Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find a house sitter?
Canadian House Sits is a place for home owners and house sitters to meet and connect with one another.
As a home owner, you can search for and message potential house sitters here. Canadian House Sits does not take care of matching home owners with house sitters and vice versa – however, we do provide relevant notification emails to let you know about new house sitters who may be of interest to you.
To create your house-sitting listing and begin messaging prospective house sitters, you must sign up to use Canadian House Sits. This is a free service for home owners, so why not get started now?
How much does it cost to join?
As a home owner, you can join Canadian House Sits for free. It’s also free to post house-sitting listings.
What chores and tasks will my house sitter take care of?
House sitters are expected to take care of your home and pets, however the specifics of what that entails is up to you. We don’t set the parameters.
That said, we generally recommend that you only ask your house sitter to perform tasks such as pet care (and everything that may entail for your particular pet/s), necessary house cleaning duties, basic garden and lawn maintenance, collecting and/or forwarding mail, and taking and passing on any phone messages you may receive while you’re away.
The tasks your house sitter is responsible for should be discussed and agreed upon before you accept their house-sitting application. We always recommend keeping a written record of this agreement (easily done by messaging and emailing on our site) so everyone is on the same page.
Do I need to pay my house sitter?
In most cases, house-sitting services are performed in exchange for free accommodation. If you wish to pay your house sitter an agreed sum of money (for example, because your pets or garden require a particularly high level of care or because you only need a house sitter for one evening and want to make the offer more attractive), that is between them and you.
Will my house sitter pay rent?
In most cases, house sitters do not pay rent to home owners.
Will my house sitter pay for power, gas, internet, etc.?
Generally speaking, house sitters will not pay for utilities etc. However, for longer-term arrangements, you may want to ask your house sitter to contribute towards these costs. This should be determined before you accept their application so they know what to expect. We also recommend you get your agreement down in writing via email or a message on this website so both of you are protected.
How long do house-sitting assignments last for?
You can post a house-sitting listing for one night, a couple of days, a few weeks, several months, or even a year or more. It all depends on how long you’ll be away and how long you want someone in your house caring for it and/or your pets.
Will my house sitter be a Canadian citizen?
Many of our house sitters come from Canada, but many others come from abroad. After all, house-sitting is becoming an increasingly popular way for people to travel and experience different parts of the world. Wherever they’re from, we recommend asking your house sitter to provide you with a certified copy of their Police Clearance Certificate (or equivalent) so you can enjoy greater peace of mind.
How do I choose the right house sitter for me?
Your choice of house sitter may be based on a number of criteria, including availability, experience, and location. We recommend asking prospective house sitters for a certified copy of their Police Clearance Certificate (or equivalent) and setting up a time to meet with them or speak with them over the phone. After all, getting to know someone a little better in person is the best way to see if they will be a good “fit” for your home and pet/s.
How do I contact house sitters?
You can message house sitters by visiting their profile and filling out the “Contact Sitter” message form. Once you’ve communicated to them once via this method, you can send further messages by logging into your account and clicking on the “inbox” tab.
How do I make my house-sitting listing attractive to prospective house sitters?
House-sitting is a reciprocal service in which someone receives free accommodation in return for looking after your home and/or pets for free.
To make your house-sitting listing attractive to prospective house sitters, we recommend including photos of your home and your pets, clearly outlining your expectations, and even highlighting any benefits you may have to offer (such as a swimming pool, high-speed wi-fi, etc.).
What sort of photos should I include in my house-sitting listing?
We always recommend including photos of your home and pets. In particular, you may want to follow the lead of many real estate websites which include photos of lifestyle aspects of homes such as kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, swimming pools, etc.
Will my insurance cover my home, property, and/or contents when I have a house sitter?
Speak to your insurance provider to clarify whether your insurance will continue to cover your home, property, and/or contents when you have a house sitter staying in your home.
How do I report an inappropriate profile?
If you see a house sitter profile that you believe is inappropriate, you can notify us by clicking the red “report” button. This will notify us so we can manually review the page and take any necessary action.
How do I find a house to sit?
Canadian House Sits is a place for home owners and house sitters to meet and connect with one another.
As a house sitter, you can browse available house sits and message home owners to apply to house sit for them here
To begin messaging home owners, join Canadian House Sits here (it only costs $49 for an entire year). Once that’s done, you can create your house sitter profile and begin messaging home owners to enquire about house-sitting opportunities.
How much does it cost to join?
As a house sitter, you can join Canadian House Sits for only $49 for one year. Joining is simple and easy. Just click here to get started
What will my home owner expect me to do when I care for their home and/or pets?
House sitters are expected to take care of the home owner’s home and pets. Specific agreements between home owners and house sitters vary. We don’t set the parameters – that’s up to you and your host.
However, generally speaking, as a house sitter, you’ll need to look after your home owner’s pets, perform any necessary house cleaning duties, take care of any garden and lawn maintenance, collect and/or forward mail, and take and pass on any phone messages that may be received while the owners are away.
The tasks you’re responsible for should be discussed and agreed upon before you take on a house-sitting assignment. We always recommend keeping a written record of this agreement (easily done by messaging and emailing on our site) so everyone is on the same page.
You are almost always expected to supply your own food, however, you will often be able to use the owner’s wi-fi etc.
Will I be paid for house-sitting?
In most cases, house-sitting services are performed in exchange for free accommodation. If your home owner chooses to pay you an agreed sum of money, that is between them and you.
Will I need to pay rent to the home owner?
In most cases, house sitters do not pay rent to home owners.
Will I need to pay for power, gas, internet, etc.?
Generally speaking, most home owners will not require you to pay utilities etc. However, for longer term arrangements, your home owner may ask you to make a contribution towards these costs. This should be determined before you accept a house-sitting assignment, and we recommend you get your agreement down in writing via email or a message on this website so both of you are protected.
How long do house-sitting assignments last for?
The length of house-sitting assignments varies. A house-sitting assignment may last for a couple of days, a few weeks, or even several months.
Can I bring my pet with me?
Some home owners will be happy for you to bring your pet with you. Others will not. This should be discussed before you accept a house-sitting assignment.
Can I bring my partner or spouse with me?
Many home owners are happy to have couples caring for their home and pets. If you’re planning on house-sitting with your partner or spouse, you should select the “couple” option when creating your house sitter profile. This ensures your home owner knows you’re a two-for-one deal right from the outset.
Can I bring my family with me?
Some home owners are happy to have children in their home – after all, that means their pet will get to enjoy even more playtime companions. However, other home owners prefer not to have children in their homes. Your home owner may specify this in their house-sitting listing. If you are house-sitting with your family, you should select the “family” option when creating your house sitter profile.
I’m not from Canada, I’m from abroad. Can I still join Canadian House Sits?
Anyone can join Canadian House Sits as a house sitter. However, we recommend getting a criminal record check and the equivalent of a Canadian Police Certificate from your local authorities, as this is valued by home owners when they’re assessing your suitability for caring for their home and/or pets.
If you’re a US citizen, you can visit your local police department and request that they conduct a criminal records search and provide you with a document reflecting that you do not have a criminal record.
If you’re from the UK, you can organise a “basic disclosure” check.
If you’re Australian, you can visit your local police station to apply for a “police check” or “police clearance”.
If you’re not already in Canada, face to face meetings with home owners will obviously not be possible, so we recommend being available for calls via telephone or Skype / Zoom / Google Hangouts / etc. so your home owners can still get to know you.
Writing a stellar profile outlining your experience and reliability, plus nice, respectable photos of you (and you with animals) will also help!
How do I pay my joining fee?
We offer secure payment processing via Stripe. PayPal is coming soon.
How do I contact home owners?
As soon as you’ve joined Canadian House Sits, you can message home owners via their house-sitting listings. We recommend completing your profile with a description and photo before you do this, as this will make you and your message more appealing to home owners and help you get the house-sitting assignments you want.
I’ve never done house-sitting before. Does that matter?
Just because you’re a first-time house sitter, doesn’t mean home owners won’t be interested in talking to you. We recommend putting extra effort into your profile so you still stand out, despite your lack of experience.
Am I allowed to go away for a couple of days on break or vacation while house-sitting?
This is entirely between you and the home owner. Generally speaking, the point of house-sitting is to ensure that someone is present in the home every night. However, for longer-term house-sitting arrangements, you may be able to organise to take a couple of nights away and have someone selected by your home owner to replace you. Your home owner will let you know if they are happy with this approach or not. They are under no obligation to say yes, so if you want to be able to go away for a couple of days, we recommend discussing this before you accept the house-sitting assignment.
I don’t have any reviews on my house-sitting profile yet. Do I need references?
If you’re new to house-sitting – or new to house-sitting on Canadian House Sits – then you won’t have any home owner reviews on your profile. If that’s the case, we recommend getting character references from people who know you well such as employers, coaches, teachers, or pastors. Or, if you do have house-sitting experience, we recommend asking home owners for whom you have done house-sitting in the past if they will provide you with a reference. These references will help you to stand out until you can get reviews from home owners on Canadian House Sits.
How do I report an inappropriate profile?
If you see a house sit listing that you believe is inappropriate, you can notify us by clicking the red “report” button on the listing. This will notify us so we can manually review the page and take any necessary action.