TrustedHousesitters.com: Insider's Guide to Free Accommodation

A trusted guide to becoming a TrustedHousesitter from two trusted housesitters (sorry for this annoying literary repetition 🤓) as a means of finding free accommodation while traveling the world.

Disclaimer:

We want to be transparent with you – the links to the TrustedHousesitters website in here are affiliate links, which means that we get a small commission if you sign up using the provided link. But here's the good news: clicking on them won't cost you an extra dime.

In fact, when you go to pay after having signed up through our link and use the code 12TRUST at check-out, you will receive 12% off your yearly membership. So go ahead, click away, and enjoy the perks without the added expense. And thanks for supporting The Fabryk!

I. An Introduction to TrustedHousesitters.com

The following is a guide to TrustedHousesitters.com, filled with tips on how to set up a winning profile, snag your first sit, and optimize your time so you are not scrolling the website every second of the day. While we cannot guarantee that this will help you get your first sit, these are the methods we used to secure over 20 sits already.

(Updated November 2023)

Our story with TrustedHousesitters.com

About a year and a half ago now, my friend Viki, a budding entrepreneur who runs Alpaca Coffee, told me about her way of hacking the London housing system using this site called TrustedHousesitters.com. She told me how she was staying in three story home in Notting Hill for two weeks in exchange for just watching the owner's cat. I couldn't quite believe it and I put the notion aside for a few months.

However, when Fabio and I started dating in April 2022, we both lived in cities on the opposite side of Germany. When he would come visit me in Berlin, we would have to share the flat with my housemates, both an inconvenience to them and a not-so-private experience for us. Searching the universe for a solution, I remembered Viki's excitement as she talked about TrustedHousesitters and suddenly found myself logging in and paying a membership fee on a whim. That was the start of a beautiful time.

A brief explanation of TrustedHousesitters.com

TrustedHousesitters is like a matchmaking platform for Pet-Loving Travelers (known hereafter as sitters) and Homeowners (known hereafter as pet parents). For pet parents, it is often difficult to travel with pets and even more difficult to find the trusted care that pets need while traveling. For sitters, accommodations are generally pricey and hotels do not always provide a unique insight into a new place. In comes this handy-dandy website to connect pet parents to sitters looking for interesting experiences.

The concept of house sitting as a way to find free accommodation and a quick how-it-works

With this concept, pet parents will exchange their home for free to individual or couple sitters under the notion they keep a watchful eye on their pets while away.

The two-sided flow of the platform kind of looks like this:

On both sides, users set up a profile, complete with a pretty quick, but secure verification process.

Pet parents (who may have dogs, cats, lizards, frogs, fish (we have seen every type of animal - including chameleons)) will make a listing about their house and pet-sitting needs and the dates they need a sitter for.

Sitters on the other hand will search the site much like AirBnb (complete with customized saved searches) and apply for sits they are interested in doing using a form.

Back to the pet parent side. After receiving 5 applications, they can vet the applications they receive and choose to talk with short-listed candidates further or re-list the listing in case they feel they need to have a look at more candidates.

In our experience, we then usually set up a video call off of the site on WhatsApp and either get to know one another a bit more (or sometimes it is even more straightforward and we are selected right on the spot).

Nonetheless, the platform relies on having credibility through past reviews/feedback to ensure that both parties are quote-on-quote "trusted" (as the website's name suggests). So while it isn't typically easy to get those first reviews to make a first sit possible, we will give you some tips further down on how to make it happen.

Furthermore, a general mutual love of pets is pretty essential as you will be watching someone's extremely valued furry friend.

The benefits of using TrustedHousesitters.com for house sitting (as a sitter)

Since we started using TrustedHousesitters as 'sitters' in July 2022, the benefits have been numerous. Here is a firsthand account of the benefits we have experienced:

• Finding free, private accommodations in Berlin for sometimes almost a month at a time 🇩🇪
• Getting to hang out with super cute pets while we work remotely from the houses that we sit
• Visiting London (where my mom lives) and staying there for 2 months without having to stay in my mom's house 🙈 (this meant no family burn out!)
• Staying in the center of Milan for free 🇮🇹
• Living in the countryside of Germany for free when we needed a break from the city
• Traveling across America and only spending 471 euro total on accommodations outside TrustedHousesitters each for an entire 3 months 🇺🇸 (That averages to 5 euros per day)
• Met some lifelong friends and contacts

The benefits are pretty bespoke for each person, but to sum it up:

It allows people to see a new place around the world 🌎 on the cheap 💰 while getting to spend time with some pretty adorable pets 🐱🐶, like Xena here:

II. How to join TrustedHousesitters.com (as a sitter)

Signing up and paying the membership fee

When you first go to the site, you can make a free account, which will allow you to view listings, but you will not be able to do too much without paying the yearly membership fee. At the time of writing this article it costs 179 USD for a Standard Sitter membership, which in our opinion, is more than enough to get you on your feet with a few little extras in terms of protection such as accident and liability protection. It may seem like a lot of money, but if you are determined to make this work, don't stop here!

After paying the fees, you will be allowed to start applying for sits!

But hold on there cowgirl/boy 🤠, you need a compelling profile first.

Creating a profile

Time for you to let your personality shine! Here are the sections you will need to fill out with some additional tips and a glimpse at our profile for success:

Your profile details

Here is where you put in basic info about yourself and your travel companion if you are looking to sit with your partner or best friend, for example. Families are more than welcome to use this platform as well, as here you can check off if you have any children traveling with you.

Tips: Nothing too special here.

About you

Here is where you paint a picture about your life, your motives for joining the website, and post pictures.

Tips:

• In the picture section, make sure to interweave pictures of you with some pets. Since the main point of the website is sitting pets, pet parents like to see that is where your main interests lie.
• Be particularly detailed in the "Why do you want to house and pet sit?" sub-section. Explain your motives with specific focus on your interests in animals and go into your personality traits that make you a perfect sitter.
• Definitely don't skip the social profile section. Since you won't have reviews from pet parents yet, you need these to help you build credibility.

Our About section (in About you)

Our Why we want to house sit section (in About you)

Try to upload some super cute pictures with animals and photos that show your personality:

Your experience

Here is where you talk about your experience with animals. Most recently you can add specific pet care skills (i.e. working with senior dogs, administering medicine) and show off some of the pets you watched.

Tips:

• If you haven't pet-sat before, don't worry, as long as you have had some experience with animals, try to list that down! Any experiences will be beneficial to write out!

Our experience section

Our experience section (continued)

Your preferences

Here is where you write out you your preferences for where you'd like to go (rural vs. city vs. specific countries, etc.). A few times we have been contacted by pet parents to see if we would be interested in sitting without us doing anything. We reckon these preferences are what make us searchable to the pet parents.

Tips: Nothing too special here as it doesn't influence much. If you are adventurous like us, you fill out everything and every country 🤣.

Your verifications

A pretty essential part here where you verify your email, phone number, and do an id check.

Tips: Nothing too special here. Just make sure you do it properly the first time.

Your references

As a brand new TrustedHousesitter, you will not have internal reviews from prior sits, so these are absolutely important to helping you get your first sits! Here you generate a link to send to potential references!

Tips:

• You can send out five references. Send them to friends/professors/family/whomever.
• If you have done external house/pet-sits, get references from those people!
• Really focus on getting quality references as this will help you to get your foot in the door.

III. I've made the profile, now what? How do I get that first sit?

How to find the right house-sitting opportunity

Head on over to the Find a house sit page and let the wanderlust and puppy love begin. BUT WAIT, please read on so you can snag a sit as quick as humanly possible:

My biggest two tips before you get overwhelmed by all the listings and possibilities:

Tip 1: Optimize and automate to filter in only the sits that work for you (save time and energy)

1. Begin by downloading the app version on your phone and turn on notifications
2. Start inputting searches of places that you want to go with specific filters (i.e. Berlin, with a filter for 12th December to 24th December, with a filter of cats only)
3. Go ahead and press 'Save search'

Saving your specific searches will save you time and energy

Now, every hour, if a listing matches within my saved searches I will receive a push notification on my phone and can jump at the opportunity to apply.

This means you don't have to spend countless hours searching the app for opportunities and can find sits that perfectly suit your criteria.

You can also have a browse around by accessing your saved searches within the app.

Just click the search bar (Where would you like to go?) and your saved searches appear below.

Note: You cannot edit your saved searches. You will have to delete it and start over if something (like date ranges) change.

Tip 2: Apply for sits nearby you

Secondly, since you will not have had any reviews yet (but should have a reference or two by this point), try to apply for sits nearby where you live.

At first Fabio and I were applying for places in Berlin and by writing that we were nearby and could even meet up in person prior the sit, the pet parent already gained a bit more trust in us.

(We received our first sit in Berlin and met the owner the day before she was leaving on her trip to see the place and get the keys.)

Applying for house-sitting opportunities

Once you find a sit that gets you excited and you know you can handle, head into the listing and click 'Apply Now'. You will be redirected to page where you can write a basic message about why you want to house-sit and choose the date(s). Generally we would write something along the lines of this:

Hi Thomas,

Ryan and Fabio here!

We came across your posting and would absolutely love to be the guys to watch your pets while you are gone. Fabio had rabbits growing up and I used to have guinea pigs so we definitely have the experience needed to take care of them -- we have also done pet-sits with turtles before. We are passionate about what we do and animals.

We will actually already be in Japan from April 7th for about a month, so this we would be a perfect time for us to come by. Let us know if you have any questions for us, otherwise happy to set up a time to chat!

Best, Ryan and Fabio

And if you are located nearby, you can write something like this:

Hi Sarah,

I hope all is well! I saw that you are looking for a sitter for these dates and thought we would be the perfect duo to help :) Dennis and Kronk looks like a beautiful little cats-- and we would also be happy to help with anything else you need around the house including with the fish and the turtle!

We work remotely, so we would be able to keep the lot company for much of the time!

I (Ryan) am actually located most of the time in Berlin and will be back tomorrow evening if you would like to meet and have a chat on Friday.

Best, Ryan and Fabio

Tips:

• First read the listing and gather some key points as to why you would be the perfect sitter, particularly highlighting your experience before with that particular animal.
• I also like to personalize it a bit if the pet owner tends to get personal in their profile (for example, if they mention what they like to do, make a comment on that)
• Don't go too much into detail about why the location excites you, but I do find that if I have family nearby and mention it, it leads to a greater chance of success
• If you are local, make sure to mention that and that you are willing to meet up in person before the sit.

Now you just sit back and wait, as the ball is in the pet parent's court now. Sometimes pet parents respond almost immediately, sometimes it takes days or even weeks.

Sometimes you will receive a rejection with no explanation, and other times you will receive a rejection with a bit more love put into the message.

Don't take it personal and keep persisting with applications.

TrustedHousesitters has a funny way of releasing this information in an email saying "Your application has been declined" which feels a bit harsh, but you will become desensitized to it.

Ideally, the pet parent will not reject you and set up a call with you to chat -- but this is bespoke to every pet parent! Sometimes this is an awkward interview format and sometimes it is literally just a run-down of the pets' needs (followed by an acceptance). We have also had the case where we have met them (and their pet) in person.

Once you are at this stage, it is much easier to secure a sit, as you get to let the pet parents discover who you really are.

When you are on a roll, you will likely not even have to have phone calls before the sits.

And finally, you will secure your first sit and you receive a beautiful email like this:

This is just the start my friend! Once you have one acceptance, you are unstoppable.

IV. Your first house sit

As this guide is mainly about getting your first house sit, we won't go into too much detail about this, but we will make additional guides at some point!

Tips for successful house sitting

You have made it this far and now you are traveling across the country/world to go do your first sit! As every house sit is different, it is best to use intuition and the guidance of the pet parent to make this a very successful sit. Listen to everything that they say, especially regarding their pet's needs, as they value them with their lives. They will hopefully pass you a welcome guide through the platform days before you arrive so you have a general understanding of what needs to be done. When in doubt, ask the pet parent as this will make things go much smoother.

But as with the other sections, here are a few tips:

1) Maintain open communication with pet sitter during the sit

I find that open communication helps build the best relationships during the sit. For all parties involved, make a Whatsapp group and use it as a medium to ask questions as well as send updates/photos/videos, as much as you see fits. I one time received a complaint that I was not communicative enough during my sit and have since then asked pet parents how often they want/expect updates. More is always better than less, but get a feel for how much the pet parent would like to receive updates to not over/underload them.

2) Be up front if something happens

The likelihood of anything happening to the pet or home is pretty slim, but if something does happen, don't delay and just be up front. At one point, the hose in the back of the house broke and I messaged the owners almost immediately as it was the middle of summer and I was afraid of the plants dying of thirst. They immediately got a hose sent from Amazon. Of course if it is a more extreme situation with a pet, don't try to hide anything and message the pet parents for guidance (although they should provide vet information - and TH provides 24/7 vet advice, too).

3) Let the memories flow in

Some of my best memories of the past year have been from doing TrustedHousesitters with Fabio. I have met some pretty cool people and pets, have seen some pretty wonderful places, and all for free. Nothing can replace that!

4) Don't forget to snag a review

At the end of the sit, make sure to request a review from the pet parent! This will be your springboard for easily getting more sits in the future. Likewise, you can provide feedback for the pet parent.

Beware that you can see one another's posts before the other one reviews at the moment. So be careful what you write if you expect a good review!

However as of November 2023, this will be updated so that it is a bit more Airbnb-like, in that both parties can review within a 14 day window.

In Conclusion

So there you go, you are now a seasoned TrustedHousesitter! I 100% encourage pet and travel lovers on a budget to go ahead and use this site. It does take a bit of time to snag your first house-sit, but once you are in the system, you are good to go for future ones. You will create some of the best travel memories this way and I know you will be thanking us along the way ;)