How to Become a House Sitter & Travel Rent-Free (Beginner Guide)

Become a house sitter and get to hang out with these puppers.

What if you could travel the world… and not pay rent?

That’s exactly what we’ve been doing for the past 7 years through house sitting.

This morning? It looked like this:

Coffee from an espresso machine.
Sun on the deck.
Palm trees in the backyard.

Then a walk along a pristine beach with an adorable English Bull Terrier cross… just one street away from the house.

Back home, I opened my laptop and got some writing done while the dog snoozed beside me.
My partner relaxed with a movie on a huge flat-screen TV.

Later? We’ll head down to the beach, grab fish & chips and some beers, and watch the cruise ships roll in.

📍 We’re in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand
💸 Rent paid: $0
Length of stay: 4 months

How? House sitting.

We stay in people’s homes and look after their pets while they’re away. In return, we get free accommodation.

👉 If you’re curious, you can actually browse real house sits here and see what’s available right now (this is the platform we use most).

It’s how we’ve lived in places like Sydney, Gold Coast, Perth, Auckland, and Wellington, plus Thailand and Malaysia—without paying rent. 

And in this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to do the same.

Become a house sitter and get to travel and stay rent-free in beautiful places like this one in New Zealand.

We travel around the world, looking after people’s houses and their pets, and living rent-free in exchange for our house-sitting services. The homeowners get peace of mind knowing their home and pets are looked after whilst on holiday or vacation, and we get a free place to stay.

Most of our travelling over the last seven years has been through house-sitting jobs, which has meant we have been able to stay in some places much longer than we’d normally be able to afford.

Since we made travelling full-time our lifestyle, we’ve been able to live for many months in lots of cities with a high cost of living, such as:

• Sydney, Australia
• Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia,
• Perth, Western Australia
• Auckland, New Zealand
• Wellington, New Zealand
• Mount Maunganui, New Zealand

We’ve also had awesome experiences house-sitting in:

• Koh Lanta, Thailand
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

House sitting on Koh Lanta, Thailand.

How to Become a House Sitter: How We Did It

House sitting has become hugely popular and for good reason. It’s one of the easiest ways to travel without paying for accommodation.

And it’s not just for full-time travellers like us.

You can use house sitting for:

• Weekend getaways
• Short city breaks
• Long-term stays (weeks or even months)

We’ve personally done everything from 2-night sits to 5-month stays.

When we first started, we had zero experience. Now, after years of house sitting, we’ve built up strong references and regularly get invited to sits around the world.

We’ve also made some incredible connections along the way—including friendships with homeowners.

So if you’re wondering…

“Can I actually do this, too?”

The answer is yes.

You don’t need experience to get started; you just need to know:

• Where to find house sits
• How to apply
• How to stand out

That’s exactly what I’ll walk you through below.

What is House Sitting?

House sitting is when a homeowner goes away and entrusts their home, belongings, and often their pets to a house sitter for an agreed period of time.

In exchange, the house sitter gets to stay in the home rent-free while taking care of a few responsibilities.

Typical house sitting duties include:

• Feeding, walking, and caring for pets
• Keeping the home clean and tidy
• Watering plants or maintaining the garden
• Collecting mail
• Keeping the property safe and secure

At its core, house sitting is a simple exchange:

👉 Accommodation in return for care and responsibility.

It involves two parties—the homeowner and the house sitter—and is built on trust, making it a fair, win-win arrangement for both sides.

TIP: Always confirm responsibilities with the homeowner before accepting a house sit; every home is different.

Why Become a House Sitter?

There are so many benefits to becoming a house sitter. Here are the best ones:

Pets to cuddle

I love dogs, and I’ve got so used to having them around, so when I travel, I do miss having a loveable pupper to hang out with. House sitting means you can have pets to be active and have fun outdoors with, or just to cuddle and chill out with.

Save on accommodation: live rent-free 

You can save so much money by house sitting, especially in expensive cities. We have saved thousands by house sitting in places like Sydney and Auckland.

• We did a house-sitting job at a beach resort in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, for 4 months. The same amount of time in a holiday apartment or an Airbnb would have cost us S18,000 NZD.
• We’ve also stayed for two weeks for free in the highly popular suburb of Manly in Sydney, Australia. This would have cost us AUD 2,000 for a hotel room in that area for two weeks.

Slow and immersive travel

I love to travel and see lots of places, but I prefer to stay and really feel the essence of the place I’m travelling to.

House sitting enables you to slow down, take time in your destination and let go of the rapid itinerary mindset of check-in, see things, check-out, and move on.

You get to live like a local

House sitting opens up a new type of travel, where you get to discover unique, local places and meet interesting people by immersing yourself in someone else’s lifestyle for a while.

Homeowners can recommend all the places they know and love and can help map your way around their neighbourhood, plus the cafes, parks, beaches and supermarkets.

We have also created some amazing friendships from our house sitting jobs, and there are some friends we’ve made and experiences we’ve had that we owe entirely to house sitting.

Try out a different place to move to

Finding a house-sitting job in a country or city you’ve been thinking about moving to is a great way of getting an initial feeling for what it’s really like to live there – before actually committing to move.

Where Can I House Sit?

You can house sit in most parts of the world—but some places are definitely easier than others.

From my experience, house sitting is most common in Western countries like:

• Australia
• New Zealand
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Canada
• Countries across Europe

These are places where house sitting is widely understood and commonly used.

In other parts of the world, it’s less common, mainly because the idea of letting a stranger stay in your home isn’t always culturally accepted.

That said, you can still find opportunities in countries with large expat communities, such as:

• Thailand
• Malaysia
• Singapore
• Japan
• United Arab Emirates
• South Africa
• Mexico
• Costa Rica

👉 The short version: If a destination has a strong expat presence, there’s a good chance you’ll find house sits there.

House sitting in Bangkok, Thailand

What Are the Expected Jobs as a House Sitter?

As a house sitter, your role is simple: look after the home, pets, and property as if it were your own.

The exact responsibilities vary from sit to sit, but most include:

🐾 Pet care

• Walking or exercising pets
• Feeding and cleaning up after them
• Giving attention, playtime, and enrichment
• Basic grooming or administering medication (if needed)

🏡 Home care

• Keeping the house clean and tidy
• Watering plants or maintaining the garden
• Lawn mowing or basic outdoor upkeep
• Pool maintenance (in some homes)

General upkeep

• Taking out rubbish and recycling
• Collecting mail
• Keeping the property safe and secure

Most homeowners will leave clear instructions covering everything you need to know.

Some house sits are really cruisey, while others require more work—so always:

• Ask questions upfront
• Read the listing carefully
• Only accept house sits you feel confident handling

Do I Get Paid to be a House Sitter?

Usually, no.

House sitting is a fair exchange—you get free accommodation, and in return, you take care of the home and pets.

That means:

• 🏡 You stay rent-free (often in great locations)
• 🐾 Homeowners get peace of mind while they’re away

Occasionally, homeowners might leave a few extras—we’ve been welcomed with things like a fully stocked fridge, chocolate, or even a bottle of wine.

Sometimes there’s also an emergency fund for pet care, but this isn’t a paid job in the traditional sense.

If you’re looking for paid house sitting, that usually means setting yourself up as a professional sitter or running it as a business.

Why people still do it

Even without payment, house sitting can save you thousands in accommodation costs, which is why platforms with lots of listings are so popular.

👉 If you want to see what’s available, you can browse current house sitting opportunities here (this is where we’ve found most of our sits).

How to Become a House Sitter (Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners)

If you’re wondering how to become a house sitter, we’ve been doing this for years—and after dozens of sits, we’ve figured out what actually works when it comes to getting accepted.

The good news?
You can do this too. You just need the right approach.

Here’s exactly how to get started 👇

House sitting enabled us to explore Kuala Lumpur with free accommodation.

🐾 Step 1: You Must Love Animals

This one’s non-negotiable.

Most house sits involve pets—and homeowners want someone who genuinely cares.

You should:

• Feel comfortable around animals
• Be hands-on (feeding, walking, cleaning up)
• Treat pets like your own

You’re not just getting free accommodation—you’re responsible for someone’s home and their fur babies.

Step 2: Decide Where You Want to House Sit

There are opportunities all over the world, but don’t try to apply everywhere at once.

Start by choosing:

• Your location (local, national, or international)
• Your ideal stay length

👉 This helps you:

• Focus your search
• Apply faster
• Choose the right platform

Step 3: Get References (Even as a Beginner)

This is one of the most important steps when learning how to become a house sitter, especially as a beginner. 

And this is where most people get stuck and give up—but it’s easier than you think.

Homeowners will check references. After all, they’re trusting you with their home, their treasured pets and all their worldly possessions. They are entitled to know things about you, and you are morally obligated to be honest with them, as this is a trust-based exchange.

👉 No experience yet? No problem.

You can use references from:

• Employers
• Friends or neighbours
• Babysitting or volunteering
• Anyone you’ve helped or shown responsibility to

One good reference → leads to your first sit → which leads to more.

Step 4: Join the Right House Sitting Websites

This is where the real opportunities are.

Different platforms suit different locations, but if you want the widest range of global house sits, one platform stands out.

We personally use TrustedHousesitters because it has listings all over the world—from cities to beach towns to remote escapes.

👉You can browse house sits here and see what’s available right now.

Other house-sitting platforms worth checking:

• Nomador → great for Europe
• Aussie House Sitters → best for Australia
• Kiwi House Sitters → best for New Zealand
• House Sit Match → strong in Europe & North America
• House Carers → global + less competition

We’ve landed amazing sits (including Thailand) through TrustedHousesitters—it’s our go-to.

Step 5: Create a Profile That Gets You Accepted

Your profile is everything.

Homeowners often get a lot of applications, especially if they have a house in a popular location, so yours needs to stand out.

Creating a winning profile is half the battle when you’re searching for house sitting jobs.

👉 Make sure your profile:

• Feels genuine and personal
• Is clear, well-written, and up to date
• Highlights your pet sitting/house sitting experience
• Includes relevant skills (gardening, maintenance, pet grooming, etc.)
• Shows your current lifestyle (traveller, remote worker, local, etc.)
• Has photos of you with animals

Think: Would you trust you with your home?

Include photos of you with pets in your house sitter profile.

Step 6: Set Email Alerts & Be Quick

The best house sits go FAST.

To stay ahead and up to date:

• Set up email alerts
• Check listings daily (or more in competitive areas)
• Apply as soon as possible

In places like Sydney or London, listings can fill within hours. 

Step 7: Apply the Right Way (This Is Key)

This is where you win, or get ignored.

👉 Strong applications:

• Are personalised (no copy-paste)
• Mention the pet by name
• Are friendly, short, and genuine
• Show your experience and personality

Avoid:

• Long essays
• Generic messages
• Making it all about you

Treat it like a job application, but more human.

If you’re serious about learning how to become a house sitter, the easiest way to start is by joining a platform with lots of active listings.

Step 8: Chat With the Homeowner

If you are shortlisted for a house sit, you’ll usually:

• Meet in person or
• Jump on a video call

👉 This is your chance to:

• Build trust
• Ask questions
• Confirm expectations

Good questions to ask:

• Pet routines and behaviour
• How long can pets be left alone
• Wi-Fi and workspace
• Nearby shops and transport
• If travel dates are fixed or flexible

We’ve secured many of our house sits through video calls—it’s completely normal.

Step 9: Secure the Sit (and Do a Great Job)

Once you’re accepted for a house sit—congrats! 🎉

It’s an awesome feeling to know you’ve been accepted for the house sitting job you wanted. Especially if it’s full of new potential furry friends or in a new location you can’t wait to explore.

Now your focus is on:

• Respecting the home and rules
• Following instructions carefully
• Giving pets lots of attention
• Being prepared for hands-on situations
• Keeping communication open

👉 Send the homeowner updates and photos; it goes a long way.

Happy homeowners = glowing reviews = more house sits.

Step 10: Finish Strong (This Gets You More Sits)

Don’t just leave, leave a lasting impression.

Before and after the sit:

• Leave the home clean and tidy
• Send a thank-you message
• Ask (politely) for a review

Great reviews = more trust = easier approvals next time.

Ready to Get Started?

If you’re serious about house sitting, the easiest way to begin is by joining a platform with lots of active listings.

👉 Start with TrustedHousesitters here (this is where we’ve found most of our sits—and you can browse opportunities before joining)

When house sitting, keep up communication with the homeowner to build trust and learn more about the pets.

And that’s a wrap for our post on How to Become a House Sitter. 

We hope this has helped decide which house sitting website to use and has given you some inspiration to get started in the world of house sitting.

👉 If you want to know more about house sitting and how it can help you travel the world and live rent-free, check out these articles:

The Best House Sitting Websites – How to Choose

How to Live Rent-Free Around the World

Happy House Sitting 🙂

Alial.

Disclaimer: Some links in this article are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through them, we receive a small commission. This will never cost you any extra, and often, you receive a special discount. This support helps keep the website going, and we appreciate your support.

Love this post? Pin to read later!