House sitting - Who Pays For What?

Between 2014 and 2020, my partner and I were full-time house sitters. One of the things that drew us to house sitting was the fact that we paid nothing in rent.

But when it comes to a home, there are other expenses, too – so when it comes to house sitters and homeowners sharing that home, who pays for what, and how is it decided?

So, who pays for what when house sitting?

In our experience, we found that homeowners covered all the costs. Of course, if you happen to get a long-term sit, it is possible that the homeowners would expect you to contribute towards some of the bills, such as electricity or gas.

Homeowners get a lot of benefits from having a house sitter including saving money on things like accommodation for their pets. There are other benefits like garden care, home security, bringing in mail and cleaning the house. We found that in general, most homeowners were happy to let us live there for free, especially given how expensive animal boarding can be.

Communication is key

In saying that, communication is always the key, because the issue of money can still arise. Always discuss it at length before the house sit – down to things like what happens if there is an emergency at the house, and you need to call a plumber or an electrician? What happens if the pets need to go to the vet? Will the owners leave you some emergency cash, or just reimburse you at the end?

Talking about it beforehand is vital and always keep the receipts.

Also have a conversation about what you can use in the house, such as pantry items and laundry detergent – people have various expectations, and it’s important to understand what those are.

Our experience while house sitting

Personally, the sits my partner and I did were between 2 weeks and 4 months in length; and in that time we paid no rent or bills. House sitting is a huge responsibility – as a sitter, you are looking after someone’s beloved pets and their home, all while ensuring everything is operating as usual – including the routines of the pets, which can sometimes be complex. In small apartments, dogs may require two to three walks a day. Pets with certain health needs need regular medication. Often, these responsibilities affect your usual schedule, and you have to put the house and pets first every single day. And we were lucky about the fact that the people we house sat for didn’t ask us to contribute.

Of course, if you are asked to house sit somewhere for an extended period of time, paying for utilities (or at least contributing to) – would probably be a reasonable request, especially if you have the air conditioning blasting through a whole summer.

The key thing to remember is that house sitting must benefit both parties. Having an open conversation about costs beforehand is the best thing you can do!