Preparing your home for your house sitter's arrival

Before your house sitter arrives, you’ll need to make sure your home is ‘house sit ready’.

This includes ensuring your house is clean and tidy, any pet care or household supplies are ready, and your sitter has received and understood any important instructions. In some cases, you may have little to do before you can confidently hand over the house over however, there are usually a few things needed to ready your home, garden and pets before your sitter’s arrival. 

Remember that each house sitter is different, so it is best to discuss each other’s expectations in advance and prepare for your house sit appropriately to ensure a positive experience for both of you.

How to prepare your home for your house sitter

Here are a few points to consider when getting your home ready for a house sitter.

• Make sure your house is clean, tidy and safe. If you have these sorted out, then you’re already halfway towards providing a great house sit experience. As different people appreciate varying standards of cleanliness, take a step back and consider whether strangers walking in would consider your place clean, tidy and safe. If you believe they would say yes, then that’s a good indication you’re on the money. Some homeowners engage a house cleaner before they leave so they know the house is really nice for the sitter – plus you then have one less job to worry about before you leave.
• Download and complete the ‘Welcome Info Pack’. Within your account menu under ‘Useful Tools’, you will find a downloadable document called the ‘Welcome Info Pack’. This template covers all the relevant information to provide your sitter about your home, pets, garden and local area. It’s where you can cover important details like emergency contacts, where things are around the property, all your pet’s requirements, what to do with mail, and how to operate equipment such as the washing machine and TV remote. Simply fill this out and leave it for the house sitter so they have a reference document they can turn to if needed.
• Check there are enough supplies for the duration of the sit. You will need to leave your sitter with plenty of supplies to last for the full length of the house sit. You might need to think about things such as pet food, lawnmower fuel, firewood, or pool chemicals. Consider how many pets you have and the amount of food they will need while you are away. Take into account seasonal changes for things like firewood or lawn mower fuel and any replacements that may be needed.

• Put away your valuables. We recommend you put away any items you’d like to keep private. Also, if there are items that are valuable to you or that you don’t want sitters to use, secure them in a lockable room. If it’s not possible to put them away, simply ask your sitter not to use them.
• Negotiate what bed they will be using. Before confirming the house sit, let the house sitter know which bed you’d like them to use. Inform them early on, as they may have a specific need or issue that may require negotiation. For example, you or they might feel uncomfortable sleeping in your main bed, or they might not be able to sleep in a single bed or sofa, etc. 9 times out of 10, sleeping arrangements won’t be an issue, but you can save any potential headaches by covering this point early on.
• Prepare a bed with clean linen. The bed that has been agreed upon should have clean linen for the house sitter with ample clean blankets or quilts if it’s a cold climate. You should also set aside some clean towels for your sitter to use as needed.

• Create a space for clothes storage. For longer duration house sits, it’s thoughtful to set aside a space for house sitters’ clothes. A small space for hanging clothes or storing folded clothing and belongings would be adequate. If the house sit is only for a few days, this can be considered optional.
• Clean the fridge and clear a shelf for use. There’s nothing worse than opening a fridge to put in your groceries and finding lots of out-of-date produce or dirty shelves. Clean out your fridge of old food, wipe down surfaces, and make some space for the sitter’s groceries.
• Identify what can and can’t be eaten. Make it clear what the sitter is allowed to consume that belongs to you, if anything. Owners are often happy for sitters to use any condiments or left-over perishables in the fridge, as well as pantry staple items, such as sugar, flour, oil etc. As every house sit is different, be very clear on whether this is allowed or not to avoid confusion. It’s good practice to never say a sitter can help themselves to any alcohol you may have in your home. If you say all alcohol is off limits (or you put it away), there’s certain to be no misunderstandings. 

• Inform your neighbours. Let your neighbours know that you have engaged a house sitter so they understand why someone else is staying in your home while you are away.
• Contact your house and garden service people. If you have regular cleaners or gardeners, let them know of your absence and when they are needed next. Ask the house sitter if it’s okay for you to pass on their phone number to these service people in case they need it and vice versa.
• Organise an undercover car space if possible. If the house sitter is driving to your home and you have the ability to create an undercover car space, most likely this would be very much appreciated.

By following a few simple guidelines in preparing your home, homeowners can travel with real peace of mind knowing your sitter is well informed, comfortable and confident in your home while you are away.