Going Rate for Housesitter/Dogsitter
Just weighing options for the future. If we go out of town for a couple weeks this summer, do you think it would be possible to hire someone to housesit (nice home in central location) and take care of our dog? I thought maybe an older teen/young adult (single, pair of friends, couple) might welcome the opportunity to stay somewhere else than their family home, with good wifi. What would be a fair rate to offer? $80-100/night? Would you throw in use of a car? Interested in the community's thoughts on house/dogsitting in COVID times.
Feb 21, 2021
Parent Replies
My mother housesat for some friends of friends while she was visiting us for two weeks, and helped care for family pets as well as watering the garden, etc - at no charge and we thought it was a great and very fair exchange! Since we don't have a large house, it was a much more affordable option for her to do this than rent an Airbnb for instance, especially because it was a nice home in Rockridge. They did not throw in use of a car, but I think that would be an even nicer exchange whereby you would not need to charge, especially in the summer when there may be families who have been itching to visit / receive visitors! Just a thought from our experience... obviously you would need to find the right guest and they would need to like and be comfortable with pets too.
We use Rover.com. You can see on the app the range of charges for dog sitters.
Good luck!
House and pet sitting, even for nominal fees, is very competitive out here. Many people would love to get away from roommates and get a change of scenery. How much you spend depends if you want a professional who is licensed/bonded. If you want someone who is a professional animal-tender who also housesits then yes, you might want to budget at $50 and up per night. But for a pet who does not need more than walks, meals and love/attention, you can put out some discreet inquiries about people locally who have day jobs or are college students who would be willing to work for a much reduced rate. Do not offer your car! Just by putting out informal feelers you will get a TON of offers. Always go with someone who can provide references that you can verify.
We have generally had very good luck with word of mouth referrals with only one bad experience ( a younger sitter killed our fish). We offer $25/day, maybe $30/day for staying at our house and feeding and loving on cat who is more dog-like and needy for human attention. We require moving in and spending the night as Kitty goes on hunger strikes when left alone over night.
Be very specific with requirements, check references, leave copious instructions and you can get good care without spending a lot. Some people will do it for free, but we would rather pay to ensure that it is a “job”, not a place to crash. And expect a range of personalities. Some folks can be frankly weird, but you will get a sense of who is a good fit. Just check references and do NOT give out your car.
Good luck!
We currently pay our dog walker/ dog sitter $30.00 per day to have my dog stay at his home when we are away. I have paid as much as $100.00 per day for a dog sitter. Some places charge based on the weight of your dog so larger/heavier dogs cost more. I would not let them have access to your car because that is just a liability for you. During Covid are you ok with someone else staying in your home and sleeping in your bed? Over the last 20 years, I have had multiple dogs and dog sitters. We always give written directions with how many times our dog needs a walk, what to feed our dog, etc. I found the dog sitters did what they felt was best and ignored what we wrote.