Which house sitting website is best?
House sitting platforms compared – If you are new to house sitting or pet sitting, then you’ve probably discovered that you’ll need to subscribe to a website to get access to assignments.
Which house sitting website should I choose?
We compare house sitting websites and detail the best services provided. We review the top 5 international house sitting platforms and give links to some of the country specific sites in popular countries like the USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand.
- Trusted House Sitters
- Nomador
- House Carers
- Mind My House
- House Sit Match
Without doubt Trusted House Sitters is the largest and most popular international house sitting website, with a wide range of assignments in countries around the world.
HOUSE SITTING WEBSITES COMPARED
All of the subscription costs are shown in USD $ unless indicated
www.TrustedHousesitters.com
| Operated Since: | 2010 | |
| Price: | $119 USD per year (special 25% discount offer – see link below) | |
| Average Active House Sits: | 2000+ | |
| Countries: | International | |
| Photo Upload: | Yes 13 | |
| Video Upload: | Yes | |
| Reference Upload: | Yes | |
| Police Checks: | Yes | |
| ID Check: | Yes (3 different levels of check available) | |
| Facebook Group: | trustedhousesitters | |
| Twitter Page: | housesitting |
TrustedHousesitters is the largest and most well known of the international house sitting websites. You will find house sits from all over the world, but they are particularly strong in Europe, Australia and the USA.
They have the most house sitting assignments to choose from. Although they are the most expensive, the huge choice will increase your chances of selection. Home owners are charged the same rate as house sitters for membership – this means that home owners are generally committed to the assignments they list, and less likely to be “testing” the water as can happen on some sites where home owners list adverts for free. If you want to join as both a house sitter and a home owner, the combined subscription is $149.00.
This website is also run as a professional business with a team of 26+ people including a 24/7 customer care team. The website has been improved and updated time and time again over the years.
There are a number of helpful filters, including the option to select house sits that are “family friendly”.
A possible downside for the “newbie” house sitter is that it might be more difficult to get on to the house sitting “ladder” due to the number of members. Make sure you set up “email alerts” and apply to house sits as soon as possible. Spend some time creating a stand out profile and video. Our advice would be to select an additional regional site to increase your chances of selection until you get established.
Definitely one to have at the top of your list. Some of our best house sits have been found through this platform!
www.Nomador.com
| Operated Since: | 2014 | |
| Price: | USD $ 89 year / $ 35 qtr | |
| Average Active House Sits: | 500 – 1000 | |
| Countries: | International, specialize France & Europe | |
| Photo Upload: | Yes | |
| Video Upload: | No | |
| Reference Upload: | Endorsements and badges (no external references) | |
| Police Checks: | Yes | |
| ID Check: | Yes | |
| Facebook Group: | nomador.community | |
| Twitter Page: | Nomador_Com |
Nomador is newer to the scene but is already gaining ground on the three other most popular sites. This site was originally operated as a French house sitting site called Ilidor. Its French connection means there are still a lot of house sits in France, but the business is now truly global. So, international registrations are becoming much more prolific. We found the site a little more difficult to navigate in terms of pre-registration browsing, but once signed up it is full of great tools and helpful advice for house sitters and home owners alike.
When searching or browsing “available” sits make sure you select “Limit search to house-sits that are still available” otherwise you’ll see all the filled sits too.
The website’s modern design has a unique trust-based identity upload area for passports, driving licenses and other forms of ID. This identity check provides extra reassurance for homeowners. Your uploaded information is not shared and it is disposed of once the verification is complete.
Nomador also has a unique “Stopover” feature where home owners can register to offer free accommodation to members in-between house sits, or simply to build friendships. They also have a filter for assignments that are suitable for persons with reduced mobility. The ethos of the platform is to grow the sharing economy and build “community” – we think they have really succeeded with this!
The rate is the same for both home owners and house sitters. There is also a “Discovery Option” available FREE OF CHARGE which allows new house sitters to apply for up to 3 assignments. This free option extends to home owners too, but with some restrictions.
www.HouseCarers
| Operated Since: | 2000 | |
| Price: | USD $ 50 year (free for home owners) (special 10% discount for House Sitting Magazine) | |
| Average Active House Sits: | 200+ | |
| Countries: | International | |
| Photo Upload: | Yes (14 images) | |
| Video Upload: | Yes | |
| Reference Upload: | Yes | |
| Police Checks: | Yes | |
| ID Check: | Being introduced (2017) | |
| Facebook Group: | housecarers | |
| Twitter Page: | housecarers |
HouseCarers is another long-standing, highly rated international site, with listings in countries around the world. Definitely worth considering, and the website has had a major overhaul so the user interface is much easier to use and with more features than before.
They have a limited FREE TRIAL although you can’t upload photographs or contact home owners. You will get daily alerts so it could be worth a try just to see what you get offered. There is no charge for home owners on this site.
We secured our first long term sit of 2016 with HouseCarers. We looked after a beautiful luxury property in Australia, with a pool and a fabulous view! We were very happy with their service and the ease of use of the website.
We’ve also negotiated a special 10% discount for house sitters – click here of on the image below.
www.HouseSitMatch.com
| Operated Since: | 2013 | |
| Price: | GBP £ 35 / £ 75 (basic and premium plans) | |
| Average Active House Sits: | Less than 50 | |
| Countries: | International but good for UK | |
| Photo Upload: | Yes – 2 on basic / 7 on premium | |
| Video Upload: | Yes – on premium plan | |
| Reference Upload: | Yes | |
| Police Checks: | Yes | |
| ID Check: | No | |
| Facebook Group: | housesitmatch | |
| Twitter Page: | housesitmatch |
HouseSitMatch initially focused on house sits in the UK and Australia but new countries are being added all the time. Their strength in Europe is currently in the UK and Spain.
They don’t have so many house sitting assignments, but founder Lamia Walker, offers a very personal service and their current ratio of home owners to house sitters is only 1:1.5, so your chances of securing a house sit assignment are much higher. There is an option when searching to filter “available sits” only, as the site does show completed assignments too when you first browse or search sits.
The premium subscription is worth the extra money as you can load more pictures and a video. The website offers lots of great resources, has a new member chat facility and we’ve heard that this is a good website to contact if you are interested in family house sits.
Home owners pay the same as house sitters. There are often special offers in the Facebook group, so it’s worth checking there if you are thinking of joining.
www.MindMyHouse.com
| Operated Since: | 2005 | |
| Price: | USD $ 20 year (Free for homeowners) | |
| Average Active House Sits: | 200 | |
| Countries: | International | |
| Photo Upload: | Yes | |
| Video Upload: | No | |
| Reference Upload: | Yes | |
| Police Checks: | Yes | |
| ID Check: | No | |
| Facebook Group: | not active since 2013 – use twitter | |
| Twitter Page: | MindMyHouse1 |
This is another good international website that gets regularly updated and improved. The site is inexpensive to join at USD $20 a year and so you’ve nothing to lose really at this price!
It has a good messaging system and a great search system with a useful map locator. There’s lots of relevant information to help you get started and they have some good downloadable resources. Home owners join for free.
There has been some criticism in house sitting forums about people posting sits that are more like Workaway projects than house sits, but as platforms like TrustedHousesitters move towards advertising free trust based house sits only, perhaps this will be the place to find more opportunities that pay.
COUNTRY SPECIFIC HOUSE SITTING WEBSITES
Not all house sitting sites cover international assignments. Some prefer to focus on one particular country, such as the UK, or a region such as Australia & New Zealand.
If you are planning to house sit in the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand or Mexico, then you might find it beneficial to also subscribe to one of these more regional websites.
We’ve always found that HouseSittersUK has worked very well for us when we’ve been looking for sites in the UK, and I think if we were looking in Australia, we would definitely look to sign up to a similar site there The “House Sitters” network has sites in a number of countries, but you do have to sign up to each one which can be expensive if you are an international sitter.
Remember that many home owners will have signed up to the larger international sites as well, so you need to weigh up whether you think it’s worth it.
House sitting websites in Australia (including Tasmania)
Australia is a great place to house sit. Many Aussies love to travel and usually for extended periods. This means properties are available throughout the year in some great and often interesting locations and there are more country specific websites here than in most other countries.
If you are an Australian looking to house sit primarily in your home countries then one of more of these sites are worth subscribing to and we would definitely recommend: www.AussieHouseSitters.com
If you are planning to spend an extended period of time in Australia house sitting long term, then we would also suggest you sign up to an Australian specific website.
However, if you have subscribed to House Carers and Trusted House Sitters you will have a large selection of Australian assignments available to you. We suggest you browse the sites of your international subscriptions first, and compare to your country specific selection to see what sort of duplication of assignments exists.
http://housesittingtasmania.com.au/
www.housesittersaustralia.com.au
www.australianhousesitter.com.au
And remember that www.housecarers.com are based in Australia, so whilst an international site they have a lot of experience of Aussie house sits and feature many.
House sitting websites in New Zealand
House Sitting websites in the USA & Canada
Given the size of America and the number of house sitting opportunities that exist, there are very few country specific house sitting websites available. Although an international site, you will find that TrustedHousesitters has a lot of USA sits available.
This is probably why House Sitters America do so well. They charge only $30 a year for anywhere in the USA. Some sites charge by zones or states so this really is a good deal. The website runs and operates easily using the same format as House Sitters UK, a company we’ve had great personal success with.
House Sitters Canada is the newest addition to the world’s largest network of regional House Sitter sites. For a limited period of time they are offering FREE membership while they build their database of members.
House Sitting websites in the UK
House sitting in the UK is extremely popular and there are two great country specific websites. We are subscribed to House Sitters UK and I find their website really easy to navigate.
We had instant success when we joined up, finding two consecutive house sits within just a few weeks. They have a great instant messaging system, cost only £20 for a year and currently have over 100 assignments listed.
Again, as with Australia, you should compare how many of these assignments are featured on the international websites if you are only looking to house sit temporarily in the UK.
www.HouseSittersUK.co.uk
www.MindaHome.co.uk
House Sitting websites in Mexico
With an influx of expats from America and Canada, Mexico is becoming a popular choice for house sitting and assignments are increasing all the time. Destinations such as Puerto Vallarta, Ajijic, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico City, Merida and the Yucatan in general, offer year round opportunities.
To help facilitate the growing demand, HouseSitMexico has just been relaunched (2016) with a smart new interface, and the option to select different regions within this large country.
They charge $39 USD for 3 months membership, or $79 USD for a year. Rates are the same for home owners and house sitters. If you are both, there is NO additional charge. Once a member you can use either service.
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
House Sitting Magazine – The ultimate lifestyle magazine
House sitting magazine is an unbiased free online publication that is available to download as an Apple or Android app version, or if you don’t have a mobile device, you can read a simple PDF version on your computer. You’ll find lots of informative articles about how to get started in house sitting. Download Issue 1 for the best “getting started” articles or go to the resources page on the website.
Sign-up for our House Sitting online video course for only $47
If you want to learn how to become a successful house sitter or pet sitter take a look at our comprehensive online video course:
This course covers all the techniques used by successful house sitters. We’ll show you all the tips and strategies you’ll need to secure the assignments of your choice time and time again. You’ll discover all the secrets to becoming a credible, well respected house sitter, even as a newcomer.
You can get this course for only USD $47 by clicking this link:
Become a Pro House Sitting Pro and reduce your world travel accommodation
Of course house sitting isn’t just about free accommodation. There are responsibilities that are an important part of the relationship between home owners and sitters. These should never be taken lightly. This course guides you through the process of becoming a professional house and pet sitter, ensuring that the experience is win-win-win – for you, the home owner and the pets!
Or watch our video introduction here:
House Sitting – Introduction to becoming a successful international house sitter
Join our Facebook Group and Reddit Community
You can also join our subreddit where you’ll find lots of useful resources, house sitting articles and a question and answer forum:
https://www.reddit.com/r/housesittingforum/
and our House Sitting Magazine Facebook Group where you can discuss all sorts of topics.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HouseSittingMagazine/
We hope you’ve found this “House Sitting Websites Compared” article helpful – message us if you have any questions – we’d love to help you get started!