My best and worst experiences in six years of house sitting

House sitting is a fantastic opportunity to save money, meet new people, hang out with cute pets and check out new areas. But like everything in life, there are pros and cons.

My partner and I house sat from 2014 – 2020. And over six years of being full time house sitters, things were bound to go wrong for us, too! Some things can be avoided – but some you just have to roll with. Here is our list of our best and worst experiences, starting with the worst – because when it comes down to it, for us – the pros always outweighed the cons.

The worst house sitting moments:

The missing pet

When we were house sitting in Sydney’s south, we looked after a cat and a dog. One day, the cat went missing. It didn’t help that the house was a complete mess and the cat could have been anywhere. I spent fourteen hours searching for it, created a Facebook account just to post a missing cat ad in the local group, printed paper posters and looked everywhere around the neighbourhood. Of course, the owners were really upset about it – understandably. But the constant stream of guilt messages from them didn’t help. Late at night, when I finally found the cat chilling out at a building site not too far away (sidenote: I’m 99% sure cats have the ability to laugh at you), I brought her home and told the owners. Their response? ‘Oh yeah, she hides there all the time.’

Last minute changes

Halfway through a house sit, the homeowner decided to come home early – leaving us without a place to live. Despite confirming the dates of the house sit beforehand (twice), we had no option but to move out. We understand that plans change – but the owner’s response was simply, ‘oh well, find a hotel’. Frustrating when you’re working full time and expected to vacate a house the same day! Luckily, this only happened once in six years.

Realising your cleanliness standards are … different to others’

Some people’s homes will not meet your cleanliness or hygiene standards – guaranteed. So make sure you check out the place if you can! Being flexible is also key. Occasionally, when we moved into a new place, we’d spend hours and hours cleaning it. It sounds like a big task, but if you’re getting weeks or months of living rent-free out of it, it’s worth it.

The best house sitting moments:

Furry friends

After a long day of work, there’s nothing like coming home to a furry friend. Over six years, we got to look after so many amazing animals – dogs, cats, fish, turtles, rabbits, and birds. Most were incredibly friendly, and it was an absolute joy coming home to them. We still visit lots of them to say hi!

Location, location, location

We love the beach, so any house sit we get in Sydney’s east is wonderful – especially if there is a dog to walk. Exercise, fresh air and the ocean – life doesn’t get much better. Plus, some of the houses and apartments we looked after (not just in the east, but everywhere) were absolutely amazing – modern, spacious and inviting. Some even had cleaners. This absolutely makes up for the less-than-ideal homes.

Exploring new areas

One of the things we really love about house sitting is all the different locations we get to stay in, and explore new restaurants, cafes, galleries, museums and so on. And if the house sit was close to where we worked, that was a bonus – less commuting time meant more time to explore!

Amazing people

Apart from the pets, the people we’ve met have been wonderful. Many have become lifelong friends. At one house sit, we couldn’t find a vacuum cleaner anywhere, so I knocked on the neighbours’ door to borrow one (not your average ‘can I borrow a cup of sugar’ scenario). That’s how we met Lulu and Oli. We ended up chatting for hours – and have been friends ever since. As an additional coincidence, Oli was due to have surgery the following week in the ward where my partner worked – another place they would cross paths. Talk about meant to be.

And finally...

The Funniest house sitting moments!

When you move around a lot, it isn’t uncommon to forget where you live.

After a few drinks one night, I got on the wrong bus – to go to the wrong home. About halfway there I realised I was heading in the wrong direction, had to get off the bus and find a different way home. I felt like a bit of a twit. But probably not as much of a twit as my partner, who once drove all the way to Bondi from Newtown, when we were actually house sitting in Mosman… during Sydney peak hour.