HOW WE SAVE $70,000 A YEAR IN ACCOMMODATION COSTS
02 MARCH 2024
OVERVIEW
- What is house sitting?
- Who can house sit?
- Does it cost to house sit?
- Our house sitting experience
- The houses we have stayed in
- Incredible areas we have explored
- Animals we have looked after
- What are the benefits of house sitting?
- Are families welcome?
- Where do I find a house sit?
- Finding the perfect house sit for you
- How to write an epic house sitter profile
- How to write the perfect pitch to apply for a house sit
- What to expect when applying for a house sit
- The importance of positive reviews
- The do's and don'ts of house sitting
- What to do when it all goes wrong
- How to keep kids entertained while house sitting
- Finishing your house sit
What Is House Sitting?
House sitting is pretty much like babysitting, except it's a house, not a baby. Homeowners heading away for a weekend or long holiday are wanting someone to look after their house so it's not empty and most homeowners have animals that require feeding, walking and companionship and they don't want to put them into kennels or catteries that will put the animals under stress and also cost an arm and a leg - this is the main reason people are looking for a house sitter. Not all house sits have animals for you to look after or lawns to mow, some homeowners simply want someone in their house for security and to keep the plants alive.
It's more than a favour to a friend or a complete stranger, it's a chance for house sitters to explore a new neighbourhood, city or island, to try out new cafes, hike up new mountains and to experience sunrises and sunsets from a new perspective (they look so different all around New Zealand!). It's also the chance to bond with some new furry, slimy, scaly or feathery friends which is definitely one of the highlights of house sitting.
Sure, there might be some chores involved in house sitting but chores are a daily part of our lives anyway! House sitting is like an adult scavenger hunt – find the mail, water the plants and conquer the mysterious realm of the dishwasher. It's a chance to flex your problem-solving muscles and turn everyday tasks into triumphs.
House sits range in duration from one night to over a year and every house is different - there are city apartments, 6 bedroom houses, bachs by sea, family homes, homes with separate air bnb accommodation with the opportunity for you to earn some extra cash cleaning them - every single house sit is super unique.
Some homeowners are flexible with dates because they're leaving it open to discuss with the house sitter or they can't book flights till they've found a sitter and some are open to having you stay a couple of days either side of them leaving/arriving home and this is really helpful if you have a few days between house sits!
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It's more than a favour to a friend or a complete stranger, it's a chance for house sitters to explore a new neighbourhood, city or island, to try out new cafes, hike up new mountains and to experience sunrises and sunsets from a new perspective (they look so different all around New Zealand!). It's also the chance to bond with some new furry, slimy, scaly or feathery friends which is definitely one of the highlights of house sitting.
Sure, there might be some chores involved in house sitting but chores are a daily part of our lives anyway! House sitting is like an adult scavenger hunt – find the mail, water the plants and conquer the mysterious realm of the dishwasher. It's a chance to flex your problem-solving muscles and turn everyday tasks into triumphs.
House sits range in duration from one night to over a year and every house is different - there are city apartments, 6 bedroom houses, bachs by sea, family homes, homes with separate air bnb accommodation with the opportunity for you to earn some extra cash cleaning them - every single house sit is super unique.
Some homeowners are flexible with dates because they're leaving it open to discuss with the house sitter or they can't book flights till they've found a sitter and some are open to having you stay a couple of days either side of them leaving/arriving home and this is really helpful if you have a few days between house sits!
Some of the links in this article may contain affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and services that I personally use and believe will add value to my readers. Your support through these affiliate links helps me continue to create valuable content for you.
Who Can House Sit?
House sitting is for everyone, whether you're a solo explorer, a dynamic duo, or a family, there are house sit opportunities for everyone. Usually if a homeowner is looking for someone in particular, like a single person or a family, they will mention it in their advert but we find they're usually open to most people. This isn't a one size fits all kinda deal.
People house sit for many reasons. Some want a weekend away somewhere close by, others want a long holiday in another island during the summer holidays, some people don't want to commit to a rental and so they house sit full time in the area they work in, some people love animals but don't want one of their own and so they look after someone else's, and some house sitters, like us, are looking for a short term home while exploring this incredible country!
You don't have to be a local to be able to house sit either, many homeowners are open to travellers (both domestic and international), so if you're going to be in the area on the dates required then there's usually no issue. We know of plenty of overseas visitors to New Zealand who have house sat happily and easily around the country and others who had wished they'd known about house sitting before they arrived here.
People house sit for many reasons. Some want a weekend away somewhere close by, others want a long holiday in another island during the summer holidays, some people don't want to commit to a rental and so they house sit full time in the area they work in, some people love animals but don't want one of their own and so they look after someone else's, and some house sitters, like us, are looking for a short term home while exploring this incredible country!
You don't have to be a local to be able to house sit either, many homeowners are open to travellers (both domestic and international), so if you're going to be in the area on the dates required then there's usually no issue. We know of plenty of overseas visitors to New Zealand who have house sat happily and easily around the country and others who had wished they'd known about house sitting before they arrived here.
Does It Cost To House Sit?
99% of the time it won't cost you to house sit because the homeowners see the benefit of having house sitters and how much it is helping them out. As house sitters, we see it as a win = win and it's mutually beneficial that works for both parties. We take great care of their home, animals and plants and in return we get to stay in a home with all the creature comforts and get to explore a new area. It's also ideal for house sitters because there are usually no costs involved and it saves a lot on accommodation. Infact, we save $70,000NZD per year in accommodation costs by house sitting (this is based off $200 a night for a hotel/air bnb). If you're staying in an area for 7 days, you could potentially save $1400!
We have never paid to house sit (I'd rather book an air bnb if that was the case!) but we did pay for gas and internet on our longest house sit so far (2.5 months). This is the only time we have paid for utilities and because it was originally supposed to be a 5 month stay (one of the owners got ill and they came home early), they wanted the costs to be covered while they were away. We thought this was fair and we took on the house sit as we were happy with it. It was a super expensive power bill compared to what we were used to, so that was quite a surprise when it came in but we had agreed to pay it so it was something we just had to bite the bullet on. Some homeowners can't afford these extra costs or don't feel like they should have to pay it, so it's very much unique to each house sit situation and it's up to you as to whether you want to pay for it or not.
We have noticed that the longer house sits are where homeowners are most likely to ask for power, gas or water to be paid but it's not all long house sits and it's not all that common. One of our friends was telling us that someone in a hugely popular tourist area in NZ, where there is a shortage on accommodation, was actually asking for the house sitter to pay to stay in the home and look after their animals!
On the contrary, we have seen homeowners offering money to house sitters to stay and look after their animals or to mow the lawns. This is rare but it does come up. Sometimes owners have separate air bnbs on their property and they pay you to clean after guests and manage the property. We have done this before (read about our first experience here) and it's a great way to earn some extra cash.
We have never paid to house sit (I'd rather book an air bnb if that was the case!) but we did pay for gas and internet on our longest house sit so far (2.5 months). This is the only time we have paid for utilities and because it was originally supposed to be a 5 month stay (one of the owners got ill and they came home early), they wanted the costs to be covered while they were away. We thought this was fair and we took on the house sit as we were happy with it. It was a super expensive power bill compared to what we were used to, so that was quite a surprise when it came in but we had agreed to pay it so it was something we just had to bite the bullet on. Some homeowners can't afford these extra costs or don't feel like they should have to pay it, so it's very much unique to each house sit situation and it's up to you as to whether you want to pay for it or not.
We have noticed that the longer house sits are where homeowners are most likely to ask for power, gas or water to be paid but it's not all long house sits and it's not all that common. One of our friends was telling us that someone in a hugely popular tourist area in NZ, where there is a shortage on accommodation, was actually asking for the house sitter to pay to stay in the home and look after their animals!
On the contrary, we have seen homeowners offering money to house sitters to stay and look after their animals or to mow the lawns. This is rare but it does come up. Sometimes owners have separate air bnbs on their property and they pay you to clean after guests and manage the property. We have done this before (read about our first experience here) and it's a great way to earn some extra cash.
Our House Sitting Experience
We were living in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand and a place we had called home for most of our lives, until our situation changed in 2022 and we decided to get out and start living the life we had always dreamed of. The house we were in sold and Lath lost his job, so it was the push we needed to finally escape the 9-5, mundane and monotonous life we were 'living' but not happy with.
With one week to go before we had to move out and the new owners took over the house, we didn't know where we were going to go or what to do. We're pretty easy, go with the flow kind of people, so we weren't too worried because at this point, the world was our oyster! We were speaking to a friend about our situation and she asked if we had considered house sitting, to which we replied "house sitting, what's that?". We had actually heard of it, but only once when a friend had mentioned she was house sitting for a weekend while her friend was away. So we looked into doing it in New Zealand and were amazed at how many places there were for us to stay and couldn't believe it was free accommodation too! We wished we had known about it earlier so we could have gone on so many more holidays and weekends away but thus if life!
We have house sat all over New Zealand and have stayed in Northland (east and west coast), Waikato, Taranaki, Franz Josef, Hokitika, Greymouth, Christchurch, Tekapo, Dunedin, Marlborough and Nelson. As you can see, we have been all over the country!
Every housesit we have embarked on we have made friends with locals and other travellers, all of whom we keep in contact with! Do you have any idea how many homes we have been invited to from all around the world?! We've made friends with travellers that come from the Lithuania, Slovenia, Vanuatu, England, even travellers from our very own New Zealand who live all over the place! So many beautiful connections, so many friends.
Our very first house sit was for 3 weeks in Kai Iwi in Northland, where we looked after a resort with 6 air bnbs on the property (read about it here), straight after that one we drove across to the east coast and stayed just south of Whangarei for 2.5 months, then 5 weeks in the Waikato, 11 days in Taranaki and then it was off to explore the South Island of New Zealand, which we have been doing for the last 13 months.
We travelled with our 16-year-old border collie called Phoenix, for the first 4 months of our house sitting venture before we had to put him down (worst day ever). We were amazing at how many homeowners were ok with us bringing our boy who was a little bit incontinent and partially blind and deaf and who had dementia - they didn't care, as long as we kept him on an area easy to clean and we didn't care as long as he had somewhere warm, dry and safe to sleep! As you can see, there are all kinds of opportunities and options with house sitting.
The shortest house sit we have done is 3 days and we couldn't be more thankful it was only 3 days as it was SO DAMN COLD (it was snowing in the city which it hadn't done in years) and it wasn't a cozy house, it was pretty miserable. Plus the dog was a bit weird and kept giving us side eye, I didn't feel comfortable about her being alone with the girls. The longest house sit was 2.5 months (meant to be 5) and that was a super comfortable house sit, lovely house in a quiet neighbourhood, spa pool and amazing dogs to share each day with.
We have made friends or stayed in touch with most of the homeowners and we have been asked back to house sit so many times. We haven't managed to stay again on request for all of them because we were already booked with other house sits or we were in a different part of the country. House sitting is such a great way to make connections with people and we know that some of these people will be lifelong friends.
We have had incredible house sits that we LOVED and didn't want to leave and we have had house sits that we regretted taking on and couldn't wait to leave (oh how slowly that time went!), house sits where we had all day to explore the area we were in and others where we felt like all we were doing was looking after the home and animals and had no time to ourselves at all. The only way to get experience this incredible opportunity is to take on a house sit and give it a go!
With one week to go before we had to move out and the new owners took over the house, we didn't know where we were going to go or what to do. We're pretty easy, go with the flow kind of people, so we weren't too worried because at this point, the world was our oyster! We were speaking to a friend about our situation and she asked if we had considered house sitting, to which we replied "house sitting, what's that?". We had actually heard of it, but only once when a friend had mentioned she was house sitting for a weekend while her friend was away. So we looked into doing it in New Zealand and were amazed at how many places there were for us to stay and couldn't believe it was free accommodation too! We wished we had known about it earlier so we could have gone on so many more holidays and weekends away but thus if life!
We have house sat all over New Zealand and have stayed in Northland (east and west coast), Waikato, Taranaki, Franz Josef, Hokitika, Greymouth, Christchurch, Tekapo, Dunedin, Marlborough and Nelson. As you can see, we have been all over the country!
Every housesit we have embarked on we have made friends with locals and other travellers, all of whom we keep in contact with! Do you have any idea how many homes we have been invited to from all around the world?! We've made friends with travellers that come from the Lithuania, Slovenia, Vanuatu, England, even travellers from our very own New Zealand who live all over the place! So many beautiful connections, so many friends.
Our very first house sit was for 3 weeks in Kai Iwi in Northland, where we looked after a resort with 6 air bnbs on the property (read about it here), straight after that one we drove across to the east coast and stayed just south of Whangarei for 2.5 months, then 5 weeks in the Waikato, 11 days in Taranaki and then it was off to explore the South Island of New Zealand, which we have been doing for the last 13 months.
We travelled with our 16-year-old border collie called Phoenix, for the first 4 months of our house sitting venture before we had to put him down (worst day ever). We were amazing at how many homeowners were ok with us bringing our boy who was a little bit incontinent and partially blind and deaf and who had dementia - they didn't care, as long as we kept him on an area easy to clean and we didn't care as long as he had somewhere warm, dry and safe to sleep! As you can see, there are all kinds of opportunities and options with house sitting.
The shortest house sit we have done is 3 days and we couldn't be more thankful it was only 3 days as it was SO DAMN COLD (it was snowing in the city which it hadn't done in years) and it wasn't a cozy house, it was pretty miserable. Plus the dog was a bit weird and kept giving us side eye, I didn't feel comfortable about her being alone with the girls. The longest house sit was 2.5 months (meant to be 5) and that was a super comfortable house sit, lovely house in a quiet neighbourhood, spa pool and amazing dogs to share each day with.
We have made friends or stayed in touch with most of the homeowners and we have been asked back to house sit so many times. We haven't managed to stay again on request for all of them because we were already booked with other house sits or we were in a different part of the country. House sitting is such a great way to make connections with people and we know that some of these people will be lifelong friends.
We have had incredible house sits that we LOVED and didn't want to leave and we have had house sits that we regretted taking on and couldn't wait to leave (oh how slowly that time went!), house sits where we had all day to explore the area we were in and others where we felt like all we were doing was looking after the home and animals and had no time to ourselves at all. The only way to get experience this incredible opportunity is to take on a house sit and give it a go!
The Houses We Have Stayed In
When you house sit, you're entering someone's home, life and space that is unique to them and we have stayed in an array of homes that are so different from the next. We have had the privilege of staying in homes that felt like 5-star luxury accommodation, that had underfloor heating, a shower that could fit the family comfortably (not even joking AND it had 4 shower heads!), mountain views and a fireplace for winter (is there anything more cosy?). We have also stayed in houses where the heating wasn't the best (one EXTREMELY cold house), homes with plenty of fridge space and others with none, new homes and old homes with plenty of character. Even the houses that weren't so flash and modern were still very comfortable and a pleasure to stay in - with the exception of a couple. We've stayed on properties that have had air bnbs on site that we have managed and cleaned for a little extra moolah.
We have enjoyed staying in the small towns the most because we're not city people - never have been and never will be - and we find it's the most relaxing. The people seem so much more relaxed, there are plenty of parking spots, the locals are always friendly and willing to help out if you need anything. Its quite different being in smaller towns, everything slows down and locals seem to be quite open and willing to chat and help you! That is our experience anyway. Locals are a great resource of local hotspots and hidden gems, so if you can, get to know the people in your area, even your neighbours!
We have stayed in homes where it has snowed, homes which had INCREDIBLE sunsets and sunrises from the lounge windows, homes that were 2 minutes from the beach or lake and homes with every toy under the sun for Arabella and Sienna to play with. There have also been trampolines, playgrounds and great coffee machines which has been awesome for Lath as he is a coffee addict! One homeowner even went as far as to grab their girl's dollhouse from their attic to set it up for Arabella and Sienna. We have been sooo lucky to house sit for homeowners who are incredibly accommodating and kind.
We have enjoyed staying in the small towns the most because we're not city people - never have been and never will be - and we find it's the most relaxing. The people seem so much more relaxed, there are plenty of parking spots, the locals are always friendly and willing to help out if you need anything. Its quite different being in smaller towns, everything slows down and locals seem to be quite open and willing to chat and help you! That is our experience anyway. Locals are a great resource of local hotspots and hidden gems, so if you can, get to know the people in your area, even your neighbours!
We have stayed in homes where it has snowed, homes which had INCREDIBLE sunsets and sunrises from the lounge windows, homes that were 2 minutes from the beach or lake and homes with every toy under the sun for Arabella and Sienna to play with. There have also been trampolines, playgrounds and great coffee machines which has been awesome for Lath as he is a coffee addict! One homeowner even went as far as to grab their girl's dollhouse from their attic to set it up for Arabella and Sienna. We have been sooo lucky to house sit for homeowners who are incredibly accommodating and kind.
Incredible Areas We Have Explored
The best thing about house sitting in New Zealand, is that there are house sits in all corners of the country, in both of the main islands. This is perfect for a travel family like us, who want to see as much of the country as possible, from the usual tourist spots, to exploring the hidden gems that deserve to be talked about.
We have house sat all over New Zealand and have stayed in both the North and South island in areas such as Northland (east and west coast), Waikato, Taranaki, Franz Josef, Hokitika, Greymouth, Christchurch, Tekapo, Dunedin, Marlborough, Nelson and Te Anau.
When we house sat in Hokitika, we spent almost every afternoon at Hokitika Beach, lighting a fire with the driftwood on the beach and toasting marshmallows. We also cooked sausages and cooked damper from sticks once too, it was a bit of a disaster, I added too much liquid but we still managed to cook it anyway and food aaaalways tastes better cooked on a fire, don't you agree?
We also visit every playground we can find (Tekapo has the best playground view in New Zealand!) and one of our house sits in Christchurch was beside a school, which meant we had access to their huge school playground (it was the school holidays, so we could go any time) and we also had the key to the school pool as it was during summer, yipee!
In Dunedin we visited a castle and had high tea (one of our most amazing experiences in NZ), visited an incredibly fun science museum with so many hands-on activities and went to the butterfly house, where we had hundreds of tropical butterflies flying around us and landing on us.
And in Franz Josef we flew over glaciers in a helicopter and spent an hour and a half driving through the rainforest and rivers on off-road buggies!
Some houses have had the most incredible views of mountains, the Southern Alps, rainforests and the ocean.
Our main activities are walking and hiking and try and check off every walk in the area we're in and we have been lucky enough to do some of the top hikes in New Zealand like Roys Peak in Wanaka, the Hooker Valley Track in Mt Cook, the Wither Hills in Marlborough and the Mt John Track in Tekapo.
We have house sat all over New Zealand and have stayed in both the North and South island in areas such as Northland (east and west coast), Waikato, Taranaki, Franz Josef, Hokitika, Greymouth, Christchurch, Tekapo, Dunedin, Marlborough, Nelson and Te Anau.
When we house sat in Hokitika, we spent almost every afternoon at Hokitika Beach, lighting a fire with the driftwood on the beach and toasting marshmallows. We also cooked sausages and cooked damper from sticks once too, it was a bit of a disaster, I added too much liquid but we still managed to cook it anyway and food aaaalways tastes better cooked on a fire, don't you agree?
We also visit every playground we can find (Tekapo has the best playground view in New Zealand!) and one of our house sits in Christchurch was beside a school, which meant we had access to their huge school playground (it was the school holidays, so we could go any time) and we also had the key to the school pool as it was during summer, yipee!
In Dunedin we visited a castle and had high tea (one of our most amazing experiences in NZ), visited an incredibly fun science museum with so many hands-on activities and went to the butterfly house, where we had hundreds of tropical butterflies flying around us and landing on us.
And in Franz Josef we flew over glaciers in a helicopter and spent an hour and a half driving through the rainforest and rivers on off-road buggies!
Some houses have had the most incredible views of mountains, the Southern Alps, rainforests and the ocean.
Our main activities are walking and hiking and try and check off every walk in the area we're in and we have been lucky enough to do some of the top hikes in New Zealand like Roys Peak in Wanaka, the Hooker Valley Track in Mt Cook, the Wither Hills in Marlborough and the Mt John Track in Tekapo.
Animals We Have Looked After
We have looked after a wide range of animals since we started house sitting. We've had alpacas, both regular and mini horses, goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, fish and even deer. Luckily, we never had to handle all of them at once, except for this one time when we had three horses, ducks, a goat, sheep, 3 cats, and a dog – yeah, it was pretty tiring!
We mostly end up looking after dogs, cats and chickens. It's cool to think about all the different dog breeds we've hung out with – papillon, cavoodle, rottweiler, husky, golden retriever, border collie, fox terrier, spoodle, springer spaniel, german wirehaired pointer, and redheeler x border collie. We love spending time with these pups, but saying goodbye is always a bit tough!
Some animals need us around all day, while others are chill being left alone at home all day while we go on a day trip somewhere. We've been on both sides, and honestly, we're fans of the low-maintenance pets because it lets us go out and explore the area, whether it's for the whole day or just an hour to stretch our legs and we can spend our days doing more of what we love instead of feeling frustrated and tied down.
Each and every animal has their own unique personality and we love getting to know them and their quirks. We have a genuine love for animals and I think this is really important if you're going to take on a house sit because homeowners want to know their pets are being genuinely cared for. It's hard on the animals to have their routine disrupted and to have strangers in the house, so you want them to feel unconditional love while their family are away.
During one house sit, we had to put sugar water out for the tuis (a native New Zealand bird) and it was so beautiful to watch them fly over to the feeder and drink up all the sugary goodness. At times, there were 3 or 4 hanging out at once and we would watch them from inside, loving the fact that we got to see these beautiful birds up close.
We even made friends with a hedgehog, which we nicknamed Hedgeyhog (very original) who would come out during the day and wait for us to feed it cat biscuits which was the absolute highlight of our day! So we took on an unintentional pet that we really hope the homeowners continued to feed when they got home!
Not all house sits have animals but 99% do and we have yet to house sit for someone that doesn't have animals. There are even cases where homeowners don't mind you bringing your own dog which can be a fantastic opportunity if you don't want to leave your own dog at home.
We mostly end up looking after dogs, cats and chickens. It's cool to think about all the different dog breeds we've hung out with – papillon, cavoodle, rottweiler, husky, golden retriever, border collie, fox terrier, spoodle, springer spaniel, german wirehaired pointer, and redheeler x border collie. We love spending time with these pups, but saying goodbye is always a bit tough!
Some animals need us around all day, while others are chill being left alone at home all day while we go on a day trip somewhere. We've been on both sides, and honestly, we're fans of the low-maintenance pets because it lets us go out and explore the area, whether it's for the whole day or just an hour to stretch our legs and we can spend our days doing more of what we love instead of feeling frustrated and tied down.
Each and every animal has their own unique personality and we love getting to know them and their quirks. We have a genuine love for animals and I think this is really important if you're going to take on a house sit because homeowners want to know their pets are being genuinely cared for. It's hard on the animals to have their routine disrupted and to have strangers in the house, so you want them to feel unconditional love while their family are away.
During one house sit, we had to put sugar water out for the tuis (a native New Zealand bird) and it was so beautiful to watch them fly over to the feeder and drink up all the sugary goodness. At times, there were 3 or 4 hanging out at once and we would watch them from inside, loving the fact that we got to see these beautiful birds up close.
We even made friends with a hedgehog, which we nicknamed Hedgeyhog (very original) who would come out during the day and wait for us to feed it cat biscuits which was the absolute highlight of our day! So we took on an unintentional pet that we really hope the homeowners continued to feed when they got home!
Not all house sits have animals but 99% do and we have yet to house sit for someone that doesn't have animals. There are even cases where homeowners don't mind you bringing your own dog which can be a fantastic opportunity if you don't want to leave your own dog at home.
What Are The Benefits Of House Sitting?
There are so many to list! One of the benefits that really hit us at the end of our first year of housesitting was realising that we had saved around $70,000 NZD just in cost savings alone from housesitting! This means that you can actually stay longer in an area (if time permits) because you're saving so much not paying for accommodation.
We have stayed in hotels, backpackers, air bnbs and we've done full time housesitting. With housesitting you get access to an entire house with multiple bedrooms, a full kitchen, appliances and if you are lucky sometimes even a car to use. It's nice knowing you have an entire home to yourself where you can feel comfortable and it's a nice feeling living in a "home" with everything you need, rather than in a hotel room with just a desk and bed.
Some house sits have chickens which means free eggs and with the cost of eggs right now in New Zealand, that saves us a fair few pretty pennies which we appreciate. You may end up with a house sit that has a vege garden and fruit trees that you can help yourself too. I know I stuffed my face with as many peas as I could this summer - yum!
We have fallen in love with the pets we have met... they really melt your heart and we always want to stop in and see them when we pass through their town on our future travels. Each animal has their own beautiful personality and one we can't forget is a gorgeous little terrier who, every morning, would be waiting to be let out of the garage and we'd open the door to let her through into the house and she would run sooooo fast through the house, do a 360 spin on the doormat by the sliding door to be let outside - it was like she hadn't seen us in 10 years! And once she was let back inside, she would try and jump up onto our bed (tiny legs + extra high bed meant it wasn't going to happen!) so we'd lift her on and she would get under the covers and sleep right at the end of the bed. It was so adorable and this is why we love house sitting.
If you are anything like us, there is a sense of wanting to explore the area you're staying in. We pick house sits in areas we really wanted to explore and we have ticked off so many of our bucket list adventures all thanks to housesitting. The amount we have saved on accommodation has enabled us to pour that money into adventures, experiences and the thousands of dollars' worth of petrol needing to do them. House sitting is a way to explore, to hike, to venture around, to connect with locals and to live out your dreams... it's all there waiting for you.
When you housesit, you make new connections with the owners, the locals and even neighbours. We've become friends with a lot of the home owners that chose us and we get invites back all the time. We were sitting down on a beach on the West Coast one time, got chatting to a local on the beach who then invited us over! Use housesitting as an opportunity to connect and make new friends.
We have stayed in hotels, backpackers, air bnbs and we've done full time housesitting. With housesitting you get access to an entire house with multiple bedrooms, a full kitchen, appliances and if you are lucky sometimes even a car to use. It's nice knowing you have an entire home to yourself where you can feel comfortable and it's a nice feeling living in a "home" with everything you need, rather than in a hotel room with just a desk and bed.
Some house sits have chickens which means free eggs and with the cost of eggs right now in New Zealand, that saves us a fair few pretty pennies which we appreciate. You may end up with a house sit that has a vege garden and fruit trees that you can help yourself too. I know I stuffed my face with as many peas as I could this summer - yum!
We have fallen in love with the pets we have met... they really melt your heart and we always want to stop in and see them when we pass through their town on our future travels. Each animal has their own beautiful personality and one we can't forget is a gorgeous little terrier who, every morning, would be waiting to be let out of the garage and we'd open the door to let her through into the house and she would run sooooo fast through the house, do a 360 spin on the doormat by the sliding door to be let outside - it was like she hadn't seen us in 10 years! And once she was let back inside, she would try and jump up onto our bed (tiny legs + extra high bed meant it wasn't going to happen!) so we'd lift her on and she would get under the covers and sleep right at the end of the bed. It was so adorable and this is why we love house sitting.
If you are anything like us, there is a sense of wanting to explore the area you're staying in. We pick house sits in areas we really wanted to explore and we have ticked off so many of our bucket list adventures all thanks to housesitting. The amount we have saved on accommodation has enabled us to pour that money into adventures, experiences and the thousands of dollars' worth of petrol needing to do them. House sitting is a way to explore, to hike, to venture around, to connect with locals and to live out your dreams... it's all there waiting for you.
When you housesit, you make new connections with the owners, the locals and even neighbours. We've become friends with a lot of the home owners that chose us and we get invites back all the time. We were sitting down on a beach on the West Coast one time, got chatting to a local on the beach who then invited us over! Use housesitting as an opportunity to connect and make new friends.
Are Families Welcome?
ABSOLUTELY! We have been house sitting since July 2022 and so many people are welcoming to families. Even if a house sit advert doesn't state families welcome, it doesn't mean they're not open to it. In fact, most of the house sits we apply for don't mention it, so we flick them a quick message introducing ourselves, say why we want to house sit, tell them we have amazing reviews on our profile and ask if they are open to having a family stay. We get the odd person say no because the house isn't suitable, the animals don't like kids or their house is for sale and are worried it will get destroyed somehow.
We did house sit on a property that had rivers, ponds and electric fences and the homeowners asked us to sign a waiver when we arrived, saying they are not responsible for anything that happens on their property.
So if you're a family, there are plenty of house-sitting opportunities for you to enjoy, so just apply, what have you got to lose?
We did house sit on a property that had rivers, ponds and electric fences and the homeowners asked us to sign a waiver when we arrived, saying they are not responsible for anything that happens on their property.
So if you're a family, there are plenty of house-sitting opportunities for you to enjoy, so just apply, what have you got to lose?
Where Do I Find A House Sit?
In New Zealand, the best place to find house sits is on the Kiwi House Sitters website. This is the place we find all of our house sits as there are multiple posted every day and it has the most out adverts of any other sites in New Zealand. There are others such as Trusted House Sitters and NZ House Sitters but they don't have as many adverts as Kiwi House Sitters does.
House sits can go really quickly and we have noticed that the adverts are posted at around 11:30am Mon - Fri and around 1:30pm on Saturday and Sunday. We check the website at these times and get in quick if we find something we like because honestly the homeowner can get a house sat confirmed and wrapped up within a few hours!
Membership for Kiwi House Sitters costs $84NZD per year which is really reasonable considering you'd pay more for one night's accommodation in a hotel or air bnb! Sign up to Kiwi House Sitters here.
Occasionally we get a private DM from a homeowner, asking us if we will house sit for them. This means they are really keen on us, after reading our profile and most of the time an advert hasn't been placed yet, so this is why being a member is so beneficial.
House sitting is popular all over the world, here are some of the best sites to use:
Kiwi House Sitters
Aussie House Sitters
House Sitters America
House Sitters Canada
House Sitters UK
Nomador
Trusted House Sitters
House sits can go really quickly and we have noticed that the adverts are posted at around 11:30am Mon - Fri and around 1:30pm on Saturday and Sunday. We check the website at these times and get in quick if we find something we like because honestly the homeowner can get a house sat confirmed and wrapped up within a few hours!
Membership for Kiwi House Sitters costs $84NZD per year which is really reasonable considering you'd pay more for one night's accommodation in a hotel or air bnb! Sign up to Kiwi House Sitters here.
Occasionally we get a private DM from a homeowner, asking us if we will house sit for them. This means they are really keen on us, after reading our profile and most of the time an advert hasn't been placed yet, so this is why being a member is so beneficial.
House sitting is popular all over the world, here are some of the best sites to use:
Kiwi House Sitters
Aussie House Sitters
House Sitters America
House Sitters Canada
House Sitters UK
Nomador
Trusted House Sitters
Finding The Perfect House Sit For You
Finding the perfect house sit takes a bit of thinking upfront. It is easy to get excited about the free accommodation side of housesitting and get caught up in just jumping into anything! We hope this guide helps you find your perfect housesit and one that really excites you, in an area that you really want to visit and explore.
Ask yourself why you're house sitting. Are you doing it so you can cosy up in winter and don't mind looking after a dog that has anxiety and can't be left alone for more than 1 hour? Are you wanting to explore outside all day every day and are happy looking after cats or rabbits that are only looking to be fed and a cuddle every now and then? Are you worried about what the house is going to be like when you arrive? Look for one with photos. Does it have a fireplace or heat pumps in winter? Is it accessible to towns? Are you confident with horses and can put a cover on or are you lying to yourself and the homeowner, just to get the house sit? Can you commit to the full period 100%? Do you have your own transport and being rural is ok or do you rely on public transport to get around? Look at the local area and make sure all the amenities you need access to are available. We've had housesits waaaay out in the middle of nowhere and the local supermarket, was.... let's say... not so local but we knew this before we took on the house sit and were fine with it. Do your research into an area before you commit.
These are all the question we WISH we would have asked ourselves when we first started. These are questions that will shift your mind into asking all the good questions up front so you have your best chance at getting a housesit you will love. We learnt the hard way (as we are keen explorers and hikers) that if you look after an animal with anxiety, you might be house locked for a most of your stay. Just keep this in mind so that you can find a good balance between having the time for you and taking care of your housesitting responsibilities.
I know we have already mentioned it a few times already but being 100% committed to the housesit is super important. The number of listings we have seen where the homeowners are having to relist due to sitters pulling out last minute is quite shocking! We get it... life happens, but if you can show up with a "when we commit, we commit" attitude then you are going to get recognized out there in the world of housesits. We've built such a reputation now that homeowners reach out and contact us now even before they list an advert.
Really think about your "bucket list" where do you want to visit and what have you been wanting to do? Inside most of the most popular housesit platforms are alerts and you can setup alerts to be set to you by "area" and when new housesits pop up you'll be notified for that area. When you see one, we must say "the early bird catches the worm" so be quick! Housesits go soooo fast and owners can take a while to get through the applications. We have found our strike rate is much higher when we get in as fast as possible!
Ask yourself why you're house sitting. Are you doing it so you can cosy up in winter and don't mind looking after a dog that has anxiety and can't be left alone for more than 1 hour? Are you wanting to explore outside all day every day and are happy looking after cats or rabbits that are only looking to be fed and a cuddle every now and then? Are you worried about what the house is going to be like when you arrive? Look for one with photos. Does it have a fireplace or heat pumps in winter? Is it accessible to towns? Are you confident with horses and can put a cover on or are you lying to yourself and the homeowner, just to get the house sit? Can you commit to the full period 100%? Do you have your own transport and being rural is ok or do you rely on public transport to get around? Look at the local area and make sure all the amenities you need access to are available. We've had housesits waaaay out in the middle of nowhere and the local supermarket, was.... let's say... not so local but we knew this before we took on the house sit and were fine with it. Do your research into an area before you commit.
These are all the question we WISH we would have asked ourselves when we first started. These are questions that will shift your mind into asking all the good questions up front so you have your best chance at getting a housesit you will love. We learnt the hard way (as we are keen explorers and hikers) that if you look after an animal with anxiety, you might be house locked for a most of your stay. Just keep this in mind so that you can find a good balance between having the time for you and taking care of your housesitting responsibilities.
I know we have already mentioned it a few times already but being 100% committed to the housesit is super important. The number of listings we have seen where the homeowners are having to relist due to sitters pulling out last minute is quite shocking! We get it... life happens, but if you can show up with a "when we commit, we commit" attitude then you are going to get recognized out there in the world of housesits. We've built such a reputation now that homeowners reach out and contact us now even before they list an advert.
Really think about your "bucket list" where do you want to visit and what have you been wanting to do? Inside most of the most popular housesit platforms are alerts and you can setup alerts to be set to you by "area" and when new housesits pop up you'll be notified for that area. When you see one, we must say "the early bird catches the worm" so be quick! Housesits go soooo fast and owners can take a while to get through the applications. We have found our strike rate is much higher when we get in as fast as possible!
How To Write An Epic House Sitter Profile
Just like applying for the job of your dreams, we need to put our best foot forward if we want to stand out from the crowd and creating a profile to become a house sitter is no different. How you come across on your profile can be the make or break of someone's decision. They want to see who is applying, get a feel for you and what you're about. In most cases, you won't be meeting a homeowner beforehand and contacting purely over email, so it's important that they feel comfortable with you and that you will be capable of doing what they require.
We're going to help you to do just that with our top 5 points to creating an epic house sitter's profile.
Tip 1) Start with a captivating introduction: Who are you? What makes you awesome and why are you passionate about housesitting? Mention your love for animals, that's a good thing to have in your pofile, because most homeowners have pets and they are looking for people who are genuine and who care. So express who you really are in your introduction and be completely truthful about it all. People want to bring in people they can trust, so keep your intro warm, friendly and positive.
Tip 2) Photos: Have you heard the saying "A picture speaks 1000 words"? You don't need full on professional photos but think about what photos show the best side of your character? Put those up. Maybe you love hiking and adventuring? Maybe you love pets and want to show photos of you walking or cuddling them? Make sure you put photos up of you as well - this is really important. Homeowners look at those photos specifically to get a feel for you. They do look, so make sure they are photos that show authenticity and who you are and you're not doing anything illegal, gross or weird.
Tip 3) Experience: If you are new to house sitting, that's ok, we all have to start somewhere. Write down what you have down outside of house sitting. Maybe you used to be a dog walker or have had pets of your own? What things can you put into your profile that homeowners would love to see? What is your experience? Why choose you?
Tip 4) Responsibility and professionalism: Emphasize your professionalism and reliability by showcasing your commitment to meeting homeowners' expectations. Mention your approach to security and ensuring the safety of animals/pets and their home is of utmost priority. If you can (not required most of the time) feel free to include that you have background checks, security check etc handy should the homeowner wish to see them (adding more credibility and peace of mind to why you are the best person for the house sit)
tip 5) Check your grammar and polish up your profile: Attention to detail is key. You want to leave a great impression when you have taken the time to make sure you profile has been written professionally but also has been checked for good grammar! Take your time to rewrite sentences if they do not sound right. It is important to take your time here as homeowners are reviewing you the moment you hit send when you are apply for their housesit listing, so this is your first impression!
Tip 6) Reviews: If you have completed a house with Kiwi House Sitters before, any reviews completed by a homeowner about you will automatically go onto your profile. If you're new to house sitting, mention this so they know why you don't have any reviews and if you have house sat before through another site or for friends/family, ask them to write a review about you to add to your profile and ask if they are happy for you to give out their phone number for a reference if it's needed.
BONUS!
3 questions to ask as you are creating your house sitter profile:
1. What do I want homeowners to know about me?
2. How do I want homeowners to feel about me?
3. How can I show my value through my words and photos?
Keep these in mind at all times as you are creating your profile and you can't go wrong!
We're going to help you to do just that with our top 5 points to creating an epic house sitter's profile.
Tip 1) Start with a captivating introduction: Who are you? What makes you awesome and why are you passionate about housesitting? Mention your love for animals, that's a good thing to have in your pofile, because most homeowners have pets and they are looking for people who are genuine and who care. So express who you really are in your introduction and be completely truthful about it all. People want to bring in people they can trust, so keep your intro warm, friendly and positive.
Tip 2) Photos: Have you heard the saying "A picture speaks 1000 words"? You don't need full on professional photos but think about what photos show the best side of your character? Put those up. Maybe you love hiking and adventuring? Maybe you love pets and want to show photos of you walking or cuddling them? Make sure you put photos up of you as well - this is really important. Homeowners look at those photos specifically to get a feel for you. They do look, so make sure they are photos that show authenticity and who you are and you're not doing anything illegal, gross or weird.
Tip 3) Experience: If you are new to house sitting, that's ok, we all have to start somewhere. Write down what you have down outside of house sitting. Maybe you used to be a dog walker or have had pets of your own? What things can you put into your profile that homeowners would love to see? What is your experience? Why choose you?
Tip 4) Responsibility and professionalism: Emphasize your professionalism and reliability by showcasing your commitment to meeting homeowners' expectations. Mention your approach to security and ensuring the safety of animals/pets and their home is of utmost priority. If you can (not required most of the time) feel free to include that you have background checks, security check etc handy should the homeowner wish to see them (adding more credibility and peace of mind to why you are the best person for the house sit)
tip 5) Check your grammar and polish up your profile: Attention to detail is key. You want to leave a great impression when you have taken the time to make sure you profile has been written professionally but also has been checked for good grammar! Take your time to rewrite sentences if they do not sound right. It is important to take your time here as homeowners are reviewing you the moment you hit send when you are apply for their housesit listing, so this is your first impression!
Tip 6) Reviews: If you have completed a house with Kiwi House Sitters before, any reviews completed by a homeowner about you will automatically go onto your profile. If you're new to house sitting, mention this so they know why you don't have any reviews and if you have house sat before through another site or for friends/family, ask them to write a review about you to add to your profile and ask if they are happy for you to give out their phone number for a reference if it's needed.
BONUS!
3 questions to ask as you are creating your house sitter profile:
1. What do I want homeowners to know about me?
2. How do I want homeowners to feel about me?
3. How can I show my value through my words and photos?
Keep these in mind at all times as you are creating your profile and you can't go wrong!
How To Create The Perfect Pitch To Apply
When it comes to applying for your housesit, we've tried many different approaches. We've scoured over a lot of our introductions and out of all of them, there are 3 points that really stick out that are universal that we do (over and over again) that we believe make us stick out.
Before we get into that, I want to stress how important it is that you read the house-sitting listing thoroughly so you know exactly what is required of you, the dates you're need and to highlight anything that may be of importance to you. There is nothing worse than arriving at a house sit, only to find that it's rural and you have zero way of getting around as you don't have a car, or that the lawn needs mowing and you have an injury that prevents you from doing such a task. So read, read and re-read!
Let's crack into what to actually say to homeowners when apply and what the 7 keys are when applying.
1) Introduce yourself professionally: This is important because homeowners are leaving their precious pets and homes in the hands of complete strangers most of the time. How you present yourself is super important and it's almost as if you're sending in a CV to a homeowner. So start with a brief introduction of yourself, who are you, where you're from and what relevant experience you have. Maybe you have looked after pets before? Maybe you're handy on the tools and can look after the property? Maybe you are a whizz in the garden and can work your magic in there! List them down and make it relevant to the specific house sit you're applying for.
2) Tell them WHY you want to house sit for them: This is a rather important one and one that will help to secure the house sit. If you write a generic message to a homeowner just telling them that you want to house sit for them without saying why, they will be happy that you've applied, I'm sure, but you won't be standing out from the crowd. Explain that you LOVE cats or that you love to have a companionship while walking every day and their great dane would be the perfect furry friend to join you on your adventures. Be honest - can you really put a cover on a horse? Are you really available to walk a dog for 2 hours, twice a day?
3) Demonstrate that you understand their needs: For example, we had a housesit advert come up that had an air bnb attached to it and the owners were offering the opportunity of looking after it to earn some extra money. This was ideal for us as we already had experience managing and cleaning air bnbs at a previous house sit. This was a huge relief for the owners knowing they had someone with that experience already and we understood the value and importance of maintaining a really high standard of care for their guests while they were away. Another example is it a home owner needs their dogs, cats, horses, sheep looked after, let them know you understand them and you know how important it is to get in daily walks with the pets (well, dogs, we haven't had to walk a cat yet!) and that they will be well taken care of. Show that you are the best fit for them!
4) Highlight your commitment: We see this come up a lot on house sits -"RELISTED: Previous housesitter has pulled out on us at the last minute... desperately looking for new house sitter that will commit to this house sit". We get it, sometimes things happen, whether it's an emergency or something else out of your control but you don't want to be a flake and completely let down a homeowner and they want to feel confident that you won't. Demonstrate to the homeowners that when you commit, you commit. Also let them know that communication during the sit is really important to you and that you can send regular updates and photos of their pets if this is what they would like.
5) Ask questions: This is your chance to dig deeper into what's involved in the potential house sit because it's important to make sure you're 100% comfortable with the house sit. It has to be a two-way street where both parties are happy, so it's really important that you find out all the relevant information so you can make an informed decision as to whether you want to take it on or not. Also, some house sit adverts are suuuuuper vague, which is frustrating because you have a huge list of questions, but it's so important to know what you're getting in for. Especially if they don't describe the house or have photos - am I going to be living in a castle? Or is it old, cold and mouldy? I wanna know!
6) Meeting the homeowners before the house sit: If you're not in the area of the house sit, offer to get on a video call so they can meet you. It's a great way to form a bond, make the connection and build rapport with them. Often home owners are happy just keeping contact via email and we have only done a couple of video calls before the house sit, other than that we meet them on the day of the house sit and sometimes we don't meet them at all!
7) Don't commit to anything: Upon first contact, don't commit to the homeowner until you've established a good connection with them and you're both in agreement. We have made the mistake before of being too keen and after asking more questions, realising it's not for us and then we had to awkwardly say that it wasn't going to work for us.
Remember this - keep the intro short and relevant but include all the points above to ensure you are putting your best foot forward. We only truly get one chance to make a good first impression. Also, the early bird catches the worm - in most cases, the sooner you message the homeowner, the higher your chances are of getting their attention before they commit to another house sitter.
Before we get into that, I want to stress how important it is that you read the house-sitting listing thoroughly so you know exactly what is required of you, the dates you're need and to highlight anything that may be of importance to you. There is nothing worse than arriving at a house sit, only to find that it's rural and you have zero way of getting around as you don't have a car, or that the lawn needs mowing and you have an injury that prevents you from doing such a task. So read, read and re-read!
Let's crack into what to actually say to homeowners when apply and what the 7 keys are when applying.
1) Introduce yourself professionally: This is important because homeowners are leaving their precious pets and homes in the hands of complete strangers most of the time. How you present yourself is super important and it's almost as if you're sending in a CV to a homeowner. So start with a brief introduction of yourself, who are you, where you're from and what relevant experience you have. Maybe you have looked after pets before? Maybe you're handy on the tools and can look after the property? Maybe you are a whizz in the garden and can work your magic in there! List them down and make it relevant to the specific house sit you're applying for.
2) Tell them WHY you want to house sit for them: This is a rather important one and one that will help to secure the house sit. If you write a generic message to a homeowner just telling them that you want to house sit for them without saying why, they will be happy that you've applied, I'm sure, but you won't be standing out from the crowd. Explain that you LOVE cats or that you love to have a companionship while walking every day and their great dane would be the perfect furry friend to join you on your adventures. Be honest - can you really put a cover on a horse? Are you really available to walk a dog for 2 hours, twice a day?
3) Demonstrate that you understand their needs: For example, we had a housesit advert come up that had an air bnb attached to it and the owners were offering the opportunity of looking after it to earn some extra money. This was ideal for us as we already had experience managing and cleaning air bnbs at a previous house sit. This was a huge relief for the owners knowing they had someone with that experience already and we understood the value and importance of maintaining a really high standard of care for their guests while they were away. Another example is it a home owner needs their dogs, cats, horses, sheep looked after, let them know you understand them and you know how important it is to get in daily walks with the pets (well, dogs, we haven't had to walk a cat yet!) and that they will be well taken care of. Show that you are the best fit for them!
4) Highlight your commitment: We see this come up a lot on house sits -"RELISTED: Previous housesitter has pulled out on us at the last minute... desperately looking for new house sitter that will commit to this house sit". We get it, sometimes things happen, whether it's an emergency or something else out of your control but you don't want to be a flake and completely let down a homeowner and they want to feel confident that you won't. Demonstrate to the homeowners that when you commit, you commit. Also let them know that communication during the sit is really important to you and that you can send regular updates and photos of their pets if this is what they would like.
5) Ask questions: This is your chance to dig deeper into what's involved in the potential house sit because it's important to make sure you're 100% comfortable with the house sit. It has to be a two-way street where both parties are happy, so it's really important that you find out all the relevant information so you can make an informed decision as to whether you want to take it on or not. Also, some house sit adverts are suuuuuper vague, which is frustrating because you have a huge list of questions, but it's so important to know what you're getting in for. Especially if they don't describe the house or have photos - am I going to be living in a castle? Or is it old, cold and mouldy? I wanna know!
6) Meeting the homeowners before the house sit: If you're not in the area of the house sit, offer to get on a video call so they can meet you. It's a great way to form a bond, make the connection and build rapport with them. Often home owners are happy just keeping contact via email and we have only done a couple of video calls before the house sit, other than that we meet them on the day of the house sit and sometimes we don't meet them at all!
7) Don't commit to anything: Upon first contact, don't commit to the homeowner until you've established a good connection with them and you're both in agreement. We have made the mistake before of being too keen and after asking more questions, realising it's not for us and then we had to awkwardly say that it wasn't going to work for us.
Remember this - keep the intro short and relevant but include all the points above to ensure you are putting your best foot forward. We only truly get one chance to make a good first impression. Also, the early bird catches the worm - in most cases, the sooner you message the homeowner, the higher your chances are of getting their attention before they commit to another house sitter.
What To Expect When Applying For A House Sit
Applying for a house sit is both exciting and apprehensive. On one hand you are SO incredibly excited at the prospect of spending 3 glorious months over summer in Queenstown but the apprehension is real because you know that there's also a big chance you won't get the sit!
Once you have found a house sit you like and have messaged the homeowner, it's time to sit and wait for an answer. On the Kiwi House Sitters website, it shows when your message has been delivered and it also shows when they have seen the message. It takes all sorts of time frames for people to reply - they can reply really quickly, especially if they like the sound of you, they may not check their messages till the evening or every few days and sometimes people won't even reply at all which, yes, is rude and super annoying but some homeowners don't know how to say 'sorry, but no'. There have been times where I've looked to see whether the homeowner has seen my message, and they have, but I still haven't heard from them 4 days later and the hopes that I had up, had dramatically gone down, but then on the 5th day they message and say they'd like to have us! It is a rollercoaster of emotions for sure, especially when you reeeeeally have your heart set on a place that you would absolutely love to stay. Also if the homeowner is talking to other candidates, they can be waiting from replies from everybody before they come back to ask more questions or to congratulate you on getting the gig or to say they have found someone else.
There are going to be lots of times when the answer is just going to be no. You're simply not the right fit and it's not necessarily a dig at your character but that the homeowner has found someone else more suitable or you just didn't message in time. We are a family and we know that there are some people who just don't want a family in their house because they're worried about what the kids might do to their place. We know our girls are respectful and tidy, but the homeowners don't and that's understandable (that's where having a really good profile and pitch can work wonders).
Some homeowners are very security conscious and will ask for a police background check and a copy of your ID (this has happened to us). It's usually non-negotiable and actually really understandable.
We have seen lots of adverts stating that they are looking for someone who works from home or who is retired, because their animals have anxiety or are used to people around them all the time, so when you apply, a homeowner may ask you what your job is or how long you will be spending at home each day because it's really important that their pets are getting the same routine as what they are used to.
Once you've heard back from a homeowner that they would like you to house sit, you're good to go! It all gets confirmed, numbers and emails are exchanged, and the homeowner sends out instructions for watering gardens, feeding animals and even suggestions of cafes and things to do in the area - exciting!
Once you have found a house sit you like and have messaged the homeowner, it's time to sit and wait for an answer. On the Kiwi House Sitters website, it shows when your message has been delivered and it also shows when they have seen the message. It takes all sorts of time frames for people to reply - they can reply really quickly, especially if they like the sound of you, they may not check their messages till the evening or every few days and sometimes people won't even reply at all which, yes, is rude and super annoying but some homeowners don't know how to say 'sorry, but no'. There have been times where I've looked to see whether the homeowner has seen my message, and they have, but I still haven't heard from them 4 days later and the hopes that I had up, had dramatically gone down, but then on the 5th day they message and say they'd like to have us! It is a rollercoaster of emotions for sure, especially when you reeeeeally have your heart set on a place that you would absolutely love to stay. Also if the homeowner is talking to other candidates, they can be waiting from replies from everybody before they come back to ask more questions or to congratulate you on getting the gig or to say they have found someone else.
There are going to be lots of times when the answer is just going to be no. You're simply not the right fit and it's not necessarily a dig at your character but that the homeowner has found someone else more suitable or you just didn't message in time. We are a family and we know that there are some people who just don't want a family in their house because they're worried about what the kids might do to their place. We know our girls are respectful and tidy, but the homeowners don't and that's understandable (that's where having a really good profile and pitch can work wonders).
Some homeowners are very security conscious and will ask for a police background check and a copy of your ID (this has happened to us). It's usually non-negotiable and actually really understandable.
We have seen lots of adverts stating that they are looking for someone who works from home or who is retired, because their animals have anxiety or are used to people around them all the time, so when you apply, a homeowner may ask you what your job is or how long you will be spending at home each day because it's really important that their pets are getting the same routine as what they are used to.
Once you've heard back from a homeowner that they would like you to house sit, you're good to go! It all gets confirmed, numbers and emails are exchanged, and the homeowner sends out instructions for watering gardens, feeding animals and even suggestions of cafes and things to do in the area - exciting!
The Importance Of Positive Reviews
In the beginning when you are first starting out, reviews might not be high on the list of things to think about. Our aim is to get you thinking about reviews now and here is why. Based on the feedback we have received from homeowners contacting us, we believe reviews are KING because home owners will absolutely read your reviews! Your BIO says one thing about you and your reviews say another.
Let's face it, we all check reviews out on google right? Looking at restaurants, cafes, places to go out and eat and all that good stuff and as humans we want to know what a place is like before we go there to save ourselves time, energy and money and it's the same with homeowners. The reviews give a lot of confidence to new potential homeowners looking for a house sitter and if you have glowing reviews then this can really help seal the deal between you and the homeowner.
With reviews, what we have found is there are 3 key elements to getting good reviews. Here they are:
1) Good communication
2) Leaving the home better than what you found it
3) Make a good LAST impression
Communication is soooo important. Keep in touch with the owners at the frequency that was agreed and make sure to be upfront and honest about everything... the good, the bad and the ugly. Owners love to know how things are going and how their lovely pets are. We even went as far as to send a "Happy Mothers Day" message to the owners on behalf of their pets one time. Keep your communication to the point but friendly.
Our goal when we walk into a house is to always try and leave something better than what we found it. That might be the garden, cleaning the oven, giving the pets a good brush or seeing something that is broken that needs fixing. Don't go overboard but see what you can find! We know it gets noticed and is appreciated.
Before we leave... we always leave a handwritten note for the owners of gratitude and thanks for a wonderful stay. Sometimes we leave gifts as well which make us go out with a BANG. Our girls leave balloons all over the place (enjooooooy) but it's always their idea as they are so excited to do it and it's such a sweet touch. The owners always reply with thanks and a smile. It's awesome.
Reviews sometimes can be forgotten about. The owners get home, life is all go and they forget. Feel free to follow up and ask for a review. Reviews are like a currency in the housesitting space, they are a virtual exchange of trust when new homeowners are checking you out! So stack up as many good ones as you can.
If you have had zero housesitting experiencing, that's ok! Get character references from people before you start. These are really helpful and they are like reviews, just from people you already know that know what you are like (make sure they are positive of course! ;) ) Use this as a starting point and once you get going, you are going to get amazing reviews and then you will find that in time, owners may start reaching out to you requesting YOU come and look after their home.
Writing a review for homeowners is just as important as receiving one. Be honest and let future house sitters know what you loved about the place and animals. If it wasn't the best house sit, write it down. Just remember that not everyone's home is going to be to your taste but if there was something really bad that you thought future house sitters need to be aware about, then it's important to write it in your review.
Let's face it, we all check reviews out on google right? Looking at restaurants, cafes, places to go out and eat and all that good stuff and as humans we want to know what a place is like before we go there to save ourselves time, energy and money and it's the same with homeowners. The reviews give a lot of confidence to new potential homeowners looking for a house sitter and if you have glowing reviews then this can really help seal the deal between you and the homeowner.
With reviews, what we have found is there are 3 key elements to getting good reviews. Here they are:
1) Good communication
2) Leaving the home better than what you found it
3) Make a good LAST impression
Communication is soooo important. Keep in touch with the owners at the frequency that was agreed and make sure to be upfront and honest about everything... the good, the bad and the ugly. Owners love to know how things are going and how their lovely pets are. We even went as far as to send a "Happy Mothers Day" message to the owners on behalf of their pets one time. Keep your communication to the point but friendly.
Our goal when we walk into a house is to always try and leave something better than what we found it. That might be the garden, cleaning the oven, giving the pets a good brush or seeing something that is broken that needs fixing. Don't go overboard but see what you can find! We know it gets noticed and is appreciated.
Before we leave... we always leave a handwritten note for the owners of gratitude and thanks for a wonderful stay. Sometimes we leave gifts as well which make us go out with a BANG. Our girls leave balloons all over the place (enjooooooy) but it's always their idea as they are so excited to do it and it's such a sweet touch. The owners always reply with thanks and a smile. It's awesome.
Reviews sometimes can be forgotten about. The owners get home, life is all go and they forget. Feel free to follow up and ask for a review. Reviews are like a currency in the housesitting space, they are a virtual exchange of trust when new homeowners are checking you out! So stack up as many good ones as you can.
If you have had zero housesitting experiencing, that's ok! Get character references from people before you start. These are really helpful and they are like reviews, just from people you already know that know what you are like (make sure they are positive of course! ;) ) Use this as a starting point and once you get going, you are going to get amazing reviews and then you will find that in time, owners may start reaching out to you requesting YOU come and look after their home.
Writing a review for homeowners is just as important as receiving one. Be honest and let future house sitters know what you loved about the place and animals. If it wasn't the best house sit, write it down. Just remember that not everyone's home is going to be to your taste but if there was something really bad that you thought future house sitters need to be aware about, then it's important to write it in your review.
Do's and don'ts
There are so many do's and don'ts with house sitting that are (hopefully) common sense but we thought we'd share.
Do:
Be on time when you arrived if you are meeting with the home owners. Often they have a limited time to show you around before they're hitting the road.
Keep in regular contact with the homeowners during your house sit
Stick to the agreement - if a dog needs hours walk a day, do it
Keep the plants alive
Respect the home and privacy of the homeowners - no one wants a snoopy poopy in their house
Let the homeowners know straight away if there are any issues with the house, no matter how small it may be
Take responsibility for any damage you have caused
Keep the house secure when you're heading out
Be packed up and ready to leave by the time the homeowners get home
Leave the house clean and sparkly when you leave
Don't:
Have parties!
Invite people over to the house, unless the homeowner has specifically said this is fine (some are fine with it)
Leave the house sit early. COMMIT!
Eat food and not replace it
Leave the house and/or pets unattended overnight
Change your mind about house sitting at the last minute and ruin the homeowners plans
Use loads of water so they have a huge water bill when they get home
Do:
Be on time when you arrived if you are meeting with the home owners. Often they have a limited time to show you around before they're hitting the road.
Keep in regular contact with the homeowners during your house sit
Stick to the agreement - if a dog needs hours walk a day, do it
Keep the plants alive
Respect the home and privacy of the homeowners - no one wants a snoopy poopy in their house
Let the homeowners know straight away if there are any issues with the house, no matter how small it may be
Take responsibility for any damage you have caused
Keep the house secure when you're heading out
Be packed up and ready to leave by the time the homeowners get home
Leave the house clean and sparkly when you leave
Don't:
Have parties!
Invite people over to the house, unless the homeowner has specifically said this is fine (some are fine with it)
Leave the house sit early. COMMIT!
Eat food and not replace it
Leave the house and/or pets unattended overnight
Change your mind about house sitting at the last minute and ruin the homeowners plans
Use loads of water so they have a huge water bill when they get home
What To Do When It All Goes Wrong
Just like with any house, whether it's your own or one that you're looking after, stuff is gonna go wrong - it's life! We have had our fair share of mishaps while house sitting and we dealt with the swiftly and contacted the homeowners straight away.
The issues we have had were so different from each other and some pretty hard to believe, while others were small and not such a big deal. Here are some of our stories of when things have gone wrong:
When we were house sitting in Northland, our border collie Phoenix (RIP) slipped out of his collar and SOMEHOW fell down through a cattle stop. I have no idea how this was even physically possible but it took us hours to get him out and the property owner was going to organise a neighbour to come over with his digger to see if we could get the grate up. We managed to pry off some rusty metal and pull him through, before we had to go to extreme measures... phew!
Another house sit had a sewage block, which resulted in some pretty stinky liquid and chunky mass sitting on one of the sidewalks - soup, anyone?
The South Island is notorious for barley grass which is awful and gets stuck in dogs' skin and makes its way through the body to various areas and we had no idea this even existed... until it was too late! The precious springer spaniel we were looking after had it all through each paw, under his collar and in his ears. He kept shaking his head and was acting miserable, so we took him to the vets, where he needed surgery straight away as he had ruptured his ear drum and they had to remove all the grass from the rest of his body. The vet said it was the worst summer they had ever had with barley grass, as so many pets had gone in for surgery. Luckily the owners were amazing and knew this wasn't our fault and thanked us for taking such good care of him! We gave him ear drops every day and lots of cuddles.
Then we've had small issues, like the power going out and dealing with air bnb guests when this happened, stopping a naughty little neighbour's cat from coming inside and eating the cat food, tearing our hair our trying to catch a dog in a park for 30-minutes who the owners assured us was fine of the leash as well as dogs eating expensive shoes and headphones.
One issue that arose, but isn't common, was the homeowners coming home 2.5 months early due to one of the owners becoming ill. This was totally out of their control and we were actually fine with moving on. They were so apologetic and even offered for us to stay on for an extra month which was so kind!
The issues we have had were so different from each other and some pretty hard to believe, while others were small and not such a big deal. Here are some of our stories of when things have gone wrong:
When we were house sitting in Northland, our border collie Phoenix (RIP) slipped out of his collar and SOMEHOW fell down through a cattle stop. I have no idea how this was even physically possible but it took us hours to get him out and the property owner was going to organise a neighbour to come over with his digger to see if we could get the grate up. We managed to pry off some rusty metal and pull him through, before we had to go to extreme measures... phew!
Another house sit had a sewage block, which resulted in some pretty stinky liquid and chunky mass sitting on one of the sidewalks - soup, anyone?
The South Island is notorious for barley grass which is awful and gets stuck in dogs' skin and makes its way through the body to various areas and we had no idea this even existed... until it was too late! The precious springer spaniel we were looking after had it all through each paw, under his collar and in his ears. He kept shaking his head and was acting miserable, so we took him to the vets, where he needed surgery straight away as he had ruptured his ear drum and they had to remove all the grass from the rest of his body. The vet said it was the worst summer they had ever had with barley grass, as so many pets had gone in for surgery. Luckily the owners were amazing and knew this wasn't our fault and thanked us for taking such good care of him! We gave him ear drops every day and lots of cuddles.
Then we've had small issues, like the power going out and dealing with air bnb guests when this happened, stopping a naughty little neighbour's cat from coming inside and eating the cat food, tearing our hair our trying to catch a dog in a park for 30-minutes who the owners assured us was fine of the leash as well as dogs eating expensive shoes and headphones.
One issue that arose, but isn't common, was the homeowners coming home 2.5 months early due to one of the owners becoming ill. This was totally out of their control and we were actually fine with moving on. They were so apologetic and even offered for us to stay on for an extra month which was so kind!
How To Keep Kids Entertained While House Sitting
If you are a family wanting to house sit in New Zealand, you may be wondering how to keep the kids entertained when you're travelling without a house full of toys, books and craft gear.
Most of the animals we look after are a great source of entertainment for the girls, from feeding to walking and cuddling to playing, it's a lot of fun and they love taking responsibility for them which is super cute - seriously, the girls willingly go out and do poo patrol in the backyard without even having to ask them!
We really had to downsize once we packed up our life and left Auckland. The girls got to keep their favourite stuffed toys, barbies and accessories, lego and some other toys but compared to what they had, it wasn't much! When we're in a new area for at least a few weeks, we hit the op shops (secondhand stores) and let them choose a bunch of things to play with while we're at the house sit, all with the intention of donating them back to the store before we leave. The girls found a super cool barbie camper in an op shop in Christchurch and they didn't want to part with it, so we let them keep it, despite it taking up a huge amount of space in our van! Because barbie is life for our girls (seriously, they spend 70% of their day playing barbies and creating new houses for them!), they love making a new barbie house for them at each house sit and are so creative with how they do it. They do this by taping boxes together and using whatever they can find to make houses, furniture and bedding for them - hello socks, containers and cardboard boxes!
Some of our house sits have been super fun and they have been able to ride on lawn mowers, push wheelbarrows around while we're gardening (no child labour here, it was voluntary, I promise ;) ), feed lambs warm milk from bottles, play with their barbies at lakes, beaches and rivers (they have a wild time) and our favourite so far .... play in the snow - yes, the SNOW, it snowed twice when we were in Te Anau last winter. A few houses have even had a spa pool which is such a treat and the girls loved soaking in the tub in the mornings and evenings.
As you can see, there are so many ways to keep kids entertained while house sitting and every house sit is so unique and comes with something new for the girls to discover and play with. They are learning so many skills too, which we LOVE!
Most of the animals we look after are a great source of entertainment for the girls, from feeding to walking and cuddling to playing, it's a lot of fun and they love taking responsibility for them which is super cute - seriously, the girls willingly go out and do poo patrol in the backyard without even having to ask them!
We really had to downsize once we packed up our life and left Auckland. The girls got to keep their favourite stuffed toys, barbies and accessories, lego and some other toys but compared to what they had, it wasn't much! When we're in a new area for at least a few weeks, we hit the op shops (secondhand stores) and let them choose a bunch of things to play with while we're at the house sit, all with the intention of donating them back to the store before we leave. The girls found a super cool barbie camper in an op shop in Christchurch and they didn't want to part with it, so we let them keep it, despite it taking up a huge amount of space in our van! Because barbie is life for our girls (seriously, they spend 70% of their day playing barbies and creating new houses for them!), they love making a new barbie house for them at each house sit and are so creative with how they do it. They do this by taping boxes together and using whatever they can find to make houses, furniture and bedding for them - hello socks, containers and cardboard boxes!
Some of our house sits have been super fun and they have been able to ride on lawn mowers, push wheelbarrows around while we're gardening (no child labour here, it was voluntary, I promise ;) ), feed lambs warm milk from bottles, play with their barbies at lakes, beaches and rivers (they have a wild time) and our favourite so far .... play in the snow - yes, the SNOW, it snowed twice when we were in Te Anau last winter. A few houses have even had a spa pool which is such a treat and the girls loved soaking in the tub in the mornings and evenings.
As you can see, there are so many ways to keep kids entertained while house sitting and every house sit is so unique and comes with something new for the girls to discover and play with. They are learning so many skills too, which we LOVE!
Finishing Your House Sit
There comes a time when all good things have to come to an end and when it comes to house sitting it's either a boo hoo moment or a THANK GOODNESS THIS IS OVER moment... we've had both! Having a really good exit plan is key when it comes to ending your housesit on a positive note. Some of the really important things to remember when you leaving your housesit are:
1) Make sure the house is locked up and secure, gates are closed and pets are where they need to be for the owners arrival. If the house has an alarm remember to set that as well.
2) Make sure you switch of all lights, heaters, electric blankets, electronic equipment etc.
3) Pop the key back in a secure location where you found it! We get quite paranoid about leaving the key on our keyring when we leave, so popping a reminder in your phone the day before you leave to "unhook" the key from your keyring is very helpful. and LEAVE THE KEY! Sometimes the key you have isn't a spare, it's the original, so you don't want to leave the homeowners stranded outside when they get home because you're 5 hours away with their key on your keyring.
4) Make sure pets have been fed and have plenty of water before you leave. Check with the owners what time they will be home, as if a dog needs to be exercised and they won't be home till the evening, it will be a great idea to take it for a walk before you leave. This is something you should have discussed with the homeowner well before the finish date.
5) Replace what you have used. Did you use any butter, hand soap, dishwashing liquid etc? We keep a running list of any items that we use. Most owners are fairly happy for you to use what is there (we only do this if they offer) and we just replace what we need to.
6) Clean! Remember to leave the house sparkling. We love a good clean and we have MANY glowing reviews because of our attention to detail. Maybe we go a little over the top but we have earnt our position on the podium because of this. We are proud to leave a house most of the time BETTER than when we arrived (although a few places have been hard to beat as they were so immaculate). There is seriously nothing better than being away and coming home to a sparkling home.
7) Remake the beds, wash the linen and tea towels and put out new hand towels, tea towels etc. This can be all agreed with the homeowners beforehand as to whether they want you to wash the sheets or remake the beds. Some owners have told us to just leave everything on the beds and they will take care of it, however we always love to ask just to have clarity around this and of course there is nothing better than coming home to freshly made beds.... but there's also nothing better than not having to make a bed ;)
8) Start your cleaning EARLY... we use to leave it to the day before we left and would be exhausted! Now, we get in a couple of days early and build into our cleaning routine so that it doesn't feel like we're spending days cleaning instead of exploring. We'll do the bathrooms one day, a really good vacuum the next and then clean the kitchen the day before we leave. Doing little bits here and there and will free you up to ease into your days without having to pack your cleaning in to the final hours before you walk out the door! We also like to buy takeaways on the last night so we don't have to worry about cleaning the kitchen again.
There's one last thing we often do before leaving a house sit and that's setting up a little treat station on the bench, with a few goodies, some beautiful drawings from the kids and often a welcome home sign (and sometimes even balloons!). Sometimes we leave bread and milk too, especially if this is something that was left for us upon our arrival. It's a small gesture and it is definitely not everyone's cup of tea to do this, but we love the special touch it gives. We always write a handwritten note as well, thanking them for having us stay and telling them how much we have loved their home and pets - this is all genuine and tailored to each house sit.
Your exit plan doesn't have to be complicated. Keep it simple.
1) Make sure the house is locked up and secure, gates are closed and pets are where they need to be for the owners arrival. If the house has an alarm remember to set that as well.
2) Make sure you switch of all lights, heaters, electric blankets, electronic equipment etc.
3) Pop the key back in a secure location where you found it! We get quite paranoid about leaving the key on our keyring when we leave, so popping a reminder in your phone the day before you leave to "unhook" the key from your keyring is very helpful. and LEAVE THE KEY! Sometimes the key you have isn't a spare, it's the original, so you don't want to leave the homeowners stranded outside when they get home because you're 5 hours away with their key on your keyring.
4) Make sure pets have been fed and have plenty of water before you leave. Check with the owners what time they will be home, as if a dog needs to be exercised and they won't be home till the evening, it will be a great idea to take it for a walk before you leave. This is something you should have discussed with the homeowner well before the finish date.
5) Replace what you have used. Did you use any butter, hand soap, dishwashing liquid etc? We keep a running list of any items that we use. Most owners are fairly happy for you to use what is there (we only do this if they offer) and we just replace what we need to.
6) Clean! Remember to leave the house sparkling. We love a good clean and we have MANY glowing reviews because of our attention to detail. Maybe we go a little over the top but we have earnt our position on the podium because of this. We are proud to leave a house most of the time BETTER than when we arrived (although a few places have been hard to beat as they were so immaculate). There is seriously nothing better than being away and coming home to a sparkling home.
7) Remake the beds, wash the linen and tea towels and put out new hand towels, tea towels etc. This can be all agreed with the homeowners beforehand as to whether they want you to wash the sheets or remake the beds. Some owners have told us to just leave everything on the beds and they will take care of it, however we always love to ask just to have clarity around this and of course there is nothing better than coming home to freshly made beds.... but there's also nothing better than not having to make a bed ;)
8) Start your cleaning EARLY... we use to leave it to the day before we left and would be exhausted! Now, we get in a couple of days early and build into our cleaning routine so that it doesn't feel like we're spending days cleaning instead of exploring. We'll do the bathrooms one day, a really good vacuum the next and then clean the kitchen the day before we leave. Doing little bits here and there and will free you up to ease into your days without having to pack your cleaning in to the final hours before you walk out the door! We also like to buy takeaways on the last night so we don't have to worry about cleaning the kitchen again.
There's one last thing we often do before leaving a house sit and that's setting up a little treat station on the bench, with a few goodies, some beautiful drawings from the kids and often a welcome home sign (and sometimes even balloons!). Sometimes we leave bread and milk too, especially if this is something that was left for us upon our arrival. It's a small gesture and it is definitely not everyone's cup of tea to do this, but we love the special touch it gives. We always write a handwritten note as well, thanking them for having us stay and telling them how much we have loved their home and pets - this is all genuine and tailored to each house sit.
Your exit plan doesn't have to be complicated. Keep it simple.
Conclusion
Whether you're looking for a house with a view or a cozy cabin in the woods, each house-sitting experience is a chapter in your ever-growing book of adventures. House sitting is more than just a way to save money; it's a rewarding lifestyle that opens doors to incredible places, connections with both furry and human friends and the opportunity to explore places you wouldn't usually. Happy house sitting!
Planning a trip to New Zealand?
We’ve got you covered with everything you need for an unforgettable adventure. From fully customized itineraries tailored to your interests and group, to expert consultations, detailed maps and insider travel guides — our services take the stress out of planning so you can focus on enjoying your journey. Because we have such an in depth knowledge of travelling New Zealand (full time since 2022!) we're able to offer so much insight into what makes New Zealand so special and where go, beyond the guide books.
Whether you’re exploring solo, traveling with family, or adventuring with friends, we provide personalized support and local knowledge every step of the way. Discover hidden gems, plan your perfect routes, and unlock the best experiences New Zealand has to offer, all in one place.
Ready to start planning your perfect New Zealand adventure?
Click here to explore our services and get started!
We’ve got you covered with everything you need for an unforgettable adventure. From fully customized itineraries tailored to your interests and group, to expert consultations, detailed maps and insider travel guides — our services take the stress out of planning so you can focus on enjoying your journey. Because we have such an in depth knowledge of travelling New Zealand (full time since 2022!) we're able to offer so much insight into what makes New Zealand so special and where go, beyond the guide books.
Whether you’re exploring solo, traveling with family, or adventuring with friends, we provide personalized support and local knowledge every step of the way. Discover hidden gems, plan your perfect routes, and unlock the best experiences New Zealand has to offer, all in one place.
Ready to start planning your perfect New Zealand adventure?
Click here to explore our services and get started!
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