Trusted House Sitters Review (All You Need To Know)
After many years of traveling I had done many volunteer jobs in exchange for accommodation. But mainly doing work such as painting, hostel work, gardening and even babysitting with Katharina. Then while volunteering via Workaway we ended up walking dogs for our host and we loved it! Thats when we decided why don’t we do more of this?
So after doing a bit of online research we came across Trusted House Sitters. We have done a few house sits now and we really enjoy using Trusted House Sitters. In this article we will do a full Trusted House Sitters review telling you everything you need to know to start you pet sitting journey and why we think Trusted House Sitters is a good platform to start with.
How Does Trusted House Sitters Work?
The way that Trusted House Sitters works is very simple. It is basically on online platform where pet owners who want to go on holiday look for a pet sitter to stay at their house and look after their pets while they are away. There is no payment made to the sitter for looking after the pets. The reward is simply looking after their pets and getting to stay in their house.
The system works out well for both parties as the owners are grateful to have someone take good care of their pets and homes. Otherwise owners may have to send their pets to a pet care service outside of their home which can be stressful for their pets.
The sitters benefit as they have the chance to look after a wide range of pets while also staying in free accommodation all around the world.
Trusted House Sitters has thousands of sits all around the world. We sometimes saw sits in countries and had to google them because we had never heard of them before. This is one of the huge benefits because a pet sit may encourage you to visit a part of the world you would never have considered otherwise.
So if pet sitting sounds good to you then the first step is to choose a membership plan on Trusted House Sitters.
Choosing A Membership Plan
Both owners and sitters have to set up a profile in order to join the platform. For sitters there are three membership options to choose from. Basic Sitter is 119 Euros, Standard Sitter is 149 Euros and Premium Sitter is 249 Euros. You can use our referral link to get 30% off your membership.
Basic Sitter simply allows you to use Trusted House Sitters for a year with unlimited house sits.
Standard Sitter gives you unlimited sits plus free calling with vets while pet sitting and insurance for any damage caused by pets while under your care.
The Premium Sitter membership gives you call the benefits of the Standard Sitter plus sit cancellation insurance and two free airport lounge passes.
We chose to go with the Premium House Sitter membership because of the sit cancellation insurance. If a house sitter pulls out of the house site after you have confirmed with them. Then you are provided with $150 per night up to a total of $1500 per sit to find alternative accommodation.
We thought that this insurance was good to have when sitting in expensive locations like London and Amsterdam. Because if the host pulled out at the last second then finding alternative accommodation even for a couple of days in London would be very expensive.
Once you have chosen a membership plan then it is time to set up your profile. This is an important part because you will be facing a lot of competition. So your profile needs to show that you are a caring person or couple who will take great care of the owners house and pets.
Tips For Setting Up Your Trusted House Sitters Profile
The way you set up your profile is very important because hosts may receive a lot of applications so you need to stand out. Make sure you give an in depth description of your life experience and experience looking after pets.
The more the owner knows about you the more comfortable they will be with inviting you into their home to look after their pets. Even if most of the experience you have is looking after your own pets growing up. This can be enough for some owners as they may not need a super experienced person but just someone honest and reliable.
You are able to upload up to 12 photos to your profile so of course if you have photos of you with pets try upload those. Otherwise just try and upload photos showing what you are like as a person
As you become more experienced what will help you get more pet sits is reviews. However when you start out you will not have any reviews so Trusted House Sitters allows you to upload three external reviews.
We had previously looked after pets while doing volunteer jobs with Workaway so we uploaded those. Otherwise any reference someone such as a past employer will be great.
You are also able to link your airbnb profile to your Trusted House Sitters account. So if you have good reviews there then it is a good idea to link that as well.
Applying For House Sits
Once you start looking for house sits you will notice very quickly that they vary greatly in the length of the sit, number of pets, size of house and duties required. Before applying my first advice would be to read through the responsibilities and think about whether the sit is a good fit for you.
Some properties may ask you to do small chores such as cleaning and gardening. So make sure you carefully read through all the responsibilities before you apply.
Also you have to remember that looking after a large number of pets can be a lot of work so make sure you are committed before you apply.
Once you have found some pet sits that appeal to you. Depending on the location you may have to send of quite a few applications before you get a reply. Some locations are much more popular than others so it may take a while to get a reply. But if you keep trying I have found it does not take too long to get replies from owners.
One tip that I would give when sending applications is to make sure that you really personalize the message. You want to let the owner know that you have read everything in their ad and know what the responsibilities are. So try and mention their pets names in the applications and mention that you are happy to carry out any specific tasks that are required.
If an owner sees your profile and likes what they see they can send you a message and they may ask for a video call to get to know you better. Or if they really like your profile the owner can accept your application immediately.
We have had a couple of owners accept our application immediately and others request a video call. There is not set procedure so it is totally up to the owner how they would like to choose their sitter.
If the owner picks you then you will receive a message via the Trusted House Sitters platform. Asking you to accept the sit. If you click Yes then the sit is booked and the next step is getting ready for pet sitting.
Tips For A Good Pet Sit
Communication with the owner is key to a good house sit. Asking the owner in advance when they will be leaving their property and arriving back is important.
For example if the owner is leaving early in the morning. Then you may have to arrive in town the day before the sit starts. So before you book flights or other transportation make sure you know arrival and departure times. Some owners will be ok with you arriving or departing when they are not there. But it all depends on the owner so you just need to ask.
In terms of communication with the owner while you are at the property. Some owners may want daily updates and pictures of their pets. While others may be ok with less frequent updates or none at all. I find it is best to ask what the owner would like when you arrive. That why you know exactly what they expect from you.
We also try to give the properties a real good clean before we leave. It is not mentioned that you should do so. But we find that owners are so grateful if they come home to a happy pet and a super clean house. Because of course the last thing you want to do after coming home from a holiday is clean.
But of course the number one job is take good care of the pets. The pet sit will only go smoothly if you are happy looking after the pets. Remember that some pet sits may require a lot of work. Only pick pet sits that look like a workload that you are comfortable with.
We once did a pet sit in London for 3 dogs, 3 rabbits, 2 cats and a snake! We loved it and it was a lot of fun. But it also was a lot of work. So carefully read profiles and talk to owners beforehand so you are ready for all responsibilities.
Is Trusted House Sitters Worth It?
The simple answer for me is yes. We have had no issues at all using the platform. The website runs smooth and the search functions make it easy to find sits all around the world. All the owners we have met via the platform have been great and we have met some amazing pets while staying in great properties.
In terms of money it is a no brainer. The sign up fee is quite high at 119 euros for the most basic plan. But our first sit was in London for 12 days. To book a house similar to the one we stayed in on air bnb would have cost thousands of euros. So the membership pays itself off many times over even after one trip.
However Trusted House Sitters is worth it on so many other levels. Not only do you look after pets and stay at amazing properties. But it allows you to travel in a slow sustainable way. Also if you are a digital nomad it is perfect because you most likely will spend a lot of time at home anyway. So why not spend that time with some pets!
Feel free to use our friends referral link to get 30% your membership. Happy pet sitting!
Travel, health and fitness fanatic. Co-founder of happyhealthynomads.
