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Comparing the house sitting websites

Comparing the house sitting websites

by | 28 November 2019

There’s a lot of house sitting websites out there. Some of them are great. Some aren’t. Membership fees vary and so, too, does the usability of each site. But if you’ve been toying with the idea of signing up to a house sitting website, here’s some things that might make your decision easier.

Learn more about…

TrustedHousesitters

TrustedHousesitters was the first house sitting website I learned about. They’ve got listings all over the world and the general consensus is that TrustedHousesitters is the best house sitting website of the lot. An obvious downside, however, is their membership fee. It’s $99 AUD/year for sitters.

Points of difference

  • Would-be house sitters can ask employers, friends and family to leave character references on their profile to reassure homeowners they’re a decent human.
    • If you use other sites for sits, you can ask the owner to leave you a REFERENCE after the sit is finished. References don’t affect your TrustedHousesitters star rating.
  • Homeowners must complete a ‘Welcome guide’ for their sitter. It covers almost everything someone needs to know about the property and pet(s) they’ll be looking after.
  • TrustedHousesitters has an app.
    • The app sends you a notification when a property matching your saved search criteria goes up.
  • You can ‘favourite’ a listing.
  • Sitters are rated on their organisation skills, reliability, self-sufficiency, tidiness and pet care.
  • The TrustedHousesitters website looks a lot more modern and less cluttered than some of the other house sitting websites.
  • TrustedHousesitters has a big social media presence and they’re keen to share members’ stories.

Discount code

Use RAF110780 to get 25% off your TrustedHousesitters membership.

Aussie House Sitters

Aussie House Sitters—as you’d expect—has more Australian sits than anyone else. Home/pet owners can sign up for free while sitters have to pay to use the service. Membership is $84 AUD/year. Aussie House Sitters and their sister sites (House Sitters America, House Sitters Canada, et al.) are a great alternative to TrustedHousesitters, but, unfortunately, you have to sign up to each one should want to apply for sits in different countries.

Points of difference

  • You can import your reviews from their sister sites. I was able to bring my five-star review across from when I used House Sitters America in 2018.
  • Users are given a ‘reply rating’. This might help you work out why you haven’t received a response.
  • Search results can be refined by selecting properties:
    • near trains/trams, buses, supermarkets, etc.
    • with a pool
    • that allow you to bring your pet(s) along
    • where smoking is OK.
  • Home/pet owners reach out to me quite a bit on Aussie House Sitters to see if I’m free to sit for them. This doesn’t happen much on TrustedHousesitters.

Discount code

Use AVHX9T to get $10 off your Aussie House Sitters membership.

House Sitters America

I had a one-year membership with House Sitters America, but haven’t renewed it yet.

Points of difference

The navigation and layout are the same as what you see on Aussie House Sitters, but the colour scheme makes the website look dated. They do, however, have a good range of sits all over the USA. I was able to get a week-long sit in Washington, D.C., through House Sitters America and often see sits I’d love to do. A one-year House Sitters America membership is $30 USD.

Discount code

Use GRZKCY to get $5 off your House Sitters America membership.

House Sitters Canada

I am now a member of House Sitters Canada. It’s owned by the same people who run Aussie House Sitters and House Sitters America.

Discount code

Use AVH8DQ to get $10 off your House Sitters Canada membership.

Kiwi House Sitters

I recently joined Kiwi House Sitters. It’s another house sitting website that’s owned by the people who run Aussie House Sitters, House Sitters America and House Sitters Canada.

Discount code

Use 2UV5TT to get $10 off your Kiwi House Sitters membership.

housecarers.com

I used housecarers.com to secure a Christmas sit in Boulder, Colorado, in 2018. You can search for sits based on country and/or by date, and you can refine the search by selecting a state or region. An annual membership is $55 AUD. Homeowners can use housecarers.com for free.

Points of difference

  • housecarers.com has a comprehensive membership dashboard where you can see how many people have viewed your profile and other things like that.
    • This dashboard has way too many features to list so I recommend checking it out with either with a limited membership (i.e. no messaging capability) or paid membership.

Discount code

Sign up using this link to get an extra 6 months added to your membership.

MindMyHouse

I’ve got an active MindMyHouse membership. And while it’s not my favourite site—and I don’t check it all too often—that doesn’t mean it’s bad either. ‘Best house sitting website’ is going to mean different things to different people. Some people might prefer MindMyHouse because their membership is the cheapest ($20 USD/year for sitters (it’s free for homeowners)).

I’ve had one MindMyHouse sit over the years and that was in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I found a lot of the home/pet owners I messaged never acknowledged my application. You’ll see sits that were advertised months ago and you begin to wonder if owner has replied to anyone’s application.

Nomador

I don’t have a paid membership with Nomador. However, I was able to trial the service when they were offering a ‘submit three applications for free before we charge you a membership fee’ deal.

Points of difference

  • Nomador lets people list their property as a stopover stay. This means travellers can stay with this person for one night at no cost.
  • They’ve got a lot of listings for homes in France and Quebec, Canada.

Facebook

After joining the House Sitting World Facebook group, I learned a lot of people find their sits through other Facebook pages (e.g. House & Pet Sitting Asia – Thailand, Japan, Philippines, Singapore and more , House Sitting Australia Group). I’m not sure how I feel about securing a sit through Facebook. House sitting websites give me a sense of security and it makes me more comfortable organising everything through them.

Final thoughts

I hope my list of pros and cons has helped you form an opinion about which house sitting website is best suited to your needs.

There’s also the Facebook option, but, as one would expect, Facebook doesn’t run background or ID checks on home/pet owners or sitters. And while these checks are offered by some of the house sitting websites, they aren’t going to reveal every single thing about a person. That’s where reviews come in handy. Reviews give home/pet owners and sitters alike an insight into what they can expect from the other party. A lack of reviews from someone with an established profile could be a red flag and this is not something you’d pick up on if you’re organising a sit through Facebook.

*Remember to check the visa requirements if you’re not a citizen or permanent resident of the country you’re hoping to house sit in. Unpaid house and pet sitting is seen as work in some countries.