Can you share your experiences with housesitting?
February 5, 2016 12:12 PM   Subscribe

Where do you find reputable house sitting gigs in the US and build your network and trust as a good house sitter?

My husband and I are looking to relocate back to LA for just the extended summer (May - Oct). Instead of trying to find a sublet, I was wondering how difficult it would be to find house sitting gigs from a few weeks to a month or even longer. It doesn't even have to be continuous gigs since I could stay with a friend or road trip in between appointments (or even find housesitting gigs in other states). I work remotely so as long as I have internet connection I am able to attend to house needs at most times of the day.

How feasible is this? I know there are websites with paid subscriptions for people looking for house sitters or to housesit and I am wondering what websites are best for this.

I am in already in a caretaking/sublet situation for the second year in a row so I am not new to it, but I would also want to build my reputation as a good house sitter and I would appreciate any tips or advice.
posted by xtine to Home & Garden (5 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
I joined trusted housesitters a few weeks ago for that reason, since they seemed to be the biggest of the paid sites, and to be honest, everything there seems very legitimate but also frustratingly competitive. In major cities, it seems like most people get a lot of applications (unless the gigs are very last minute). I reached out to 4 or 5 different gigs before I even got a response from the poster (but they're repeat users who must actually choose people). Just a datapoint.
posted by R a c h e l at 1:47 PM on February 5, 2016


I also use Trusted Housesitters and have gotten some great gigs through it. There are often long stays listed, but the site is based in the UK and there are MANY more listings there and in Europe than in the US. There are only a few listed in LA now. As Rachel says above, it's also pretty competitive. Do you know anyone in LA now? I put a posting on Nextdoor in my own neighborhood because I wanted to stay in a house rather than my apartment, and immediately had a ton of responses (mostly for shorter stays, but you might be able to find something longer that way too, if you have a local friend who could post on your behalf).
posted by three_red_balloons at 2:06 PM on February 5, 2016


Also, I think I might be able to give you a discount code if you do try Trusted Housesitters (it's pretty expensive).
posted by three_red_balloons at 2:07 PM on February 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


Here's my answer on a previous (very old) question on this topic.

Not sure if the site I used is still around. Regardless of what site it is though, make sure you have stellar references! My sitter's references sold me 100%.
posted by slenderloris at 4:32 PM on February 5, 2016


Get in touch with academic housing offices and ask about ways to make your services known to faculty. What with sabbaticals and term appointments and the like, academics are a major market for housesitting services.
posted by Miko at 7:43 PM on February 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


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