The 5 most important things to include in your house sitting job ad

The easiest way to find a house and pet sitter is by placing a free house sitting ad on our site. But what should you include in your ad?

If you’re a homeowner looking at using a house sitter, here’s our guide for the most important information to include in your ad.

Use your House Ad Description to explain in detail your house sitting requirements

Your Ad Description is where you should elaborate on any specific details of your house sit. This is important so any house sitters reading the ad will be aware of your specific needs and can screen themselves for suitability before they message you.

Your description should include the sitters’ basic responsibilities regarding the care of your home, pets and garden. Give clear, relevant, honest information about any responsibilities or details needed for your house sit. This can include any special pet care requirements such as the length or number of walks per day, any medication to be given etc. You can also specify any plant or garden care such as indoor plants that need watering, lawns that need mowing etc. You should also mention any regular home care jobs such as pool maintenance or vacuuming up pet hair. 

If you have pet care needs, then you want to attract a house sitter who has lots of experience with animals. If you have a beautiful garden, you will want a house sitter with a green thumb. As well as listing some key skills, you may also add a few ‘nice to have’ characteristics that are more flexible. For example, if you’d prefer someone who can be home a lot for your attention-loving cat, or is active enough to keep up with your energetic dog, make sure you put this in your ad.

Include photos in your ad

House sit ads that include good quality, descriptive photos are more visually appealing and receive much greater interest from house sitters.

Adding photos of your home and pets is a great way for sitters to get a feel for the house sit. Pictures give visual clues about whether the house and pets match what sitters are looking for before they apply, which ultimately saves you both time.

Upload as many current photos as you can of your home, garden and pets to your ad as sitters love to see the animals and environment they will be caring for. You may also want to include photos of any local attractions such as the beach, an interesting landmark, wineries and so on to really ‘sell’ your home to sitters.

Mention who’s paying for what

As each house sit is unique, it’s up the owner to negotiate the payment (or non-payment) of utilities and other expenses before the sit begins, and if this is something you’re thinking about, you should include it in your ad. 

The most common form of house sitting is where the sitter looks after the house and pets in exchange for free accommodation and no money changes hands. If the house sit is for a longer period, say a month or more, it’s normal for the sitter to contribute to the use of utilities like electricity, gas etc. 

Sometimes an owner will request help from a sitter to run an Airbnb or perhaps caretake a property. As this goes beyond the normal expectations of house sitting duties, we only approve these ads if the owners are willing to provide remuneration to the house sitter for these additional duties, and include this in the ad.

The most important thing is that you are clear and open about any payment to avoid any confusion.

Include your non-negotiables

It’s important for sitters to know whether they meet your requirements before they apply for your house sit, so including anything you deem non-negotiable is essential in your ad. 

Do you need your sitter to have references/referees from previous house sits?

Do you want a couple, a single sitter, or are you happy for anyone to apply?

Would you prefer to meet the sitters before the sit commences?

Think about your non-negotiables and include them in your ad description.

Use the HOUSE FEATURES section

The House Features section is one of the quickest areas to complete yet one of the most underutilised by owners. Adding House Features to your ad will help your ad appear more prominently when sitters do a search for particular features, and also increases the chances of sitters responding to your ad. Including information such as the dwelling features, what services are nearby and whether there is space to park a caravan will end up saving you time by having only the right sitters apply.

For more homeowner information feel free to refer to our homeowner FAQ’s.