House sitting—or caring for homes and pets while owners are away on holiday or extended travel—has exploded in popularity worldwide, including across Europe. The COVID pandemic curtailed travel for over two years and reduced available sits, but now that restrictions have lifted, the demand for reliable house and pet sitters is higher than ever. Competition for the very best opportunities has also grown significantly over the years. To stand out and build a strong profile as an aspiring sitter, it’s essential to focus on the right elements from the start.
What Does House Sitting or Pet Sitting Really Mean?
Almost every pet owner will eventually need help looking after their animals when they want to travel or have to be away from home for an extended period. There are plenty of paid options—pet hotels, hourly dog walkers, and so on—as well as free alternatives like asking friends, neighbours, or nearby relatives. But there’s also a (nearly) cost-free solution that’s often ideal for both pets and owners: the house sitting / pet sitting exchange economy. In this arrangement, a trusted outsider (the house sitter) stays in the home during the owner’s absence, either primarily to keep the pets company or to look after the house, garden, and mail.
We’ve been doing house and pet sits since 2018—dozens of assignments of varying lengths and types all over the world. We believe this model works wonderfully for everyone involved, and most importantly, for the pets. Owners can travel with peace of mind, while sitters enjoy free accommodation (often in amazing locations) and the pleasure of sharing a home with animals.
Pets—especially cats—tend to have very clearly defined territories they consider their own. Most cat owners know how suspicious and stressed cats can become when moved to a new place. Travelling with dogs is sometimes easier depending on the destination, transport, and dog, but it usually requires special arrangements and permission from accommodations. Dogs, too, are often strongly attached to their familiar routes, routines, and home environment. For these reasons, many pets are simply happier and less stressed staying in their own home—even when their people are away—as long as someone responsible is present to provide company, exercise, and stimulation.
Want to become a house sitter too? Join TrustedHousesitters: get 25% off your first annual membership fee with our link
Tips for Aspiring House Sitters
Our go-to platform in recent years has been TrustedHousesitters, which offers a huge selection of sits—especially in Europe, but also worldwide. Based in London, the site has particularly strong coverage in the UK and Ireland, with lots of opportunities in France, Germany, Spain, and beyond. Sits arranged through TrustedHousesitters are free for both owners and sitters, though there is an annual membership fee (currently starting around $129–$169/year for sitters depending on the tier, plus a per-sit booking fee of about $12 introduced in late 2025). Using this link* gives you 25% off your first year, and we receive two free months. While the cost may seem high at first, it pays for itself quickly when you factor in the free accommodation during sits.
Be Quick
Competition among sitters has increased sharply on all major platforms. Popular sits can attract dozens—or even over a hundred—applicants. The single most important factor for success is applying early with a strong message—ideally among the very first applicants. Many owners prefer to close the listing quickly once they find a good match rather than sift through endless applications. On TrustedHousesitters, listings now often move to “review” mode (effectively closing to new applicants) after just five applications. Stay alert, be ready, and use platform alerts to get notified the moment a new sit opens.
Get Your Profile in Great Shape
Speed matters, but so do references and a trustworthy profile that builds confidence before any interview. Highlight previous pet experience, reliability, responsibility, and your genuine willingness to spend plenty of time with the animals—owners don’t want a sitter who is barely present. Emphasize cleanliness and care for the home too. Photos are incredibly powerful: add pictures of yourself (ideally with pets you’ve cared for). Even though platforms verify identity (e.g., via passport), trust is built person-to-person. Be open, honest, and approachable!
Collect References
References carry huge weight. Top sitters often have dozens of five-star reviews. Fortunately there are plenty of sits available, and many arise on short notice—so you don’t always need to compete against veterans. Still, without solid references it’s tough to get noticed or invited to interview. Just like job hunting. If you’re starting out, actively gather references from outside the platform (neighbours’ dogs, friends’ cats, etc.). Ask owners for a short thank-you note or review and add it to your profile. Leverage all your previous pet experience!
Be Patient
Even with a great profile, landing your first TrustedHousesitters sit can take effort—or it can happen by happy accident, like it did for us. In late 2018 we were heading to Cyprus for a dog sit arranged via Nomador, but the owner cancelled at the last minute. We went to the island anyway for the winter and decided to join TrustedHousesitters to explore options.
Within days we found a last-minute sit caring for four dogs and five cats! We jumped straight into the deep end, but it worked out brilliantly for everyone: the owners had left it very late and took a chance on us. That first sit became very special—we returned four times in total, earned excellent reviews early on, and built momentum from there.
Because competition can be fierce and luck isn’t guaranteed, start with easier/less popular destinations. Skip ultra-competitive city-centre spots like central Paris or Barcelona at first; look instead for great sits in countries with lots of listings but fewer applicants per sit. The UK is often the easiest place to begin—there’s constant availability from big cities to tiny villages. Be proactive and invest time in securing that crucial first sit!
Build Relationships
House sitting is built on trust. Once you’ve earned it, repeat sits in the same home become much easier. We always create a shared WhatsApp group with owners and send near-daily updates with photos and news about the pets during the sit. It reassures them and gives them lovely memories. If we get along particularly well, we stay loosely in touch afterwards too.
Whenever possible, we’ve spent an extra day/night with the owners and pets before and/or after the sit—cooking together, chatting, getting to know each other. Through house sitting we’ve made wonderful friends around the world and received many return invitations. If you’re interested in long-term house-sitting connections and global friendships, be social and take the initiative.
Checklist to Get Started with House Sitting
- Sign up for TrustedHousesitters*.
- Create an interesting, trustworthy, and honest profile.
- Ask a friend or acquaintance if you can look after their pet/home even for a short time, or use previous pet experience as references.
- Request a short reference from any pet owner you’ve helped, or draft one for their approval, and add it to your profile.
- Upload photos of yourself with pets (past or present) to your profile.
- Download the THS app and enable notifications for new sits in areas you can reach easily—you’ll be among the first to know.
- Prepare a strong application template in advance, customise it quickly when a good sit appears, apply immediately, and suggest a video call to meet the owner.
- Once the sit is mutually confirmed in the system, create a WhatsApp group (or similar) with the owner for faster, easier communication than the platform messages.
- Before the sit begins, get detailed instructions about the home, pet feeding/walking/medication routines, and emergency contacts (vet, neighbours, etc.).
- During the sit, fulfil all agreed responsibilities diligently, keep the home tidy, and send regular/scheduled updates to the owner.
- As the sit ends, leave the home clean and welcoming for the owner’s return. If possible, be there when they arrive.
- Consider creating your own website to showcase yourself beyond platforms and share more about who you are. Here’s ours as an example: Nomad Housesitters[](https://nomadhousesitters.com)
Read also: What is house sitting?
Join TrustedHousesitters: get 25% off your first annual membership fee with our link