House Sitters America
for house sitting in America
Aussie House Swap
house swapping and home exchange in Australia, New Zealand & beyond
Kiwi House Sitters
for house sitting in New Zealand
House Sitters UK
for house sitting in the UK
Who house sits?
There are many different kinds of people who housesit, retired couples, singles, young families, professionals, artists, etc. There is no one stereotypical 'sitter'. Generally, most house sitters are well educated, caring, responsible people with plenty of life experience. The reasons why people house sit are as varied as they are numerous. Some house sitters are people who need temporary accommodation while they are moving from one house to another, some see the benefits of living rent free, while others simply enjoy a change of scenery.
What is expected of the sitter?
The sitters' responsibility is to live in and look after the house they are minding. This may include house security, house cleaning duties, garden and lawn maintenance, caring for pets, forwarding mail and phone messages, the occasional odd job, and anything else the home owner and the sitter both agree on.
Will I get a house sitting job?
There are too many variables to guarantee anyone they will be employed as a house sitter using our service. Things such as location choice, location flexibility, date flexibility, duration flexibility and how the house sitter’s profile is perceived by the homeowners searching the list all play a part. Remember each homeowner is unique and in the end they choose who they think is suitable for their house sitting position - not us!
Can I house sit with my pet?
Sure! However if your house sitting party consists of a pet of some kind (a dog in most cases) you need to realize that you do reduce your chances of securing house sitting work. There are many homeowners who would not like a foreign pet around their home for whatever reason. In saying that there would be many homeowners who wouldn’t mind at all as long as their home and pets are cared for.
Can I house sit with my family?
Sure! Even though some homeowners would not like children in their home for whatever reason there are others who may actually like kids in their home especially if they have pets that need some extra loving.
Do we get paid for house sitting?
The bottom line is it’s all negotiable between you and the homeowners. In a lot of the cases it’s just a straight swap; house sitter cares for the house and pets in exchange for free accommodation. However there maybe times when a homeowner will offer some money for the house sitting job. For example if the house was situated in an undesirable location, and/or the length of the sit was not really desirable (too short), and/ or there were lots of pets to care for and jobs to do, then the homeowner may offer to pay the house sitter something or at the very least they might cover the house sitters utility cost (eg electricity, gas, phone etc). Remember – it’s all negotiable between yourselves. Hopefully you should be able to work something out that seems fair to both parties.
Does the house sitter pay rent to the homeowner?
These things are all negotiable between the homeowner and the house sitter. In the majority of the cases it’s just a straight swap eg the house sitter cares for the house and pets in exchange for free accommodation. However there maybe times when a homeowner may ask for some weekly money from the house sitter. For example if the house was situated in a desirable location, and/or the length of the sit was long and desirable, and/or there were no pets to care for and very little jobs to do, then the homeowner may ask the house sitter for a little something each week. Remember – it’s all negotiable between yourselves. Hopefully you should be able to work something out that seems fair to both parties.
Who pays for the utility costs (electricity, gas, etc)?
Generally the house sitter pays for what they use. However if the house sitting position is not that desirable the homeowner may entice a house sitter by covering all the cost incurred by the house sitter, except maybe phone calls.
Are there any house sitting jobs in my preferred area?
First of all it’s important to note that most homeowners tend not to take up the free advert offer and simply scroll the house sitter profiles to contact them directly - so don’t be too disheartened if there are not any house sitting adverts in your preferred area.
You will need to check what homeowner adverts are currently advertised to see if there are any sitting positions in your preferred area.
Do you advertise too homeowners?
Yes! From our research internet advertising is the most effective way to reach homeowners across Australia & New Zealand. We spend large amounts of money doing this every day of the year. We also advertise in other media.
How much do you charge for registration?
It is totally FREE for homeowners to use Aussie House Sitters to find a house sitter. It costs only $65 for house sitters to list with us for 12 months. There are NO extra or hidden fees! We do NOT charge for metropolitan zoning like other house sitting websites do. We run your advert 24/7, 365 days a year!
What payment options do I have?
You can choose from the safe and secure online credit card option or cheque or money order through the post. We are also able to organise direct deposit or credit card payment via the phone. Please email for further details on these extra payment options.
Is it really FREE for homeowners?
Yes! We do not charge homeowners anything to find a house sitter.
How do I contact homeowners?
We offer homeowners FREE 'Homeowner adverts' on our website. Anyone can view these ads but only registered house sitters are able to gain access to their contact details. The house sitter is then able to contact any of these homeowners directly to make an enquiry. Keep in mind that many homeowners choose not to place the FREE advert and simply scroll the list of sitters and contact them directly.
To contact the homeowner you click on the adverts 'name' first. If you are not already logged in you will need to login here first. If the homeowner has placed their phone number for contact it is made visible here but most select to be contacted by email only, in which case you click on the 'Contact this homeowner' link. A message box appears, you simply type in your enquiry (as well as the security code) and click on the 'Send message' link. Your message goes directly to the homeowner's personal email account. They can then reply directly to your personal email account.
Do I need to paste a link of my profile is the message I send?
No. The enquiry message you send automatically creates a reverse link back to your profile. So the homeowner who receives your enquiry can simply click on this link and find your profile very easily.
How do I update my house sitting profile or change personal details?
Simply login to your account, click on the ‘Edit’ link and then click ‘Save changes’ once you have added or changed your data.
Do you send out renewal reminders?
Yes – we email reminder notices a few weeks before your membership expires.
I have registered as a house sitter and made payment but have not received my login details?
You should receive your login details via email within minutes after you register. If you have not received this email within an hour (and you have checked your junk mail) please email us and we will re-send you your details.
How long does it take Aussie House Sitters to reply to email enquiries?
Generally we reply to email enquiries within 24 hours but please allow 48 hours depending on demand.
Are all the homeowner adverts advertised on Aussie House Sitters still active?
As far as Aussie House Sitters is aware all the homeowner adverts advertised on our website are active and available BUT we do rely on the homeowner to remove their own advert. We do stress to all homeowners they need to remove their advert as soon as they have filled the house sitting position to avoid house sitter disappointment. Each homeowner has the ability to activate, deactivate or delete their advert.
How is the house sitter list ordered?
The house sitter list is ordered by the most recent house sitter to have logged in (Note: you must login and then click 'edit' and 'save changes'). We believe this is fairer than listing alphabetically or any other method. This way active house sitters will float around the top of the list but those who no longer require a house sit or those who are currently on a house sit filter towards the bottom of the list.
Do you get long term house sitting positions?
Yes. The lengths of house sitting positions can be anything from 1 day to 3 years +. The general length of a house sit tends to fall between 1 week and 4 months but it is not uncommon for house sitting positions to be longer eg 6 - 12 months etc.
I haven’t house sat before. Will this be a disadvantage?
Every house sitter has to start somewhere. Most homeowners are willing to consider first time house sitters. First time house sitters tend to emphasise other qualities they have within their profile. Remember that just because you have house sat before does not mean you are a better house sitter than someone who has not house sat at all.
Can you contact a homeowner before I join to see if their advert is still current?
Unfortunately we do not offer this service. This is mainly due to potential mix ups. If we happened to contact a homeowner to confirm that their advert was still active and they replied ‘yes’ then by the time the enquiring house sitter got around to registering this sitting position my have already been filled – hence a frustrated and annoyed new member!
Do you send out Alert Emails if a sitting position is advertised in my preferred area?
No. From our research sending out automated Alert Emails to every member interested in a particular area can be counter productive. Potentially the homeowner who has advertised can end up receiving dozens (maybe many dozens) of emails from enquiring house sitters. Naturally most of these homeowners get overwhelmed by the enormity of the amount of emails received and simply delete most of them, without replying. This tends to leave many house sitters unhappy as they have not had a reply to their first email. Then many of these house sitters contact us to ask why the homeowner hasn’t responded. Once burnt many homeowners don’t use the free advert option again. So even though these Alert Emails sound good, in many cases they can leave many people annoyed or frustrated.
It only takes minutes to visit the website and check if there are any new listings. Aussie House Sitters has a simple search facility which is very easy to use.
How long does it take before I can contact the homeowner adverts?
Registering as a house sitter with Aussie House Sitter is easy and fast (usually completed within 5 to 10 minutes). Once you have registered you are able to contact the homeowner adverts immediately.
I don’t have an email account is that going to be a problem?
You will need to have an email account when you first sign up so you can activate your profile but once you have registered you have the ability to choose to be contacted by phone if that’s preferable.
Do you recommend using a house sitting agreement?
Yes – using an agreement can prevent potential problems. Both parties can state what is expected and the terms of the house sit then sign it. Aussie House Sitters offers a house sitting agreement that can be changed to suit your needs.
Do many homeowners ask you to house sit again?
Word of mouth is by far the best way to keep yourself employed as a house & pet sitter. If you engage in one or two house sitting jobs that are well received by the homeowner you are probably going to get called upon for their next away trip plus the homeowner’s family and friends’ away trips! This could potentially extend on to the friend’s friends and their friend’s friends etc. So if you happen to get one small house sit in Bondi think of it as potentially house sitting Sydney because it may well be the start of many years of free accommodation – a small pet minding job in St Kilda could potentially mean house sitting Melbourne itself!
How does Aussie House Sitters work?
House sitters register to list their profile on the Aussie House Sitters database. Here they can be seen by potentially millions of Australian and New Zealand homeowners via the website. These homeowners are able to contact the house sitter directly and make enquiries if they would be interested it a house sitting position.
Also, all registered house sitters are able to contact any of the homeowner adverts that are advertised on the website directly. You must be registered before you are able to view the homeowners contact details.