What are the expectations of a house sitter?
House sitting expectations for sitters are less easy to define, but as a minimum they would hope to:
- have been given honest information about the pets, their behavior, health and temperament; the property and location; and the homeowners expectations.
- be provided with a bedroom, a bathroom and a comfortable living space (especially on long term house sits), with enough storage space for hanging clothes and storing possessions.
- be handed over a home that is clean, tidy and doesn’t constitute a health risk (it happens!), and to know there aren’t any infestations of fleas or other insects/critters beyond what is considered generally acceptable.
- if WiFi is a necessity because the house sitter works remotely from home, then they would expect an honest appraisal of internet connectivity, speed and possible downtime issues.
- if the property is remote, that a vehicle is provided at least for emergencies and food shopping, or alternatively that they have been advised that a rental car is necessary.
- be told in advance of any internal or external alarms, cameras, surveillance or pet monitoring systems, sound monitoring technology like Alexa, or video door bells.
I hear you saying that this all sounds like simple common sense… and it is! Why do house sits go wrong? House sitting needs and expectations are pretty personal and subjective. What is unrealistic to one person, may be considered perfectly normal to another. And house sitting without pets can be very different to house sitting with pets.
Professional house sitters will usually have a checklist of items they will discuss at the house sit interview before committing to the house sit. They can go into further detail at the handover – all of this really helps clarify those expectations and make sure you are both in full understanding of each other’s requirements.
Remember this is a two way exchange, both the home owner and the house sitter should feel equally happy about the house sit. Neither one should have a feeling of “entitlement”. For example, if your expectations of sitters are too high and you see them as “staff” you might be better looking for paid pet sitters. As house sitters, if you want something akin to a luxury Airbnb, fully cleaned and serviced, this might not be the best option for you.
Unrealistic expectations from home owners
- Adding pets without notifying sitters in advance – Whilst it’s admirable to adopt or foster rescue dogs, it is not acceptable to expect a house sitter to unexpectedly deal with additional animals without notification.
- Leaving unpaid utility bills for sitters to pay – Utilities such as gas, electric and water, should all be paid up-to-date, and provision made for settling ongoing bills. The exception may be for long term house sitters where there is an agreement to pay the utilities – typically on sits of longer than 6 months.
- Expecting sitters to sleep on soiled mattresses, or with unclean bed linen and pillows – Please don’t provide a bed with unclean linen or badly soiled pillows. New pillows are extremely inexpensive these days in most countries and will always be appreciated by house sitters! Similarly a mattress cover is preferable to encountering a badly stained mattress when changing sheets!
- Leaving on a date other than that agreed (except in an emergency) – It can be uncomfortable to co-exist in a property for any length of time, especially if this is unexpected. If the house sitters are also digital nomads and work from home, this may impact their income, commitments and deadlines. It becomes difficult to know when house sitting duties commence and can in fact cause minor conflicts as the pets become confused about who is exercising or feeding them.
- Expecting unreasonable pet care or tolerance of poor pet behaviours – Examples include not being able to EVER leave the pets alone; pets that MUST sleep in the bed; cleaning up after pets that have had no toilet training, and who pee and poop all over the house; undisclosed continual barking or aggressive behaviour. Not everyone will have an issue with this, but you need to find the house sitter that best suits your needs, and that involves finding out before they arrive.
- Allowing your kids unrestricted access to the house – House sitters are not “baby sitters” and leaving teenage kids behind in the property is unacceptable. For grownup kids, it is not OK that they unexpectedly drop by to sleep over, or bring friends home from university while you have house sitters. If it’s agreed beforehand then fine, but avoid surprises!
- Asking for a deposit when the house sitters arrive – This must always be disclosed at the outset as many sitters will choose to decline the assignment if a deposit is requested. Generally a deposit is not part of the trust based exchange.
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