If you love travelling but you haven’t always got the budget for lots of trips, then bagging a house sit on TrustedHousesitters could be the answer.
It’s a simple way to get free accommodation and stay in destinations all over the world – and you get to stay comfortably in real homes.
Lets take a look at what house sitting entails and how you can start out succesfully on TrustedHousesitters.
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What is house sitting?
House sitting is when you stay in someone’s home for free, in exchange for looking after it.
This usually involves caring for pets, but not always. Some homeowners just want someone to keep the place lived-in, and do simple chores like water plants and take in deliveries.
What is TrustedHousesitters?
TrustedHousesitters is a website which connects pet sitters and house sitters with people looking for someone to stay in their home while they’re away.
There are some fees to pay, like subscription and booking fees, but you don’t pay any accommodation or rental costs.
Basic sitter | Standard sitter | Premium sitter | |
|---|---|---|---|
Monthly fee | £8.25 a month | £10.75 a month | £16.60 a month |
Booking fee | £9 per sit | £9 per sit | No fees |
Includes | Access to house sits | Access to house sits Extras like free vet calls, member support and accident and third party liability cover | Access to house sits Extras like free vet calls, member support, accident and third party liability cover, protection if your sit gets cancelled, free airport lounge passes and a premium badge |
You can check the full details of what’s included on their website.
Why getting your first house sit is the hardest
People want to leave their homes in the hands of people they can trust – which is why reviews are really important.
But if you haven’t done house sitting before, you won’t have any reviews – so how can you prove your character and that you’d make a perfect candidate to keep their home safe?
That’s why creating a strong profile is important, to help you stand out and build trust even without experience. Let’s take a look at these 8 tips to help you land that all-important first gig.
How long does it take to get your first house sit?
It really varies, some people can land a house sitting job in a few days, for others it might take weeks.
If you send applications regularly and make sure you personalise your messages, this will go a long way to make you appealing.
And if you also focus on less popular destinations, or local house sits that are mere days away, then you’ll likely have more success.
8 Tips for Landing Your First House Sitting Gig on TrustedHousesitters
These are my suggestions on how you can build a strong profile, chat successfully to homeowners and land that house sitting job faster.
1. Create a standout house sitting profile
Think of your profile as a bit like a CV. It should be more personal of course, but it also needs to show you’re up to the task at hand!
Homeowners are looking for someone responsible who they’d feel comfortable having in their home. If they have a pet, they will also be looking for someone who genuinely likes animals and can effectively look after them.
When you create your profile, make sure you have
Great profile photos
Upload several photos that show you and your face clearly
A bit about you
Try and get a bit of your personality across – perhaps what’s led you to travelling and the kind of things you like to do when you’re away – explore, hike, cook, eat?
Why you want to house sit
Perhaps you live in a small apartment and long for more space, or you want a pet but can’t have one at the moment, or you’ve always wanted to visit the place they live – be honest about your motivations to show integrity.
2. Highlight relevant skills
Don’t skip mentioning skills that are relevant to house sitting – anything that shows you’re responsible, reliable and trustworthy.
Are you a parent? Have you looked after friends or family members’ pets or house while they’ve been away?
And what about aspects of your job or hobbies that make you a strong candidate – maybe you’re responsible for locking up each day at your place of work, or perhaps you mentor or volunteer. These things show you can be trusted too!
If you work for a well-known company this can also add a bit of gravitas to your profile – I always made sure to mention I was a BBC Producer (I was at the time!).
You don’t need to go overboard, but at the same time don’t make the homeowner guess at how responsible you are – tell them!
3. Give examples of your credentials
You might not have official reviews yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t demonstrate who you are.
If you use Airbnb for stays, you could share links to host reviews of you – or even your LinkedIn profile.
You could also ask friends, family or colleagues for a mini review and paste this into your profile, using quotation marks and putting their name and relationship to you. Yes it’s not official – but it can still help show that you’re trustworthy.
4. Start small and look close to home
You’re looking for your first gig, so it’s a good idea to keep things on a smaller scale to maximise your chances.
Look local
Look in your local area first – being a candidate that’s close by could make you appealing, plus you’re more likely to be able to help a homeowner who needs a sitter last-minute.
Look at less popular spots
If you’re dead set on going somewhere, try to be realistic. For example, instead of central Berlin, is there a suburb or commuter town you could target. You can still check off that destination and you’ll probably have less competition.
5. Apply early
Good house sits can get snapped up very quickly.
If you’re serious about getting your first one, then check listings daily, set alerts where you can and apply as soon as you see something suitable – you want to maximise your chances of appearing top of the list!
6. Personalise your application
Spend a bit of time drafting your initial message to your chosen homeowner(s) – don’t just use an AI tool as you can often tell and it’s important to sound personal!
You should certainly include some details that make it clear that your message is to them specifically, and not just a copy and paste message.
So things like mentioning what you like about their home or the area, or asking relevant questions about their pets, show true interest.
It doesn’t have to be a long message, a few sentences is fine – just be genuine.
7. Be flexible
This is a big one – the more flexible you can be with where and when you house sit, the more jobs come on your radar – making it easier to land your first one.
It doesn’t have to be a dream trip. An amazing loft apartment or dreamy country cottage are nice to aim for, but you can start small with something more functional to get experience under your belt.
Once you’ve built up a bank of reviews, you can look at the more competitive, aesthetically pleasing stays.
8. Offer a chance to talk to the owners
If a homeowner gets in touch, you’re halfway there already!
Answer any questions they have as quickly and clearly as you can, and show genuine interest in their pets and their home.
If they want to do a video call with you, it’s worth thinking briefly about how and where you do that – OK it’s not a job interview, but being in bed in your pyjamas might not be quite the right look.
Landing Your First House Sitting Gig: Final Thoughts
House sitting is one of the best ways to cut accommodation costs while travelling. And once you’re in, it opens up a lot of opportunities for visiting new places on a budget.
So don’t overthink it when you’re starting out – create a profile, send a flurry of applications and treat your first few house sits as a way to build trust.
Once you’ve shown the community you’re a safe pair of hands, you can start eyeing up the locations on your bucket list.
