How To Start Using Pet Sitters - A Pet Owners Guide

We’re Julie and Jonathan, The Global Pet Sitters, we’ve been house and pet sitting full-time now for over 5 years, we’ve written A Pet Owners Guide to Using House Sitters, which we hope will help any pet parents thinking of starting using house and pet sitters for the first time. We hope you find this helpful, if you need any advice at any time please do get in touch.

What Is House and Pet Sitting?

As the title suggests, house and pet sitting is when someone stays in your home while you are away, often caring for your pets as well as being security for your home too. The main responsibilities of the sitter are normally aimed towards the daily and nightly normal routine and supervision of the animals, while keeping the property secure and clean, emptying the bins and collecting mail.

Do Pet Sitters Get Paid?

There are many pet sitters who charge and rates can average around £200 per week and more, but we think a better and more cost effective option is to join a house and pet sitting platform.

Can You Recommend A House and Pet Sitting Platform?

Well, actually we can! We’ve been members of TrustedHousesitters for over 5 years and completed almost 70 sits with them. We have the Premium Membership and taken advantage of the Free airport lounges and never needed the sit cancellation insurance! We highly recommend the platform.

So How Does TrustedHousesitters Work?

The following short video is the best way to explain exactly how it works.

So How Much is it And what are the benefits?

There are advantages of joining TrustedHousesitters. Firstly a basic membership starts at £100 and we can provide you with a discount code of 25% too. This means that you could become a member for as low as £75 which gives you access to 10’s of 1000’s of people who sit for FREE, all who have been reviewed. Secondly, your membership runs for a year and you can post adverts for as many sits as you like. So if you go away more than once a year and need a sitter it’s a great saving rather than paying someone every time. Choose a premium memberships at £200 (£150 with our discount code) and benefit from extras like Home & Contents Protection, Free Video Calls With Vets, 2 Global Airport Lounge Passes and Sit Cancellation Insurance. Compare this with paying a sitter around £200 per week and you could save 100’s of pounds a year on pet sitting fees! Don’t forget to take advantage of our 25% discount link below:

To join Trustedhousesitters, please come back and click on this link —>

If I Sign Up Can You Give Me Any Tips To Get Sitters?

Well, we are sitters rather than pet owners, but we have pretty good understanding of pet sitting and particularly what we look for in an owners advert when choosing a sit. We’ve compiled a few tips that might be useful when building your profile page and your advert.

Think About An Eye Catching Photo!

From the 4 photos I’m immediately drawn towards the brown house in the top right hand corner and the pool picture in the bottom right hand corner. While the top left photo really doesn’t give me much idea about the sit. So think about featuring a photo that might attract sitters to your advert. Sitters like us are just as drawn to pictures of an adorable pet, so this might be another idea for your feature photo. This could be the best way to attract sitters to open and read your advert!

Create An Attractive Advert!

There are lots of different reasons why pet sitters have joined THS. Many are looking to travel more, while others are looking for new experiences. Some have lots of money and others are on a tight budget. Some have their own pets they take with them on sits and others travel with their children. Think about a few little extra pluses that might attract the best of sitters!

Use of Car Included
Bicycles For Sitters Use
We Can Pick You Up From The Train Station
You Are Welcome To Stay The Night Before
We Will Leave Some Little Welcome Provisions
We Welcome Families With Children
BBQ and Coffee Machine Available For Sitters
High Speed Wifi Available & Work Desk

It's Best Practice To Have A Video Call!

Once you find sitters you think might be a good match for you and your requirements. Its always a good idea to arrange a quick video call before firming up the sitters. It gives both you and them the opportunity to “virtually meet” first, ask a few questions you may have and get a feel if you think they fit the type of people you are looking for. Its also a good chance for the sitters to ensure they are happy and understand any requirements you have.

Any Tips Once I've Chosen A Pet Sitter?

Complete The Welcome Guide!

Its a great idea to complete the Welcome Guide. It gives the sitter the chance to read up on the sit before arrival, check that they have details of everything about the house, from the mains water tap and WIFI codes to the security alarm code and bin collection days. The pets routines and feeding information, details and phone numbers of the vets and any emergency contact numbers. The sitters will come well prepared and its less likely they will need to contact you with trivial matters while you are away.

Keep In Regular Contact With The Sitters!

Anything you think of before the sit, either before or when you complete the welcome guide, make sure all the questions are answered before you leave the sitters in charge. Keep in contact with the sitters about a suitable arrival time and just ensure you have a little contact with them before the sit, just to re-assure them everything is running smoothly for their arrival. Ask the sitters to keep in touch while you are away. Its a great idea to let them know how much communication you would like from them during your time away. Some owners love a daily picture and update of how their furry loved ones have been getting on. Some owners prefer contact only if an emergency arises. Make sure the sitters know what you would prefer.

Make Sure You Post A Review For The Sitters!

All sitters really appreciate a review. They also have the opportunity to rate the sit too. We think this is a real benefit of the platform as it gives other owners a picture of the type of sitters other have had. It also give sitters more idea about a sit next time the owner advertises some dates. We always read sitters feedback for owners as we can often learn a lot about the sit even before we apply and speak with the owner.

We hope this blog post helps you start your journey welcoming great house and pet sitters in to your home to care for your fluffy and furry loved ones!