How to Pick a Good House-Sitter

Whether you're going out of town for business, pleasure, or any other reason, it can take a lot of work to prepare. One thing that you probably worry about is who is going to watch your house while you're away. You may have pets or plants that need caring for, or you may just be concerned about security. You need a house-sitter. How do you pick a good one?

Here are tips to help you to pick a good house sitter.

1. Trustworthy

You are giving this person the keys to your house and leaving all of your possessions and property in their care. It is essential that you can trust them. In general, it is best to pick a house sitter that you already know and trust. You may want to consider relatives, work colleagues, people from your church, or long-standing family friends. It may be that you have had someone work for you in another capacity in the past, and they have proven trustworthy.

2. Responsible

Not only do you have to trust them, you have to trust that they will, in fact, do everything that they have committed to do. Pick someone who is responsible. If possible, pick someone who has house sat previously, and talk to the people that they've house sat for. Ask friends for recommendations of who house sits for them while they are away. If you know that someone is unreliable, then you probably shouldn't trust them with this responsibility. Even if you are already acquainted with someone, it is acceptable to ask them for references.

3. Make the situation clear

It is important that you both understand exactly what is expected of you. Before you go away, meet with your new house-sitter. Agree in advance on what you expect them to do, and write it down. Make a list of what needs to be done, for example:

Water the house plants daily.

Feed the fish daily.

Put the mail on the desk daily.

Water the potted patio plants weekly.

Show them around, and consider putting up signs to make things they will need easy to find. Also, agree in advance whether you will pay them, and, if so, how much. Do not pay them until you return and find your house in satisfactory condition.

Also, make sure that they know how to contact you if needed. Leave them with your contact information, and leave them the contact information of another person locally.

4. Trust Your Instincts

No matter how highly recommended someone may be, if you don't feel comfortable around them, or if your gut instinct tells you that they're not trust worthy, then don't use them. Trust your impressions and instincts, and only go with someone who is trustworthy, reliable, and that you feel comfortable around.