What Do House Sitters Usually Do? 5 Key Essential Tasks

If someone had told us three years ago that we’d be living in Swiss chalets, Austrian mountain villas, and seaside cottages , all rent-free,  in exchange for cuddling pets and watering a few plants, we would have laughed.

Yet here we are, December 2025, writing this from a camper van parked outside a 19th-century farmhouse in Tuscany after just finishing a sit with two very spoiled Italian Labradors .

So what do house sitters usually do all day? The short answer: it depends on the sit. The long, honest answer is what we’re sharing below — straight from hundreds of days spent in other people’s homes, from Sydney to the Swiss Alps.

How We Accidentally Became Professional House Sitters

It started innocently enough in Sydney over Christmas. I needed a place to stay and found a last-minute sit looking after a toy poodle named Coco. Three walks a day, a few cuddles, and a stunning 4 million dollar harbour-view apartment in exchange for zero rent. Hook, line, sinker.

Fast-forward a couple of years: we get together, do our first sit as a couple (two cats in Caro’s German hometown), and something clicks.

House-sitting platforms suddenly feel like dating apps except the “match” is a holiday in someone else’s dream home. Swipe right on a chalet with a Swiss Shepherd? Instant yes.

Since then we’ve done more than 14 sits across eight countries, using house sitting to travel affordably. We sold most of our stuff, bought a campervan, and now chain sits together like a travelling circus, only the circus has better views and unlimited dog cuddles.

A Typical Day with Pets (The #1 Task)

Ask ten house sitters for their daily routine and you’ll get ten different answers. But even though they are different there are always similarities

For example with outdoor cats, you will find that after feeding in the morning, a few snuggles, you end up with ample time to visit local attractions or focus on your day to day routine. 

Be it making coffee in the morning, going for a shower, eating a delicious breakfast with local produce, I mean its your own free time.

At the end of the day, you come back, clean the kitty litter if needed, more snuggles and then feed the cats again.

I personally think that cats are the simplest animals to look after because they are so independent. 

One of the more difficult cats sits required us to feed them a certain amount a day, exactly 82g 2x a day, give the cats medicine and brush their teeth once a day. Even with all these instructions it was simple. 

The cats loved us, but more importantly, we got to enjoy a home which was spectacular with a view over Mont Blanc.

Dog sits are a bit more work as they are not as independent as cats. 

Mornings usually consist of waking up early between 7-8am, going for a walk followed by watching the dogs chow down on food. 

After that you will be looking at having to take the dog out for  another few walks during the day. 

Even though you will have plenty of free time for your own things, you will have to take into consideration that the dogs will most likely need to be walked halfway through the day.

Otherwise you might come home to a few surprises.

Finally at the end of the day you will take the dog for another walk, feed them and have some special times with them.

I mean you will quickly figure out your pace and caring style, but what Caro and I usually look for in house sits is 2-4 cats or 1-2 dog housesits.

We find this to be a sweet spot where you still get ample time for your own things and also the joys of looking after animals.

Most common requests for looking after pets

Other Responsibilities around the house

In the many house sits we have had so far, I would say that there haven't been any outrageous jobs or responsibilities that we have been asked to do when it comes to maintaining the house.

I would put it best as, what would you do in your own house.

So if there are plants, watering them on a regular basis  (communicate with the owners to figure out the best watering times)

If there is a garden, then cut the grass from time to time (especially on the long sits), maybe even tidy up around the garden

Keep the place tidy with the mindset, how would the owner feel if they returned early. 

Caro and I usually have a box with our food that we bring in and keep our things in there and a space in the fridge, and for our other stuff we have a box each with our clothes that we keep in our room.

We tend to keep the rest of the home as it is, because in the end it takes to much time to tidy everything up, specially if you are at a place for less than a week.

And on the final day we tend to give the floors a good vacuum, a mop, clean the kitchen, toilets. 

We pretty much go over the rooms we were using and tidy up. 

Caro and I have high cleaning standards, but we don't go over the top cleaning the place. Just the same as if we were inviting people over to our house for a visit.

It's always nice though when the owners of the home acknowledge that we cleaned up and it leaves a lasting impression on them. 

We have been invited multiple times to come back to old house sits because the owners appreciated how well we left the pets, plants and home.

Breakdown of tasks in the house

Communicating with the house owners

I think this is where Caro and I excel the most. From the very moment we apply to a house sit, we have a pre-written custom message, we change the names of the owners, animals and add a short message explaining how we would best look after the pets and we make sure to avoid common red flags in a pet sitter that owners watch for.

We usually get an instant reply saying we would be the perfect house sitters for the sit. 

We then arrange a quick Whatsapp call for a specific time and date.

I would recommend being punctual and maybe even writing early to inform the owners that you will be ready at the specific time.

We sometimes had conversations that lasted 30 min, so be prepared that their might be some people that want to show you around the house, but we found that people who are certain that the housesit will go ahead will never show the house.

On the other hand people who were not certain about the house sit going ahead always showed us their place... and to tell you the truth, these people were always the ones that cancelled their house sits...

Coincidence... maybe 

Either way, once we got the house sits we would let the people know that we were on the way to their homes a few hours before we arrived and let them know an estimate time we would be arriving.

Then in most cases we would send regular updates to the owners with pictures of their pets.

I guess it's always important to ask how often you the owners would like to get updates. 

Some owners don't care for updates and others would like multiple per day, so it's always better to ask ahead of time then afterwards having that as an issue.

I guess to summarize it. I would say, over communicate rather then not communicating enough.

Keep the house safe

This is a small thing, but at the same time I think it is quite important and also straight forward.

Break ins do happen, but as long as you did your best to secure a house then that is the most important thing.

Simply being there keeps the house safe and in many sits you may have to stay overnight. We take in mail, open/close shutters, turn lights on at night, all the things that make a house look lived in.

And even more important is to make sure that the pets don't run away. Trust me it happens.

When I did dog walking at one stage, I was getting the dog ready to go for a walk and I left the front door open just enough that the dog slipped between and went for a 2 hour run around the forest.

With me in hot pursuit. 

I have never sprinted so much in my life, and by the end I was not functional for another 2 days. But it also was a great lesson that I will never repeat.

Before opening the front door to take the pets for a walk, make sure they are secure on a leash.

Does this answer your questions about what do house sitters usually do?

I know it may seem like a lot and could be overwhelming at first, but the best thing for you to do if you are interested in doing house sitting for the first time, is to seek a short house sit that is nearby.

This way it is more like looking after pets of friends.

You will quickly learn what house sitters usually do during house sits and more importantly become more comfortable with the process.

The first few house sits were a bit awkward for us, looking after literal mansions in some of the most beautiful places around the world and yet now that we have many house sits under the belt it's become second nature for us.

We know that we bring a lot to the table and people are genuinely grateful for us to come.

And as we get more and more reviews on our profiles (through platforms that offer verified reviews), we know that we will be very desirable for even the most incredible house sits on the platform.

Good luck with your house sits and if interested in joining the house sitting community, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter where we will send you a guide on how to make the most of your house sits for free + discount codes for your sign up to house sitting websites.

Caro & Konrad 🐾🚐

DM us @housesittersguide if you have questions — we answer everyone!

FAQ's about what do house sitters usually do

• What are the main daily responsibilities of a house sitter?

  The most common task is pet care, including feeding (2–3 times a day), giving fresh water, cleaning litter boxes, walking dogs, playing with animals, grooming, and sometimes administering medication.

  House sitters also spend time securing the home: they turn lights on/off, open or close shutters, collect mail, and generally make the house look occupied.
  

  They communicate with homeowners regularly (e.g., via WhatsApp) to send updates and photos.
  

• Do house sitters also take care of plants and the garden?

  Yes — besides pets, sitters often take on plant care, such as regular watering.
  If there’s a garden, they might also mow the lawn or tidy up, but this depends on the arrangement and how long the sit is.

• What kind of cleaning or tidying up is expected from house sitters?

  Sitters try to keep the home tidy, much as if it were their own: vacuuming, mopping, washing used dishes, and removing trash.
  On the final day, they often do a more thorough clean of the rooms they used (kitchen, bathroom, floors).
  They generally don’t deep-clean the entire house, but aim to leave things in a presentable state.

• How do house sitters contribute to home security while the owners are away?

  Simply being present in the house is a strong deterrent to break-ins.
  Sitters make the home look lived-in by doing things like opening/closing shutters and turning lights on at night.
  They manage mail and packages so that the home doesn’t look empty

• How do house sitters communicate with homeowners, and how much do owners expect to hear from them during the sit?

  Communication is key: sitters usually agree in advance with homeowners how often and in what form they’ll share updates (e.g., messaging apps, phone).
  Many sitters over-communicate (rather than risk being silent), sending photos of pets, plants, or any incidents.
  The type and frequency of communication really depend on the homeowner’s preference, so it’s best to clarify it before the sit begins.