Do I Need a House Sitter?

When you leave home for extended periods of time, it is highly recommended that you hire a house sitter to protect your home. There are financial benefits from hiring a house sitter that are outlined below:

Is it safe to hire a house sitter?

Most house sitting arrangements work out well, but you can increase the chance of success by doing the necessary research on the house sitter before you hire them. A good place to start is to contact the candidate's references.

Do I need to hire a house sitter full time?

Absolutely not! In the child care space, splitting child care through the use of nanny sharingis common practice. Not only do they benefit financially - the kids receive the added benefit of socializing with peers. The same route is absolutely available to you for home care and house sitting. If you don't have family of friends who are interested in sharing a nanny or house sitter, you can always go to housesitter.com/jobs to browse other families who may be looking for the same service!

What happens if there is damage to my house when I return home?

If you discover damage to your home when you return that you feel has been caused by carelessness on the part of the house sitter, you can deduct the repair costs from their security deposit or their wages, if they were being paid. All of these details must be clearly outlined in a contractthat both parties have agreed to.

If your family has young children, it may however make a lot more financial sense to hire a nanny instead and pay her a higher wage to also perform tasks such as collecting the mail and watering the plants.

If you're realizing that you want more than a housesitter while you're gone and would also like some cleaning to be done, consider hiring a housekeeper instead. Most housekeepers will perform the basic housesitting tasks in addition to cleaning your home. We've collected the best house cleaners in Vancouver, Miami, NYC and Houston for you to get started.