A homeowner guide for a successful house sit

1. chose the right sitter

Obviously, the first and most important step is to find the right house sitter. While house sitting becomes more and more popular among the traveler community, you may get a number of applications, which can make the right decision pretty difficult.

In order to "target" the best sitter and smoothen the selection process, your profile should be as detailed as possible. We have seen profiles, which barely tell us something about the house and the pet, like "We need a person to look after our dog in so-and-so city" and no photos. That might be careless towards the person who shall apply to such an advert, but keep in mind, that this lack of information might also not get you the right house sitter. In a good house sitting advert, you should describe the house and pet(s) situation and the requirements for the sitter. Try to keep the balance between a good overview and too detailed description. When it comes to all the talks, we strongly recommend writing a house and pet instruction sheet, which we talk about later.

Situation and environment

· your traveling schedule; fix or flexible dates

· which and how many pet(s) need to take care

· house situation (big, small, garden, pool, …)

· the location and environmental (neighborhood, safety, shops, public transportation etc.)

Requirements: again, don't describe all the routines in detail, but give a good overview, what you expect from your sitter

· about the sitter's person (if you have a requirement e.g. for an elder couple or a single person)

· related experiences

· physical status, for instance, handle a strong dog or garden maintenance

· related pet tasks e.g. walking the dogs daily, special needs e.g. medication

· other tasks e.g. water the plants

· cleanings and safety of the house

· other requirements, like "having a vehicle", "police clearance is a must" etc.

Add some proper and actual photos of yourself, your pets and the house to give the first impression for the potential house sitter.

When it comes to the selection process, there are three criteria, we found important between host and sitter: a good and polite application letter, a sitter profile that fits you add and the way of communication (responsive, quick and ongoing). If you get lots of applications, prioritize your requirements (e.g. age, experiences with medication, having references etc.) so you easily can skip the one's lack of your personal "must haves".

After you have your short list of possible candidates, reply them quickly and arrange a phone call or a video call (Skype, WhatsApp). You can to get a feeling about the candidate and answer questions about the house sitting arrangement. When you are satisfied with the house sitters, confirm the dates and don't forget to remove the add from the house sitting website.

2. get prepared for the house sit

When the time of your trip is coming, you should not just put the key under the doormat and leave. In your own interest invest some time to get to know to the people, you want to put in charge of your property and the wellbeing of your pet. We always managed to meet our hosts in advance. Most important of course to get to know the pet(s), we eventually take responsibility, but also to know, whether the host and the environment fit us. And this applies vice-versa.

It goes without saying that your house should make a good impression on the house sitter, in order to let them feel comfortable in the environment they will stay for the next days or weeks. Comfort and safety is an important motivation for a successful house sit, rather your sitter feels how to escape hell.

Prepare the things your house sitter needs to care for your pet (food, toys, leash, medication etc.). Secure places which might be a risk for your pet, for example, escape routes, open pools, remove potential hazards like chemicals, machinery etc. Remember, you are familiar with your house but your house sitters isn't. Show them around and explain the important installations (pool, pumps, heating or cooling, entertainment systems, Wifi, Netflix etc.) or when your property has some tricky "quirks".

It's a great gesture to provide some information about the local area, where to shop and dine or which (tourist) places you recommend to visit. Your house sitter will be grateful for this kind of "insider" tips about the local area to feel "at home" for a while.

We found it always extremely helpful, to get a printed instruction (call it a house list), which we went through with the owners point by point during the first meeting. That ensures, that topics about house and pets are covered and we have the same and correct understanding. How to prepare a house list for your house sitter, read here.

Finally, if you expect the house sitter shall pay for utilities during your absence, you should explain the details and fix an agreement about it in writing.

3. prepare your pet

We had some experience with untrained dogs during our house sits. This is not a big issue, if it's "just some slight disobedience", like pulling during walking. It becomes a serious issue if your dog shows signs of serious behavior disorders like aggression or anxiety. These kinds of dogs do not belong in the hand of an inexperienced house sitter but to professionals in a kennel. Such you put your pet and the sitter on an unnecessary risk, which in case of an accident can cause a very expensive liability. Anyway, train your dog is not at all the job of a house sitter.

To make the meet-and-greet with the pet comfortable, prepare some time to let them get know each other when you are there. This also gives you the opportunity to watch, how the house sitter deals with your pet:

• · let your pet know, that the house sitter is a friend and is welcome in the house

• · use a calm body language and a soft voice that the dog feels comfortable with the new situation

• · if the dog is jumping on the person, use the "ignore" strategy to calm him down. You may use a toy to turn his attention to something else than the house sitters person.

• · if your pet is anxious, don’t force him to say "Hello" to the sitter; wait until he makes the move. You may "encourage" him with some treats to get closer to the stranger

• · If you have to chance for a walk together, you can see how your dog behaves on the lead with the sitter. It's also a good chance to show around the close neighborhood and the regular walking routine.

Still, as soon as you are away, things might look different and the house sitter has to deal with your pets "habits". But during a meet-and-greet they can get acquainted with each other, eventually, your pet will accept the house sitter, which make things much smoother during the sit.

Put an ID tag on the collar, with your address and phone number. In case your pop escapes, it can increase the chance to get it back. For extra safety, you may consider a GPS tracker, to locate your pet via a cell phone app. But please, don't use these devices to track your house sitter whether he really walks your dog every day.

Don't leave the house sitter without an emergency plan, especially if your pet is under medication or has otherwise special needs. Ask your house sitter to store the vet number on their mobile phone and let them know when the vet is available.

Finally

With this preparation and with the "right" house sitter you can start your vacation with a comfortable feeling. Depending on your demand you can ask to be updated on a regular base about the wellbeing of your pets or just let them do their job and only contact you in an emergency.

Let your house sitter know the time when you are back home. Once our hosts came back unexpected early when we where still giving the house the last shine and hadn't packed yet. That's might be just a bit uncomfortable, more serious can be a delay, as your house sitter might have their own travel plans. Let them know early in advance if there is a change in your return.

Finally, when you are satisfied with them, you find your house clean and in order and your pet happy and healthy give your house sitter a good review. Maybe you meet them again on your next vacation.