Is there any actual sitting involved?

June 2, 2008 3:23 PM

Housesitting Filter: Do I have to charge? How much?

I've been offered a housesitting gig for 2 weeks in August. The house is the same distance to my work as my house. I can have my friends/roommates over if I want. The main thing the homeowners are 'hiring' me for is to watch their dog - they'd rather have someone who likes pets than someone who is watching their house as a favour.

My question is - do I have to charge? When I was asked if I was interested, I said yes because I like to help and I love dogs. I had no thoughts about making money.

If the owners insist on paying me, what's reasonable? I would be sleeping there each night.

Also, any tips?
Besides bringing in the mail and watering the plants...

Thanks in advance.

posted by gursky to work & money (18 comments total)

My rule of thumb in regards to housesitting, when I've used housesitters, is whether they are paying rent elsewhere. We had one person come and housesit for us - she had just moved to town, and didn't have anywhere else she was living at the time, so it was basically free accommodation for her. And free internet. And free cable. She was more than happy with that.

On another occasion, we had someone come over to look after our dogs every day, bring in the mail etc. but who wasn't staying there. In this case, this person had a house of their own elsewhere. We paid them $50 for the week, I think, just as a thankyou. They were more than happy with that, and wanted to refuse our money.

The other factor, that may be most relevant in your case, is looking after the dog; what would they be paying to put the dog in a boarding kennel for two weeks? I think a reasonable amount would be some amount of money less than that. That way, they're getting bargain-price dog care, and you're getting a bit of a thankyou gift for your efforts.
posted by Jimbob at 3:30 PM on June 2, 2008

FWIW, a friend of mine dog/house-sits and stays the night at the person's house. She charges $40/day.
posted by mrnutty at 3:36 PM on June 2, 2008

Oh an important consideration that isn't clear from your question - are these people you're going to housesit for friends of yours, or strangers? That changes things a lot; my response was based around friends of ours coming to housesit.
posted by Jimbob at 3:42 PM on June 2, 2008

In Santa Fe the going rate used to be $10/day- 10years ago.
posted by pointilist at 3:42 PM on June 2, 2008

You don't have to charge, but a small stipend is probably a good idea, since you'll be incurring some expenses like using your cellphone more, buying food that you already own at home (due to convenience), etc. When I house-sit I end up buying more takeout than I do at home because it kinda feels like vacation and also it can be a little awkward to cook the same way in someone else's house that I can in mine. For one-two weeks I've generally accepted $70-100 cash or equivalent (in NYC sometimes it's that they give me an unlimited Metrocard).

Tips: get all the necessary phone numbers like vet, emergency contact, etc. Make sure you have their official address and phone number (for emergency and food delivery). Find out what night to put out trash/recycling. If you're not familiar with the area, have them tell you what's good/fun nearby. I usually bring my own towel and pillowcase for familiarity and to not leave them with too much extra laundry when they return.

House sitting is also a good chance to live a little differently than you would at home, so consider bringing a project or particular books/DVDs or do something like signing up for an unlimited yoga week in that neighborhood. I find I concentrate better in someone else's place without the usual distractions around, so it's a good time to do reading/writing/thinking.
posted by xo at 3:43 PM on June 2, 2008

if they really insist on paying you, why not suggest that they donate that amount to a local animal rescue organization?

i LOVE to help. i simply won't let my friends pay me, whether it's housesitting, moving, painting, whatever. i've had enough conversations with them about it that they no longer nag me to accept money i don't want. so, perhaps you could kindly suggest that their desire to pay you is, er, somewhat selfish if you don't particularly want the moolah.

other advice: ONLY invite others over whom you KNOW you can trust not to break/ruin any of their stuff. (if it was me, i would decline personal visitors). don't vary from the dog's routine that much -- sometimes people who dog sit will do things like give the critter extra treats ("oh, you must miss mommy so much...here, have a cookie") or the like. what will make a dog feel secure is the continuation of her regular routines. doing something like taking her on an extra-long walk might be nice -- and might tucker her out. (a tuckered dog is a happy dog, by-and-large).

if you're concerned about security, do be sure to park your car/bike in a slightly different position each day, and/or leave other "clues" that there is someone at the house.

i usually keep a little diary of what happened while the pets' owners are away. but that's just me being goofy. my friends love it, but it's totally unnecessary.

don't forget to lock the door/set the alarm/whatever! nothing sucks more, as a housesitter, than if the house is broken-into, or the dog escapes, or etc.

have fun!
posted by CitizenD at 3:46 PM on June 2, 2008

i usually keep a little diary of what happened while the pets' owners are away. but that's just me being goofy. my friends love it, but it's totally unnecessary.

Me too! People do like it, just day to day minutia stuff "hey Fido found a dead squirrel today!"

Going rate in Seattle was $15/day ten years ago too. In short if you don't feel like they should pay you, it's fine to refuse or accept a donation somewhere. Sometimes when I dogsit for local friends they'll leave me like money for a dinner out or something that says "thanks" without saying "we hired you"

Other tips:

- get pet details including vet and emergency vet locations and be sure to ask in some friendly way whether you should pay for incidentals and get paid back or how that should work [sometimes people leave credit cards, you wouldn't want to have to take the pet to an emergency vet appt and be short on cash, maybe they're out of food etc.]
- who else knows the pet - if these people will be totally out of communication, having someone else who can make decisions if there's trouble is good, or just another local person with a key
- I always split mail into junk/real mail if people are gone more than a week or so.
- if the dog is relying on you for walks, get an idea from them how long is "too long" when you're away. If they come home and walk the dog during lunch, you should find a way to do it also
- instructions for internet, tv/video/whatever, and any funky bathroom instructions are a good idea
- trash, recycling, etc
- noise times? Not a huge deal but if it's a new place and you're up late or early, good to know
- similarly, I always figure out if people have specific things they care about [shoes off in house, vegetarians, smoking. dog allowed on couch, dog NEVER allowed on couch] and try to keep the place as much like it was when they left as possible. I usually leave almost all my personal stuff in one small area so I'm not running through picking up after myself when people are due back.
posted by jessamyn at 4:03 PM on June 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

A thing I ran into recently regarding pets and vets: have them write out an authorization of treatment letter. My partner took my cat to the vet a few months ago for a regular checkup thing, and they wouldn't take him (the cat) until they'd called me and I confirmed that she was authorized to bring him in. Weird, yeah, but better safe than sorry.
posted by rtha at 4:11 PM on June 2, 2008

if they really insist on paying you, why not suggest that they donate that amount to a local animal rescue organization?

Or, why not graciously accept the money so that they no longer feel obliged toward you, and then donate it to the animal rescue organization yourself? The passing of money between hands can just be to make everyone more comfortable, so who 'insists' can be a silly game. Let them lead on that.

As for what is reasonable, I would ask them what the gig is, i.e., if they are offering pay or if the house itself is the benefit - when I had someone look after my place in May, it was having an apartment in manhattan and a cat that made it worth it to her, so we never talked money. She was a friend of a friend.
posted by mdn at 4:13 PM on June 2, 2008

I often house-sit for a co-worker, and she pays me $100 and lets me use her car (she lives away from public transportation). Regardless of who is allowed to come over, or where the place is, it's still an imposition on you to spend your nights at another person's home. You are also responsible for making sure everything is safe and secure - surely that's worth some small amount of money.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 4:19 PM on June 2, 2008

If they offer you money, just accept it graciously, whatever the amount. If you have any nice ideas for gifts they might enjoy after having stayed in their home for two weeks, return their generosity. Why not, eh? But don't worry about it being wrong to accept an amount that they find fair. It's their money to do with as they please, after all. I've never known anyone to feel happier or more respectful of me for my refusal of their generosity.

Tips: I would appreciate it if a house sitter in my home threw out any spoiled food and vacuumed, and left the bathrooms sparkling.

I bet for 2 whole weeks including dog duties, you'll see $200-300.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 4:38 PM on June 2, 2008

I housesat for 2 weeks for friends and it was a ton of work. Being away from my apartment cast me a lot of money. Walking the dog cut heavily into my free time. I like dogs, but it was a puppy and totally freaking out the whole time so I was unable to get much done for those two weeks. In the future, I'd definitely charge. Or pass.
posted by sully75 at 4:44 PM on June 2, 2008

Your number one question is how well do you know these people and how well do you know the dog?

Many moons ago, in a previous career life, I offered to do a similar service for a friend of a co-worker. I was shortly out of college, had experience with dogs, but only those that my parents had raised with me, and they had recently moved to Dallas and had a place much closer to my job. I thought it was win-win-win.

Not so much.

Their dog, who was a rescue, was completely confident when Mom and Dad were around. When they left back to the East Coast to get married and then go off on their honeymoon, she became a basketcase. It was a totally frustrating experience.

It didn't help that they trusted her to go out and pee in the courtyard of their new apt. complex....off leash, from a 2nd floor apartment. I think back on it now, and cringe at what could've happened, and thank whatever deity that disaster didn't happen.

Since then, and for the past 3.5 years, I've pet-sat professionally. I now have a ton of experience. Plus a bond and insurance. This is important.

You've got plenty of time between here and August to not only get to know the dog, but to set up a time to enter the apt. on your own when the owners aren't there to see how he/she reacts. Do this.

Also, get to know the dog well on leash, in the neighborhood, how they react around other dogs/other people/cats/squirrels, etc.

That said, any rule for a non-bonded/non-necessarily experienced dog-sitter:

Get phone numbers for: Vet, Emergency Vet (i.e. the local 24 hour clinic), Neighbors, and someone that can take over if a house emergency (busted pipes, sewage system, etc.) should that occur -- do you really want to call in to your work and take a day off to wait for a utility man to show? Me neither -- . Make sure you know any allergies, habits, routines, etc.

Ensure that the neighbors know you're there. As long as you'll be there, they'll sure as hell see you going in and out. If the folks in question have snoopy type neighborhood watch people, it'll save you some awkwardness, esp. if you're bringing friends and SO's over, and esp. if you're coming in late-ish at night.

As far as if you want to charge? That's up to you. Ironically, when I leave my dog, I often have a friend that knows her very well stay with her, and he's typically cool with me leaving him a bottle of booze and a $20 for some pizza.

That said, if I were to be gone for two weeks, esp. if I was going to be abroad, I'd take the precautions to ensure that some sort of insurance was involved. If you feel any trepidation about this, especially if you don't know these people well, I'd encourage them to hire a professional pet-sitter.

Oddly, I have a new client that I'm going to be doing overnights for over the July 4th weekend. They've recently moved from the Seattle area down here to Dallas, and, I assume, had a great professional sitter up in Seattle. If it comes to it, I'll find out who they used up there and let you know.

If you have any further questions, feel free to e-mail or MeFi-mail me.
posted by Ufez Jones at 4:50 PM on June 2, 2008

Ah, crap. Sorry, I had Seattle in my head from reading through previous answers.

I don't know how bonding/insurance works in Canada, much less the pet liability laws, but you'd be somewhat wise to look into them.

A few afterthoughts: If they're cutting you new keys, test them first to ensure they work. There's not a worse nightmare than showing up and having a key not work. Also, ensure you know how the doors work (inside locks, deadbolts, etc.)

Also, given how long the service is intended to be, impress on them that A) they have plenty of food to cover how long you'll be there, or B) you know what food their dog normally eats. You don't want to deal with the alternative.
posted by Ufez Jones at 5:08 PM on June 2, 2008

My gf and i just finished housesitting for some mutual friends while they were in Poland for 3 weeks. We weren't expecting money, but they offered us $300, explaining that boarding 4 cats and a dog would be considerably more expensive and way less fun/comfortable for the animals. We just hung out with the cats and and dog and played Wii for three weeks...I would have done it for free, but the money helped.

The only downside is that now i want to buy a Wii. Damn addictive video games.
posted by schyler523 at 5:40 PM on June 2, 2008

I pay a house-sitter what it would cost me to kennel a dog and a cat. It is much less stressful on the pets, she plays with both of them and waters the (large) garden for me gratis. Win for me, her, and the pets.
posted by jet_silver at 9:15 PM on June 2, 2008

If it were me, charging would shift the dynamic slightly in ways that I would appreciate, outside of whether or not I'd appreciate the cash itself. If they didn't pay me, and they asked me again in the future, saying no would feel like turning down a request to do a favor. If they did pay me and I wanted to say no in the future, I'd be turning down an offer of a gig, which would feel easier to me. Likewise, during the two weeks, if I was doing it as a favor, I'd feel I had to decide which extras (like washing sheets and towels, mowing, more than bare necessity dog care, etc.) to do. Out of concern than they might not feel comfortable asking for any extras in with the main favor, I'd end up over-compensating and feeling like I had to do it all. I'd rather they pay me, so they can just say what they want included, and I don't have to guess what else they might wish for in addition.
posted by daisyace at 6:55 AM on June 3, 2008

I agree to accept the money. I myself enjoy house-sitting, but it does take extra time - walking, feeding, and playing with the dog, not to mention anything else that comes up.

As a general rule of thumb, you will always encounter one weird/stressful/unplanned situation every time you house sit. Like trying to figure out how to get Fido to take his pill without biting your hand off. Or how to work the stupid alarm that they showed you three times but you still don't quite get. Or how to lock those weird French doors. Or taking Fido for a bath because he rolled around in his own poop. Etc.

I charge $25/day. I charge the same family $10/hour for babysitting, and I figure I spend about 2.5 hours each day taking care of the dog and the house. Plus a kennel would charge at least that much.

Ask a lot of questions and write everything down. Obviously, find out the dog's daily schedule. Where does he stay when they're not home? Does he need to be taken on a long walk or does he just do his biz in the yard? Does the dog have any weird habits you should know about? For instance does he constantly eat the ivy in the yard and then puke it up right after? Or is puking something you should rush him to the vet for?

Also ask questions about the house itself if you're not familiar with it. Make sure you can work the TV, lock the doors (I'm not kidding, people have weird locks), set the alarm, etc.

Also, since you're staying there, after the last night, wash the sheets and make the bed nice (or at least wash them and have them ready in the dryer when they come home).

I'm not trying to scare you, just make you aware of all the details! I personally love house sitting - it's fun to stay in someone else's house and play dog-mom!
posted by radioamy at 10:20 AM on June 3, 2008