FAQs
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Yes! We do not charge homeowners anything to find a house sitter. The homeowner can either place a advert and/or scroll the house sitting list - both 100% free!
It is totally FREE for homeowners to use House Sitters America to find a house sitter. It costs only $30 for house sitters to list with us for 12 months. There are no extra or hidden fees! We run your advert 24/7, 365 days a year!
Most of the confirmation emails will reach you within minutes of registering but please allow up to 30 minutes in case of server delays. If you have not received this email within this time it might be a good idea to check your junkmail folder. If you are still unable to find your confirmation email please contact us and we will happily activate your account for you.
There are too many variables to guarantee anyone employment as a house sitter using our service. Things such as location choice, location flexibility, date flexibility, duration flexibility and how your profile is perceived, all play a part. Remember each homeowner is unique and in the end they choose who they think will be most suitable for their requirements.
As far as House Sitters America is aware all the homeowner adverts advertised on our website are active and available BUT we do rely on the homeowner to remove their own advert. We do stress to all homeowners they need to remove their advert as soon as they have filled the house sitting position to avoid house sitter disappointment. Each homeowner has the ability to activate, deactivate or delete their advert.
The bottom line is that everything is negotiable between you and the homeowners. In the majority of cases it’s a straight swap; house sitter cares for the house and pets in exchange for free accommodation. However there maybe exceptions when a homeowner will offer some money for the house sitting job. For example:
- if the house was situated in a difficult location.
- the length of the sit was not convenient (too short).
- there were lots of pets to care for and extra jobs to do.
In these cases the homeowner may offer to pay the house sitter a fee, or they might cover the house sitter’s utility costs (eg electricity, gas, phone etc). Remember, everything is negotiable. Hopefully you should be able to work something out that seems fair to both parties.
These things are negotiable between the homeowner and the house sitter, but in the majority of cases it’s just a straight swap.
Yes. The lengths of house sitting positions can be anything from 1 day to 3 years +. The general length of a house sit tends to fall between 1 week to 4 months but it's not uncommon for house sitting positions to be of longer length eg 6 - 12 months.
Generally the house sitter pays for what they use. Again, special circumstances may apply where these expenses are met by the householder. For example:
- if the house was situated in a difficult location.
- the length of the sit was not convenient (too short).
- there were lots of pets to care for and extra jobs to do.
Sure! However if your house sitting family has a pet (usually a dog) you need to realize that you reduce your chances of securing house sitting work. There are many homeowners who would not like a strange pet in their home for whatever reason. In saying that, there are homeowners who wouldn’t mind at all as long as their home and pets are cared for. It is a matter for discussion between both parties.
Unfortunately we do not offer this service. This is mainly due to potential mix ups. If we happened to contact a homeowner to confirm that their advert was still active and they replied ‘yes’ then by the time the enquiring house sitter got around to registering this sitting position my have already been filled, hence a frustrated and annoyed new member!
For homeowners:
Homeowners are able to contact the house sitters directly from the comprehensive database our service provides.
For house sitters:
House sitters must become members to register their profiles on the House Sitters America database.
House sitters are then able to contact any of the homeowner adverts that are advertised on the website directly. You must be a registered member before you are able to view the homeowners contact details.
Registering as a house sitter with House Sitters America is easy and fast (usually completed within 10 - 15 minutes). Once you have registered you are able to contact the homeowner adverts immediately.
You will need to check what homeowners are currently advertising, to see if there are any sitting positions in your preferred area. Keep in mind that most homeowners scroll the sitters list and contact the house sitter directly and choose not to place the free advert - so don't be too disheartened if there are not too many homeowner adverts listed in your particular area.
Sure! Even though some homeowners may not like children in their home for whatever reason there are others who may actually like kids in their home, especially if they have pets that need some extra loving.
Yes! Our research tells us that internet advertising is the most effective way to reach homeowners across America. We spend large amounts of money doing this every day of the year. We also advertise in other media.
To qualify for membership you must: 1) be an American citizen 2) have a residence in the USA.
If you are an American citizen and have a residence in the US but are living or holidaying overseas you are welcome to register. However you will have to provide your US address on the registration form.
We use PayPal as our official online payment system. PayPal is the leading online payment system in the USA and they guarantee the transaction is safe and secure. You do not need to be registered with PayPal to use their service. You are able to make credit card payments using PayPal even if you are not a PayPal member.
PayPal is the secure, free, easy way to pay. With PayPal, you choose how to pay online. Use your bank account, credit card, or PayPal balance. Send money from home, work, or your cell phone.
Please note: House Sitters America does not accept cheques / money orders or ‘over the phone’ payments.
House sits run smoothly 99% of the time. Of those house sits where something may end up broken or damaged by the house sitter, generally the house sitter covers the cost happily if it was their fault. If the damage was caused due to the age of the house etc then the homeowner is usually happy to cover the costs of the repairs and not expect the sitter to pay. We recommend that a house sitting agreement be used to prevent any potential problems. House Sitters America has a house sitting agreement that can be downloaded and printed out. You are also able to adjust the agreement to suit individual needs.
No. In this modern age the internet is accessible to most people. We also like the idea of being environmentally friendly (no paper!)