I was there in the first place. And that will take us to the next point.

How to become a professional house sitter

Are you still with me? If you have come that far, it means you are still interested in becoming a housesitter and want to know the requirements, I guess. Well, it is very easy indeed and you may have already guessed from the previous lines.

It takes lots of love, a sense of responsibility, commitment, and common sense, but it all comes down to understanding that you are there for the pets and not for a free place to stay. It’s an exchange, and you’ve got to do your part.

The thing is, if you love animals, it won’t feel like a job because spending time with them and taking care of their needs would be exactly the main reason why you are housesitting in the first place.

I had never had a pet when I lived in Italy, and I am not sure where this love of animals comes from. It may be because when I was very little, even before I could remember, my grandfather had a German Shepherd who was very protective of me.

One time, my father pretended to hit me just to see the dog’s reaction (her name was Mirka), and she bit my father on the calf. Of course, I don’t remember, my dad told me. I believe that my love for animals is subconsciously rooted in that.

The thing is that they are an essential part of my life, and when I am not housesitting, I miss having them around.

That’s why I like to alternate between house-sitting and working time with traveling, which, for the record, are two different things. If you are wondering why I don’t have my own, the answer is because I am “allergic” to long term commitments and I am traveling full time so it wouldn’t really make sense, but I will have my own once I decide to settle somewhere in this world if I ever decide so.

That’s why housesitting is, for me, the perfect way of compensating for my need for pets’ love.

Do I need a visa to work as a housesitter?

I don’t believe there is an official immigration law on that. However, using common sense, I would say you would need a visa when receiving payment for your services.

However, if it’s an exchange and you don’t receive any monetary compensation, you are not technically employed, and therefore, you shouldn’t need a working visa.

However, please note that in most countries, you are allowed to stay on a tourist visa for a maximum of 3 months, including Mexico.

After that, you either go in and out of the country (depending on the country’s regulations), pay a fine when you go out, or extend your tourist visa. You will need to enquire with the immigration office of the country you are housesitting.

Another option that has become very common in many countries is the Digital Nomad visa, which allows you to stay for a year or more “legally,” but you must prove you are not employed locally.

Requirements for Becoming a Housesitter

Following up on what I mentioned above, here are a few requirements for becoming a professional housesitter. Or at least what I consider essential.

Love for animals

If you don’t have a genuine affection for animals and you just want to do it for the sake of a free home, forget about it. They will feel you don’t care, and they will suffer, which means that you are not doing what you are supposed to do. I’ve already talked about it, but it’s always a good reminder.

Flexibility

Usually, housesitters are either retired, working online, or just on a break. In any case, you need to be flexible to adapt to the pets’ walking schedule, prepare their meals, and sometimes manage their medications or be available for emergencies.

If you have a remote job with a specific schedule, it’s essential to clarify this with the homeowner before accepting the job.

Some homeowners have a flexible routine, and you can arrange yours around your working schedule, but it’s not always the case.

From my experience, I was happy I didn’t have a regular job when I was housesitting because I had the flexibility to be there for the pets and adapt my business hours to their needs.

The irony is, once I accepted a housesitting position while I had a job with fixed working hours, I thought I could handle it perfectly. I was happy that, due to the pandemic, I was let go before I got to the house to sit.

It would have been too stressful to handle it, and not feasible.

If you are working as a freelancer or running your own business and can manage your time effectively, that would be a perfect situation.

Commitment and honesty

You need to consider that the homeowner has just met you or maybe only talked to you on the phone or via email, and decided to trust you enough to let you live in her home alone and look after their precious creatures. This is a big leap of faith if you think about that. The least you could do is follow her request, instructions, and rules.

For example, in most of cases, you are not supposed to leave the house for more than a certain amount of time, let alone leave the dog alone overnight.

Also, most of the time you are not allowed to have guests over unless you ask first. It is important that you go through the pets’ requirements and house rules before accepting the job, in order to be clear and start this partnership on the right foot.

Once learned and accepted, those rules and requests need to be followed. It’s a matter of respect first, but also for the sake of the animal’s well-being. Some dogs are more sensitive and would go through a lot of stress if you leave them alone for too long.

While I am writing this I am looking at Galla, one of the sweet dog girls that I am presently looking after. She is staring at me with her usual smile on her face and loving eyes.

It just melts my heart. Not to talk about when I come back from the grocery and I have been out 2 hours, as soon as she sees me, she wiggles and smiles as if I have been away for a month.

Too much cuteness! These are some of the reasons why I love housesitting so much, the special connection you can have with those god-sent creatures.

Be comfortable with being on your own

It’s not always the case, but in some of the houses where I sat, I was pretty much isolated, literally, and I couldn’t have been happier to be away and have time for myself.

However, I am an introvert. If you are somebody who loves to go out often and be among people, you need to make sure you choose a home located in a city or close enough to be able to hang out, but always without affecting the pet care, of course.

When I was sitting in NYC, where distances are long, I asked the homeowner what the maximum time I could be away was for the pet not to be in distress.

I wanted to explore the city of course, but I made sure I didn’t stay out too long for the dog to miss me too much. It was a cute old dog, and sometimes I left while he was sleeping and I would return to find him still fast asleep. That was a relief.

Other requirements

Sometimes homeowners have specific requirements for sitters, either because they have animals with particular medical conditions that require more specialized care, or because they have other types of animals, such as horses, that may require prior experience.

This is why clarifying all the needs and requirements before accepting is crucial.

That’s valid on both sides, of course, since it’s also the homeowner’s duty to ensure that the candidate is a good fit for their pets and home.

What are your duties as a housesitter?

The duties of a housesitter may vary from household to household. Generally speaking, you will need to:

• Feed the pets
• walk the pets
• Give the pets love and attention
• Give them medication if that is required
• plant watering
• Keeping the house clean and tidy
• Send owners pics of the pets and updates if they want.

As you can see, it’s not a difficult job and it doesn’t require a lot of time, well…if you don’t count the time I leave my computer to cuddle the pets.

I admit they are my biggest distraction, but I love it. One time I had to take care of two kittens among many other cats.

I had the time of my life, although I didn’t get much done because I would spend most of my time playing with them or watching them do their shenanigans. I was very well entertained.

As for house cleaning, the majority of the homes I sat for had a cleaner, which was nice, especially when the house was very big. I didn’t really want to spend the day cleaning, besides the fact that I am not really good at it.

The house cleaning cost is normally taken care of, but not always, so you will need to ask if this is a deal-breaker or an important factor to you.

I always say that housesitting is a part-time job that requires full-time care and love. The thing is that you actually don’t require much time, but you still have to be there for them.

You cannot just go out and mind your own business as if you were on vacation. Think about it as being always on call. But you can spend that time working from your laptop, of course.

What a housesitter is not supposed to do

Well, this topic is very broad, and it depends on the situation. In theory, the housesitter’s duties are limited to what is stated above, but there may be other minor duties that the owner may request.

There is one request that I came across once, and I was a little annoyed by how some people really don’t have the least respect for others. It was in Lima, Peru.

In that case, the owner was looking for somebody to manage his Airbnb besides the regular housekeeping duties, and that was obviously for free. That is a no-go for me. It’s a lucrative activity and a responsibility and you should get paid for it.

On another occasion, I met a girl at an event, and as soon as she knew I was doing housesitting, she asked me if I could take over her business while she was going on vacation for a month.

First of all, that implies managing employees and money, and again, for free.

A business that I knew nothing about. Besides, she didn’t even know me enough to hand me a business. That time I was kind of shocked and I politely refused.

What you should expect from a homeowner

The most important aspect for me is maintaining a good connection with the homeowner and being on the same page.

I was fortunate that it has been always the case, except with one of the people I contacted for a housesit, where I didn’t have a good feeling from the very beginning of our conversation and I was happy it didn’t go through although it was in a place where I would have really loved to sit.

But for me, having a good relationship and understanding with the homeowners is essential. After all, you have got to stay in their house and look after their beloved pets.

Even before accepting, you need to have a clear vision of what you are going to do and where you are going to stay, what your duties and expenses are, and every single aspect that you consider essential.

So it’s important that if the homeowner is not super clear about it you must ask in order to avoid surprises.

I have never had any issues, but I have heard some horror stories of situations that I hope I will never have to deal with.

Housesitting as an exchange

Let’s talk about housesitting as an exchange because I have never done a paid one.

I don’t think there are specific written rules, but according to my experience and what I have heard, all the utilities should be paid for by the owner, and so the cost of cleaners and other workers, if any.

The housesitter is just responsible for paying for her own food. Some owners choose to leave a small amount of money for food or a taxi as a courtesy gesture, especially if the home is located in a remote area with limited public transportation, which is appreciated. But I never expected that, and I am happy to pay for those expenses.

They should leave some emergency money in case anything happens, such as a veterinary emergency, for example, or bills to pay.

Also, the owners should let you know if they want to receive daily updates and pictures/videos of their home and furry kids or not. I used to do it, but some owners prefer not to.

I have even opened an IG account where I would post daily about the pets’ lives and they can check out all the time they want. In this way, I am not spamming their WhatsApp with pets’ photo,s but they can check on them any time they want.

Pros and cons of working as a housesitter

The pros and cons of working as a housesitter can differ from person to person, depending on your needs. But here are some general ones

Pros of working as a housesitter

• Living with cute pets
• saving on rent
• (in some cases) Living in a beautiful house
• a great environment to focus on your business while keeping each other company with the pets
• Having the chance to live in a city or region where you may not be able to afford it otherwise

Cons of working as a housesitter

• You are not totally free to do what you want with your time, as you are tight to the pet’s schedules and needs
• Sometimes it’s in places where you don’t really want to be
• Sometimes it’s in very touristy places where there are plenty of things to do, but you can’t do anything because you have to look after the pets and you cannot stay away for too long. (In this case, I normally stay a few extra days after or before the housesitting assignment to explore the area on my own)

Where to find house-sitting assignments

There are many sites where you can find house-sitting requests. However, for some destinations, you can find a lot of requests on specific Facebook groups. Just do a search for housesitting in [name of the country] and you may find something, especially if it’s a common destination for housesitters.

I have started housesitting in Mexico, and I found all my assignments in the Mexico housesitting group. There are many opportunities for housesitting in Mexico. There is also a group for Housesitting in Central America, but I have never found many opportunities there.

I have recently signed up to the Trustedhousesitter website, one of the first and the most popular site for housesitters and homeowners to meet, which also has many opportunities all over the world. I haven’t used it ye,t although I have been sent out a few requests.

Actually, I need to share this story. I was looking for a housesitting opportunity in NYC. I found an amazing one exactly on the dates that I was looking for. I wrote to the couple a nice letter explaining my experience and offering references (which I didn’t have on TrustedHousesitters because my account was new), and I have never received a reply, just a decline of my offer.

How rude, I thought!

Then I read some blog posts about housesitting in NYC, and they say it’s the most competitive city to find opportunities.

Besides, New Yorkers, because they live such a frenetic life, don’t bother replying. Oh wow, I thought, I didn’t know being busy meant being disrespectful. I suppose I’m being too sentimental.

Anyway, if you are looking for housesitting in NY as your first gig, you know now what to expect. Just make sure you build up some experience and references on TrustedHousesitter first. That will give you more chances to get picked for sure.

Normally more remote and less attractive destinations are in lower demand and easier to get.

I am listing additional house-sitting sites here for your convenience. It doesn’t hurt to try. Additionally, on most of these sites, you can find numerous useful resources on how to be a professional housesitter, what to expect, and how to handle challenging situations.

House sitting websites

• Trustedhousesitters – The most popular website to find housesitting opportunities all over the world. Subscriptions cost 129 USD per year for the basic plan. The higher plan also includes insurance, but I just used the basic one. If you use this link, you can get a discount.
• Mind My House $20 /year
• Nomador – a free option for up to 3 applications or a paid registration that is $42/3 months or $99/year
• Housecarers – free for a limited number of request – $45/year for unlimited search
• House Sit Match from 69 GPB/year

Once you sign up on any of those sites, it is very important to fill out your profile as much detail as possible with information and pictures of your past experience.

Paid housesitting jobs

There are also some websites for paid house-sitting opportunities. I have never done anything like that, and the main reason is that you must be eligible to work in the country. So if you are from the USA, Canada or Australia, you will find many opportunities. Here are the sites that I know of.

Housesitter.com

• Housesitting in Canada and the USA only.
• Cost is from 26 USD (1 month) to 90 USD (1 year)
• You will need to fill in a form indicating your hourly rate.

Rover.com – It’s a website and also a phone up to find housesitting and different kinds of pet care in many states around the world.

But as I mentioned before, you need to be eligible to work there, so you may want to check it out to find opportunities in your own country of residence. It’s free to subscribe but the site gets a percentage of your earnings.

HousesitterAmerica – On this site, you can find paid housesitting opportunities in the USA.

Agreement between the housesitter and the homeowner

Lastly, I apologize for repeating myself, but it is crucial that the housesitter and the homeowner are on the same page and have a clear understanding of each other’s expectations.

In some cases, contracts are in place with all major points laid out and signed off. It never happened to me. It was all the time a very informal but genuine mutual understanding.

Below, I am sharing the main questions that a new housesitter should ask before accepting the job, but those are also information that homeowners usually share when they are looking for somebody to look after their home. But since it’s not always the case, here are some guidelines

• Pictures of the house and pets
• If the pets have particular medical conditions
• What is the pets’ routine
• What tasks are required from the housesitter
• Where is the house located? Are there transports to the city or main shopping centers
• Are the utilities covered?
• Are there any expenses that the housesitter is required to cover?
• What’s the cost of living in the area?

I always believe that communication is king in every good relationship, and so it is in housesitting, especially when you will live in a stranger’s house. Or at least it is for me. If I don’t connect, I feel uncomfortable.

I believe I have said everything I wanted to say about housesitting. I hope this post was helpful but please let me know if I forgot anything or if you have any questions.

And good luck with your first housesitting experience!