Questions to ask a house sitter before you say yes

A sitter's profile tells you more than a single conversation can, so read it properly first. Then talk, ideally on a video call, and ask the questions below. You're not interviewing a suspect. You're finding out whether this person suits your home and your pets, and they're finding out the same about you.

Before you talk: read the profile

• Verification: a verified sitter has proved who they are.
• Sits completed and reviews from other hosts.
• Qualifications: the courses they've passed, and so what they've been taught.
• Cancellations: how often they've cancelled a sit they'd agreed to, and how much notice they gave.
• Who will be staying: some sitters travel as a couple or with family.

A sitter who's new to sitting won't have reviews yet. Their qualifications, and how they answer the questions below, matter all the more.

About their experience

• Have you looked after homes and pets like mine? Which, and for how long?
• Have you given medication like this before? How did it go?
• Tell me about a sit that didn't go to plan. What did you do?

That last one is the most useful question here. Every experienced sitter has had a sit go wrong somewhere. What you want to hear is that they noticed early, told the host, and dealt with it calmly.

About your pets

Describe the hardest part of caring for your pets, honestly, and see how they respond: the dog who pulls towards other dogs, the cat who hides for two days, the tablet that has to go in at exactly 8am. Then try a couple of what-ifs:

• What would you do if the dog stopped eating?
• What if the cat didn't come in for breakfast?
• How would you get a pet to the vet at night? Do you drive?

Good answers are specific, and know when to phone the vet. A dog that skips two meals, or a cat that eats nothing for a day, needs the vet, not coaxing. A cat that always comes in for food and doesn't needs looking for that same day.

The practical details

• When will you arrive, and when will you leave?
• Will anyone else be staying with you?
• Are you working while you're here? How long would the pets be left on their own?
• How often will you send updates, and how?
• Are you happy with the house rules, such as no visitors, or which rooms are off limits?
• If I have cameras, are you comfortable with them on?

Tell them about any cameras before you agree: whether there are any inside the house, any outside it (including a video doorbell), and where. None may be anywhere a sitter would expect privacy, such as bedrooms and bathrooms.

The questions they should ask you

A good sitter will have questions of their own. Who else might come to the house? What should they do if they can't reach you? How much may they spend if a pet needs the vet? A sitter asking these is taking the job seriously. Have your answers ready, and put them in your welcome pack.

Agree it in writing

Once you've decided, put what you agreed in Home Tales messages: the dates, arrival and departure times, house rules, visitors, and how often you'd like updates. You'll both have it in writing, and there's nothing to remember or argue about later.

Choosing a sitter on Home Tales

Every sitter on Home Tales has verified their photo ID and passed House Sitting Basics before they can apply for a sit, so you start from a common standard. Their profile shows their qualifications, completed sits, reviews from other hosts and any sits they've cancelled. Sitters' scores show once they have three ratings, so one review can't make or break them. For what to do once you've chosen, see what a house sitter does.