House-sitting costs $15 to $35 per hour on average for short-term care. Longer house-sitting jobs have rates of $40 to $80 per day for drop-in pet and general upkeep services. A pet sitter charges $50 to $125 per night for full-time care and overnight stays for high-anxiety or high-maintenance animals.

• Dog walking prices are $10 to $35 per outing.
• Cat sitters are typically cheaper than dog sitters.

House-sitting is a service where someone goes to your home and watches your cat, dog, or pets while keeping up with your minor housekeeping tasks. You can negotiate the amount of time they spend at your house from a few hours per day to a full-time job with overnight stays.

Remember to make a list of the specific tasks you need a house sitter to complete each day. Then you can discuss what their fee includes and if you'll need to pay extra for anything.

A house sitter can do any routine work that protects the property from burglars and keeps everything in good working order.

Typically, you can ask a house sitter to:

• Keep debris out of your pool in summer.
• Shoveling snow off of the sidewalk in front of your house in winter.
• Keep some lights on and windows closed to make the place look occupied.
• Water plants and gardens around the house.
• Do light cleaning inside as necessary.
• Move all delivered packages and mail inside.
• Keep the thermostat at a moderate room temperature.
• Move any vehicles you've left behind each day to simulate occupancy.
• Walk through the whole home and around the grounds daily to check for any potential problems that need quick attention for repairs.

You can pay a house sitter either before or after the job is complete, according to the terms of your contract. Some house sitters in high demand can ask for an initial deposit, while others are happy to wait until after their stay to receive the full payment.

You don't have to tip a house sitter, and many people don't include gratuity charges in their bill. Nevertheless, a tip is appropriate if you received high-quality service and you want to encourage the sitter to work for you again in the future.

Tipping guidelines for house sitters are:

• You can pay 10% to 20% extra for a tip.
• You can also give them a gift card for food delivery.
• If the house sitter has given you great service before, then offer to let them eat any food in your kitchen or consider sharing your Wi-Fi service next time.

Before hiring a house sitter near you, follow this checklist:

• Compare at least 3 prices from various local house sitters.
• Ask friends, neighbors, and colleagues about who's done house-sitting for them.
• If you have pets, check if the sitter has experience caring for animals like yours.
• Read their reviews from prior customers on HomeGuide and Google.
• Request references from recent customers.
• Look at their website and online profiles to gauge their background.
• Collect a written contract and schedule prior to the first house-sitting job.
• Check that they understand your expectations and house rules.
• Specify how often you want updates on the home or pets while you're away.
• Ask if they have Pet sitter liability insurance.
• See if the house-sitting company has a guarantee to pay for accidental damages.

To find the right house-sitting service for you, ask these questions first:

• How many clients have you had as a house sitter?
• Can we meet up first to talk about if this arrangement suits both of us?
• How often can you message me about how my pets are doing?
• Will you buy groceries and cook in my home, or will you order takeout?
• What do I need to show you before I leave?
• How long do you normally stay at each house-sitting job?
• What is your cancellation policy if I change my travel plans?
• Which responsibilities will you handle while house-sitting?
• Can I see a list of references from your previous jobs?
• What types of homes and homeowners do you typically work with?
• Are you good at pet training or plant care, and if so, how much do you charge?
• May I review your service contract and payment terms?
• Can we negotiate costs of additional tasks, and how would that affect the rate?