How to get your
rst house sit
Join TrustedHousesitters.com today;
and start planning your next adventure!
2
About us
Andy Peck - Founder & Leader of the Pack / (CEO)
Andy discovered the concept of house sitting several years ago
when he cared for Dave the dog in a villa with a vineyard and
pool in Galicia, Spain. After falling in love with Dave and speaking
with other pet owners he soon realized there was a huge need for
a comprehensive house sitting website (which previously did not
exist).
Since then, Andy and his ancee/co-founder Rachel have enjoyed
pet sitting across the globe. While making lots of furry friends
and living like a local (house sitting is great for that) they totally
understand how to provide the best house and pet sitting service
for members.
Andy has also written two feature lms, created a printing busi-
ness, handled marketing management for several major global
organizations and has enjoyed traveling around the world four
times.
When not working Andy can usually be found paddle boarding or enjoying a game of beach volleyball.
Favorite House Sit - Caring for sweet natured labradors Gracie and Rufus in Breckenridge, Colorado, US.
Rachel Martin - Co-Founder & Organiser of the Pack
(with a splash of Newshound) / (COO)
Having grown up with Sam the Boxer dog, Rachel relishes the
opportunities pet sitting gives to look after others’ pets. One of
her most memorable has been caring for Ale the Labradoodle
on Fifth Ave, New York. She says he made her feel like a real New
Yorker (she’s from the North of England!).
She’s a travel nut and has visited move than 40 countries but
also loves nothing more than exploring more of her own country,
which she says house sitting has given her wonderful opportuni-
ties to enjoy.
Rachel previously managed PR campaigns for major online names
such as eBay and Tesco.com as well as travel brands including the
St Lucia Tourist Board.
Rachel manages operations - keeping the ofce pack together in
a winning direction and also knows how to sniff out a good news
story.
When not working Rachel can often be found paddle boarding in the English Channel (by choice!), enjoying Bikram Hot Yoga
or planning her impending wedding to Andy in Mexico!
Favorite House Sit - Caring for two Devon Rex cats and enjoying lots of cat kisses in Sydney, Australia.
Contents
Page 4 10 Tips on how to become a house sitter
Page 7 How to become a successful house sitter – and get invited back again
and again!
Page 9 Is house sitting right for you?
Page 10 Long term house sits: How to get them
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Join TrustedHousesitters.com today;
and start planning your next adventure!
Page 5 How it works
10 Tips on how to
become a house sitter
4
With hundreds of homes worldwide looking
for house and pet sitters, it has never been a
better time to become part of this growing
trend to travel and live.
So, how do you become one? It’s easy!
Follow our top tips below on how you can become a house sitter
and ensure you secure that rst assignment, which will lead to
many, many more with TrustedHousesitters.com.
1) Love pets!
To become a house sitter it’s preferable you adore pets. Although
not all house sits have pets, the majority do. Pet sitting does
have a responsibility attached but if you love pets then it’s a
pleasure not a chore.
2) Write a good prole.
When registering with TrustedHousesitters.com you create a
personal prole. Put yourself in the homeowner’s shoes. To be
considered ensure you include photos of yourself, relevant pet
care experience and demonstrate your ideal qualities.
3) Include references.
A character reference is a good starting point if you don’t have
any previous house sitting experience. Remember to ask home-
owners for one once you’ve completed a sit. You can do all this
easily via TrustedHousesitters.com.
4) Flexibility helps.
House sits vary in length from a long weekend to more than a
year. The more exible you can be, the more house sits you can
nd.
5) Respond quickly.
When your dream house sit appears act quickly to contact the
homeowner. Be the rst to hear about house sitting opportu-
nities, register and create your prole with TrustedHousesitters.
com and you’ll receive a daily email alert of the latest house sits
in Australia, Europe, US and worldwide.
Join TrustedHousesitters.com today;
and start planning your next adventure!
5
6) Ask questions.
Consider a list of questions to ask the homeowner prior to the
start of the house sit so you’re fully informed e.g. vets & emer-
gency numbers, practicalities such as distance to shops, available
transport etc.
7) Provide pet updates.
The homeowner will be anxious to know their pet is well and
happy. Offer to send an email update or even a ‘pet Skype’ so
they can enjoy peace of mind while away!
8) Cook dinner.
Ideally cook your host a meal for when they return and leave a
few essentials e.g. milk, bread – they may have been traveling
and it’s a nice touch to be asked back in future!
9) Tidy up.
Do leave the home as you have found it. Some people even
leave a bunch of fresh owers which provides a lovely welcome
home feel for the homeowner.
10) Enjoy living like a local.
House sitting offers you a rare opportunity to experience a country or region like a local rather than a tourist. Say hello to
the neighbors and local butcher and feel at home!
How it works
1) Join TrustedHousesitters.com...
Pet Skype is great to let pet owner’s see their pets
while they are away
Join TrustedHousesitters.com today;
and start planning your next adventure!
Once you’ve joined, you will receive daily email alerts about the latest house sitting opportunities.
Combined Plan
Annual Homeowner &
House Sitter membership
£4.99 / month*
*In a single payment of
£59.88
Try it today
12 Month Plan
£4.99 / month*
*In a single payment of
£59.88
Try it today
6 Month Plan
£7.99 / month*
*In a single payment of
£47.94
Try it today
3 Month Plan
£11.99 / month*
*In a single payment of
£35.97
Try it today
Best value Most popular
House Sitter membership House Sitter membership House Sitter membership
6
Join TrustedHousesitters.com today;
and start planning your next adventure!
2) Create a prole
The more information you include in your prole, the more
likely you’ll be offered an assignment. Include your name,
occupation, age, any animal care experience, police check,
pictures, video, introduction, why you want to house sit, what
you bring to the assignment and list of references. References
can be character, employment, landlord and/or house sitting
references that are requested through the website with a few
simple clicks.
3) Search house sitting assignments
You can search assignments by location, dates and pet require-
ments on the website OR review the daily email notications.
When you nd an appealing assignment, review the details in-
cluding a homeowner introduction, requirements of the house
sitter, features of the property and locations and pictures of the
home and pets.
4) Contact homeowners
If you like an assignment, contact the homeowners to intro-
duce yourself and tell them why you’re a great house sitter.
When they contact you back, you can continue to discuss your
experiences and questions and/or chat with them via Skype or
phone.
7
How to become a successful
house sitter - and get invited back
again and again!
Yvonne and her husband Michael started house sitting in 2012.
They have provided such a great service that every single home
and pet owner has asked them to return. Want to nd out how
they do it and become a successful house sitter yourself? Yvonne
has kindly agreed to let you in on their approach:
“Whether you are an experienced house sitter or brand new,
there is one very important aspect that will affect your future as
a house sitter - satised homeowners.
Are homeowners so satised with their experience that they will
recommend you to family and friends and ask you back?
Since my husband Michael and I started house sitting in May
2012, every homeowner has invited us to return! This has meant
multiple sits in a beautiful Tusca farmhouse and invitations to
return to France, Spain, Costa Rica & Panama. We had six over-
lapping requests for house sitting during June, July & August of
this year.
The following is a system that seems to be working very
well for us. Maybe it will work for you also.
When we rst decided to housesit, we approached it as a business and set ourselves a few ground rules.
Yvonne and her husband Michael started house sitting in 2012
Join TrustedHousesitters.com today;
and start planning your next adventure!
5) Secure an assignment
A homeowner will notify you when you’ve won the assignment
(and they’ll be just as excited as you). And that’s when the fun
really begins!
“We cannot begin to tell you how house/pet sitting has
enriched our lives so very very much. For us it has been
such an amazing experience. Not only have we enjoyed
all the pets that we have looked after, but we have met
so many people and made so many friends along the
way.”
Sue and Tom
1) Only apply for house sits in an area that you want to visit and
have researched beforehand (meaning no nasty surprises, such
as excessive travel costs, and unexpected weather). Be sure that
there is a match between the homeowner’s requirements and
your own.
2) Dene expectations, for your client and yourself, in advance.
Before conrming a house sit, have a conversation via Skype or
phone to discuss any concerns, such as access to stores, transpor-
tation or current health of the pets. Consider this as an interview
process for both parties.
3) Leave the home as clean as, or cleaner, than when you arrived.
Keep the garden well maintained, and your charges happy and
well cared for.
4) The homeowner is relying on you to keep your word and be
there as promised. Be prepared to deal with any issues that
could arise and keep your commitment. )
Those are our ground rules, which may not be right for you, so
we suggest you take some time and set your own.
We also have a procedure, which we follow during our sit.
Arrival
Upon arrival, have a comprehensive checklist to go over with
the owners. This ensures that you know where the breaker box
is, water valves, contact information for the vet etc. (Unlike some
sitters who prefer to do a handover on the same day of depar-
ture, we have found that arriving a day before is preferred, both
by the owners and us. It is also better for the pets as they can
become accustomed to us before the owner leaves.)
Keeping in contact
Ask home and pet owners how often they would like updates.
This varies greatly, as some ask for weekly, and some only if
there is an emergency. If your house sit is for an extensive
period, consider occasionally sending new photographs, as a nice
gesture for pet owners.
Handover or debrief
Upon the homeowner’s return, debrief using a kept log of impor-
tant and relevant events e.g. any messages etc.
This formula has worked very well for us. It has enabled us to
travel the world, stay in beautiful homes and given us the oppor-
tunity to immerse ourselves in many diverse communities. We
have made many new friends, including four legged ones. Little
did we realise when we set out on our travels, how rewarding
house sitting could be.”
Cat sitting makes a perfect rural retreat
Yvonne and Michael have been invited back to dog sit in Italy
Yvonne and Michael enjoy lazy days dog sitting
in beautiful locations
8
Join TrustedHousesitters.com today;
and start planning your next adventure!
9
The benets of housesitting over staying in a hotel for a quick vacation include not only the obvious cost savings in
accommodations, but savings in dining expenses because you have a full kitchen at your ngertips. Plus, housesitting is
an opportunity for you to actually live in a residential neighborhood in a typical house, just as if you were living in your
chosen country permanently.
Is house sitting right for you?
Join TrustedHousesitters.com today;
and start planning your next adventure!
10
Meg Rulli and her husband Tony are enjoying a grand adventure
around the world. Having discovered the benets of house and
pet sitting in Australia and Thailand they are now considering
the pros and cons of long term house sitting assignments in
America. Here they share their thoughts and advice.
The pros of a long-term housesitting job
It provides a little nancial stability
Endless months of free rent? Who would complain about that?
It lets you setup roots somewhere
More than the nancial appeal of a long-term housesitting job,
Tony and I are really just looking for a place we can call home
over the next year or so. Our itchy travel feet are sore and we
miss having the comforts of home. It would be great to nally
setup roots somewhere and take some time to breathe… And to
focus on that “what’s next?” life plan of ours.
It allows you time to bond with the pets
Tony and I LOVE all pets. The one downside to traveling the
world is that we have had to push out our dreams of owning our
own… dogs in particular. Housesitting has been a great way for
us to have the company of pets on the road - and it will be even
nicer to have their company back in the States!
The one downside to the short-term housesits that we have
taken is that Tony and I have gotten attached to the pets and
then have had to say goodbye to them a few weeks later. With
a long-term house sit (if there are pets involved, of course), we
will have more time to spend with our new BFF’s!
The cons of working a long-term housesitting
job
Lack of exibility
One must never look at a housesitting job as just a free place
to stay. One should look at long-term housesitting assignments
as a commitment, and once you commit yourself, you may not
always have the freedom and exibility that you desire. You may
not be able to take that 3-week vacation to the Caribbean or
to take spontaneous trips to Vegas. The home and pets are now
your responsibility and your #1 priority.
Long term house sits:
How to get them
Live like a local in a residential neighbourhood
while house sitting, away from the hotels.
Long term house sitting assignments give you time
to bond with the pets
The joys of being a dog sitter in Thailand!
Join TrustedHousesitters.com today;
and start planning your next adventure!
By Meg Rulli
11
You may get attached to the homeowner’s pets
As mentioned above, a long-term assignment is a great way to spend quality time with a pet. However, on the ip side of
this argument, you may (and probably will) get incredibly attached to a pet. It may be incredibly difcult to say goodbye to
them at the end of a job… I know it would be for me!
It’s important to understand that long-term housesitting is immensely different from a short-term sitting job. Having said
this, let’s break down some potential questions to ask long-term housesitting homeowners prior to accepting a job.
Questions to ask the homeowner
What are the protocols in case of emergencies?
If you are housesitting or pet sitting for an entire year, out-of-the-ordinary things are bound to happen… You come down
with food poisoning, family emergencies, you get a cavity, the dog gets into a porcupine hole… the list goes on. So it is
important to get all the necessary contact details for nearby hospital, vets, dentists, and the works.
Would you allow us to take time off for holidays, weddings, weekend trips, etc.?
This should denitely NOT be a question to ask on a short-term housesitting assignment, but a long-term assignment is
more of a long-term living situation. You should go into these assignments fully aware of how exible a homeowner is
with you taking occasional time off.
If you are housesitting for a year, there may be weekends where you may need to go home for family or friend’s weddings
and you may certainly want to take some vacation days off around the holidays.
Can we invite friends/family over on occasion?
Once again, we think this should never be a question to ask on a short-term housesitting assignment, but since you might
be housesitting for a year (or more) on a long assignment, there may be the occasion where you will want to have friends
or family come over for a casual dinner or for a weekend. It’s important to ask the owners if this is allowed, rather than just
assuming they would be okay with it. It is important to never assume!
The more questions you and the homeowner can ask each other upfront, the easier it will be to ensure the job is the right
t for both parties… and it will make the assignment much easier once you begin.
Join TrustedHousesitters.com today;
and start planning your next adventure!
Combined Plan
Annual Homeowner &
House Sitter membership
£4.99 / month*
*In a single payment of
£59.88
Try it today
12 Month Plan
£4.99 / month*
*In a single payment of
£59.88
Try it today
6 Month Plan
£7.99 / month*
*In a single payment of
£47.94
Try it today
3 Month Plan
£11.99 / month*
*In a single payment of
£35.97
Try it today
Best value Most popular
House Sitter membership House Sitter membership House Sitter membership
