House Sitting Etiquette 101: Tips & Tricks
So, you’ve confirmed your first house sitting gig! Congratulations and welcome to an awesome community of travelers who adore animals, love nature, crave authentic experiences, and want to connect with destinations deeper. If you’re new to this, it can feel a little overwhelming with what’s to come and not knowing what to expect. I’ve compiled some of my best house sitting etiquette tips and tricks to hopefully help you prepare for a new and exciting chapter.
From the arrival, to the actual sit, and the departure, these are all the tips and tricks that I’ve acquired along the way. These suggestions will make you shine and will help guarantee a positive reference. Use these glowing references to help strengthen your house sitting profile.
Find more information on building a solid house sitting profile here.
Quick References to Useful House Sitting Websites
Table of Contents
Arrival
Arrival to a house sitting gig can be a whirl-wind, especially if it’s in a new country. You’ve been on a plane for hours, landing in a new time zone, and that jet-lag is probably kicking in real hard. Usually, the hosts are super understanding and have planned for this! These are some little technicalities that I do upon arrival at my new house sitting opportunity.
Welcome Gift
A simple gesture goes a long way. Upon arrival, I often present my host with a tiny offering from my hometown. Being from Wisconsin, I am still trying to figure out how to carry-on and gift cheese curds. Lets be real, everyone should experience them at least once! The gift is usually never over $15, but it is a small token of my appreciation for choosing me! The gift should travel well and last long enough for them to enjoy on their return. It’s not expected to show-up with a welcome gift, I just genuinely love sharing a little bit of my home with new people.
Expectations
Make sure that you have a complete understanding of what is expected from you. It’s great house sitting etiquette to ask as many questions as possible, and make sure everything is clearly outlined and understood. Both the house sitter and the homeowner should be on the same page before their departure If there are oodles of tasks, sometimes I ask for a list, or write one up during a tour of the home.
Tips & Tricks for a Successful House Sit
House sitting can have lots of down time and it’s essential to fill your time with a balance of travel, exploring, tasks and rest. It’s important to be able to fill the void with things that help keep you stable and grounded. Here’s some things I do to help fill in my void time.
Set Personal Goals
When I first arrive, especially for long-term sits, I spend a day or two getting into a routine with the garden, animals, and other tasks. Establishing a routine helps me budget my time and plan out my days a little better. Next, I start penciling in realistic goals during my house sit.
- What do I want to discover and explore?
- What do I want to personally accomplish?
- How can I immerse and dig deep into the local culture?
During long term sits, there are many ways to immerse yourself, including, language courses and volunteer positions. Set goals of what you want to get out of your house sitting experience. Making a “local bucket list” ensures that you won’t miss out on anything. Time flies when your having fun!
Open Communication
Always, always keep open communications with your homeowner. If something seems wrong or is troubling you, make sure to reach out. I also check my phone often to make sure that I am readily available. Honest communication and transparency is key when house sitting. They are entrusting you with their animals, home, and possessions. Don’t do anything to mislead their trust. Always reply to their messages swiftly.
Photo swap
I often time like to send photos to my host of their animals, especially if they are being extra cute and silly. For those who are extremely close to their animals, it’s just a simple reassurance that everything is well and can help them alleviate their fears of being away. I don’t like to bombard them with photos, since they are on vacation, but something small here and there is nice and often appreciated!
Incorporate a Hobby
There can be more down time in house sitting than you possibly imagined, especially for those choosing to be in more remote and isolated areas. Try to incorporate a hobby or something you love to keep a sense of home. Do you love to knit? Find a pattern and challenge yourself. Is meditation important to you? Incorporate it into your daily schedule. A hobby and doing something you enjoy will help you feel balanced and grounded and pass the time in a constructive manner.
Departure
Departing the house sit is just as important as the arrival! In fact, in my opinion, it’s almost more important. This will be the last impression you make on your host, so make it memorable, in a good way. Here are some great tips to leave on happy terms with the homeowner and hopefully get a glowing reference.
Everything Has Its Place
When temporarily occupying someone’s space, it’s normal to make small adjustments that fit your personal needs. Upon departure, make sure to leave the house as you found it. Makeshift adjustments are fine, but homeowners expect to return to their space in order.
Clean & Tidy
There’s nothing worse than coming back to a messy home after a trip or vacation. I always like to do a dust, sweep, vacuum, and mop of the floors before my host arrives. My sheets are washed, the bed is made, and all of my towels have been washed. I like to leave it the home a little better than I found it, but don’t overdo this! Hosts may feel self conscious if it’s too extreme, however, they will appreciate coming back to a home that feels fresh!
Welcome-Back Surprises
I like to incorporate these nice little touches for when the homeowner arrives back from their trip! It’s never expected, just something I enjoy doing. Usually, it’s in the form of something the host may be lacking or missing.
Meal
I usually prepare one reheatable meal or a hearty side dish and have it waiting in the fridge for them. They could have been traveling for hours and not had the chance to grab a bite to eat. This is a nice touch and is always appreciated. If I’m feeling super motivated, I’ll throw in some cookies.
Replace what you use. If I used up all the hand-soap, or olive oil, etc., I make sure to always have a fresh stash of supplies.
Gift
If I didn’t show up with a welcome gift, due to my travel schedule, I’ll usually leave a little gift behind. If you’re crafty, it’s always nice to leave something you made while in their home. It’s a personal touch from you!
Fresh Flowers
The inner yacht stewardess in me likes to leave behind some fresh flowers. It’s never something extravagant, but usually a small hand-made arrangement next to their bed, or on the kitchen table. I love using fresh flowers from the garden if there is one available.
House Sitting Departure Etiquette
Again, all of these are tips and tricks for excellent house sitting etiquette. Nothing is required, but I like to go a little above and beyond to show my gratitude. Karma is an amazing thing.
Follow-Up For a Reference
A few days after my departure, I usually check in with the homeowner to make sure they are happy with everything and see how my new furry companions, that I genuinely miss, are doing. At this point, I casually ask for a quick reference. They are usually happy to oblige, or allow for me to pass along their email address.
This new reference gets added to my growing house sitting profile, and the search begins again! I try to keep in contact with my previous homeowners, because you never know when they may be planning their next vacation or need a last minute sitter.
House Sitting Etiquette 101
After five years of incorporating this method of travel into my schedule, these are my best pointers for having excellent house sitting etiquette. From the arrival, to the actual sit, and the departure, these are my favorite tips and tricks that I’ve acquired along the way.
Still unsure about taking the leap and joining the awesome community of travelers?
Read my 7 Reasons to Try House Sitting here.
Have you house sat before? Do you incorporate this method of travel into your adventures? Is there anything that you would add to my list of tips and tricks? Do you find this article useful? Let me know in the comments below!
Disclaimer: There’s a chance this post contains affiliate links, and I receive a small (but grateful) portion of the sale. There’s no extra cost to you, and I only promote things that I use and love.
You have written this so well! I house sit a lot, usually in my own area so there is not a lot of traveling, but I’m always looking for tips to improve how I am doing and I found them here! I agree that you should always leave the place tidy, I clean and wash the sheets before I leave and I usually get flowers for the owner. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you, great advice!
Thanks so much Trina! It’s great you do the same!❤️
Thank you – this has been most informative. I’m still looking into it. I adore dogs but lost my yorkie a year ago. I’m currently still caring for a 87 yr old but I’d love to get into house-sitting in Europe.
Hey Marguerite-
Thanks so much for your comment.
Oh, I’m so sorry to hear you lost a pet, they are family and it is devastating to lose such an important piece of our lives. I recently adopted a rescue pup from Mexico, so I am house-sitting less, but it’s an amazing opportunity. My first house-sitting experience in Europe was life-changing for me. It’s an authentic way to connect with the local culture and an opportunity to care for a four-legged companion. Good luck in your future endeavors!
Megs