TrustedHousesitters Review: Is TrustedHousesitters Worth It for Sitters?

TrustedHousesitters.com is a platform that connects homeowners with trusted sitters. However, this isn’t your typical house sitter app. Sitters watch over the homeowner’s house and pets (if they have any) in exchange for a free stay.

Although TrustedHousesitters makes pet care part of its core message, sitters will also find homes with nonpets to care for, like farm animals. Others will find gigs where homeowners want them to care only for their home and maybe some plants.

What’s also different about this site is that sitters don’t have to work solo. For instance, you and your spouse, your best friend, or your entire family could tackle the house sitting gig together. The trick is to find homeowners open to that sort of arrangement.

Here’s how you use TrustedHousesitters as a sitter:

1. Purchase an annual subscription and become a member.
2. Create a pet and house sitter profile. Include information about anyone else who will be joining you.
3. Complete the verification process.
4. Add at least one reference.
5. Get approved.
6. Apply for gigs that fit what you’re looking for in terms of location, duration, pet type, amenities, and so on.

Before accepting any house sitting gigs through TrustedHousesitters, be sure to chat in real time with the homeowners. Discuss their expectations in terms of home care tasks as well as their pet’s needs.

Do you get paid on TrustedHousesitters?

You do not get paid for house sitting or pet sitting on TrustedHousesitters.com. The tradeoff, however, is that you get to stay in someone else’s home for free.

If you look at TrustedHousesitter reviews, you’ll find that this is a worthwhile perk for many of their sitters. Their goal isn’t to make a living from TrustedHousesitters. Their goal is to travel to new destinations or to stay in unique lodgings—and to do so on a budget.

Keep in mind, though, that it’s only the lodging that’s covered. You’re still responsible for your travel and food, among other things you might need to get there (like getting a passport and vaccines if you’re going overseas).

Costs and fees

You have to pay an annual membership fee in order to use TrustedHousesitters. For sitters, there are three different membership tiers to choose from.

TrustedHousesitters Sitter Membership Pricing Options

If you’re not ready to pay for a membership, TrustedHousesitters gives you the option to create a free account first (though most of the sits you see will probably already be taken). One sitter we spoke to paid for a Premium Sitter membership, but she warned that some of the benefits are not as good as they might seem.

For example, the cancellation insurance only applies if there are no other house sits available nearby. Additionally, the airport lounges included in the airport lounge pass might not be what you’d expect, and they’re subject to availability.

Other potential expenses

Even though homeowners aren’t allowed to charge house sitters, they are allowed to ask you to pay for utilities during your stay (e.g., electricity, gas, or water) as well as telephone, internet, or cable bills.

This is not the case with all sits, and the homeowner must disclose these costs in the listing. Nevertheless, if you do end up with one of these arrangements, you won’t get as much in the way of savings.

What’s more, the TrustedHousesitters Terms of Service specifies that if a homeowner is unreachable, the sitter must pay for any veterinary expenses or property repairs upfront and request reimbursement later. In the worst case scenario, these costs could temporarily strain your finances.

Eligibility requirements

To be a US sitter on TrustedHousesitters, you must meet these requirements:

• Be at least 21 years old.
• Have a verifiable email address, phone number, and ID document.
• Complete an identity verification process.
• Pay your membership fee.
• Pass a background check.
• Comply with the Terms of Service, Member Code of Conduct, and Acceptable Use Policy.

If you’re applying to gigs as a couple or family and you share one profile, only one of you needs to be vetted. However, the homeowner may ask for additional vetting, depending on the arrangement.

Locations

TrustHousesitters is a global matchmaking service for homeowners and house sitters. They currently operate in more than 130 countries.

Some countries and cities have more opportunities than others. For instance, a current search for house sits in Albania shows 3 gigs. In Switzerland, there are 77. In the United Kingdom, there are more than 3,000.

While TrustedHousesitters has a global footprint, they do not allow homeowners to create listings in countries that they consider to be high risk. Some examples of these countries are Cuba, North Korea, and Syria.

Is TrustedHousesitters safe for sitters?

The TrustedHousesitters team reviews every new listing before it gets approved. That said, homeowners do not undergo a background check the way that sitters do. It’s ultimately up to you to connect with the homeowner before the gig and vet them yourself.

What TrustedHousesitters does offer in the way of protection is sitter insurance. To unlock these benefits, you’ll need a Standard or Premium membership.

Accident and third-party liability insurance

This benefit pertains to homes with pets. If the pet in your care and under your control injures someone or causes damage to someone else’s property, this insurance covers you for up to $1,000,000 for each incident. This insurance is available for Standard and Premium sitters.

Sit cancelation insurance

If the homeowner cancels your sitting gig on short notice, you might get stuck having to find alternative accommodation. This insurance provides $150 per night and no more than $1,500 for the entire length of the gig to cover your replacement lodging. This insurance is only available on the Premium plan.

TrustedHousesitters will give you access to free accommodation in a variety of attractive locations worldwide. While you won’t earn money, you could potentially save hundreds or thousands of dollars each year on accommodation if you’re a frequent traveler.

However, the platform is not without its faults, and there are a few catches that can end up costing you or making TrustedHousesitters not worth it for you. We asked long-time sitter Madolline Gourley about her experience using TrustedHousesitters, and she shared some of the platform’s key benefits and drawbacks that are worth considering.

You get a free “home away from home”

For travelers, Gourley said one of the best parts is having “home” to come back to each day. Staying in hotel rooms can get tiring, especially if you’re going on long trips or living abroad.

As a sitter on TrustedHousesitters, you could end up in some fantastic homes that you wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise. You could even land sits that offer luxury amenities or 5-star quality of life in a new city you’ve always wanted to explore.

The membership pays for itself after a couple of bookings

The $129+ annual fee for a sitter subscription on TrustedHousesitters may seem like a lot, but it pays for itself even after a few days of free accommodation, depending on where you’re staying.

“That probably amounts to one or two nights in a hotel,” Gourley said. “When you consider you could house and pet sit 365 days/year, the membership fee pales in comparison.”

As long as you’re not too picky about where you’re staying and you plan on using the platform at least a few days each year, you’ll break even in terms of costs vs. savings.

Only the first 5 applicants get considered

TrustedHousesitters has an automatic “5 application freeze” function that kicks in once a house listing has five applicants. If you don’t act quick and get in as one of the first five applicants, then there’s a good chance the homeowner will never even see your application.

There are actually nowhere near as many available house sits as you might think when browsing through listings before you’ve signed up for TrustedHousesitters. Gourley said “the bulk of these sits” will switch to “in review” status once you sign in as a member.

Even if you’re always on the lookout, it can be tough to land the sits you want most. “Depending on where you live in the world, you could miss out on getting a sit in a city like London because it goes up at midday London time and you’re not online because it’s bedtime in the Southern Hemisphere,” Gourley added.

Nevertheless, Gourley said that in her experience, this application freeze feature hasn’t made it more difficult to get sits.

You can’t leave

Once you’ve agreed to do a house sit, you won’t be allowed to leave under any circumstances, unless you’ve gotten approval from the homeowner. If you do, you’ll be permanently banned from the platform. This is a pretty big commitment, especially for longer house sits.

Pet care can take up a lot of your time

TrustedHousesitters is just as much about pet sitting as house sitting. This can be an advantage if you like the thought of spending time with new furry friends, but it also has drawbacks.

Gourley has seen some pet parents specify that the sitter can’t leave the pet (usually a dog) alone for more than half an hour at a time. “That same dog will also need to be walked four times a day for between 30 and 60 minutes each time. For those using house sitting as a way to see new places, that doesn’t leave a lot of free time.”

It’s not the most popular house sitting platform everywhere

TrustedHousesitters claims “There are more sits on TrustedHousesitters than on all other global house sitting websites combined.” However, Gourley told us that some countries have their own house sitting sites that are more widely used.

For example, she said Aussie House Sitters has “way more listings for Australia than TrustedHousesitters does.”

International house sits can cause visa issues

You may see your dream home advertised in another country, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to go. Even if you land the gig, visa or immigration restrictions could prevent you from ever making it that far.

Gourley made news headlines around the world when she was turned away at the US border because immigration officials deemed her house sitting stay as a form of unpaid work, which she was surprised to learn you’re not allowed to do on a regular tourist visa. If international house sitting is your main interest, make sure you do your research and understand the risks.

In Gourley’s view, TrustedHousesitters hasn’t put a lot of effort into warning sitters or acknowledging that unpaid house sitting is a form of “work” according to immigration laws in countries like the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada—after all, one of their key demographics is international travelers and digital nomads who want to save money on accommodation.

Simply telling immigration you’re staying with friends instead of house sitting isn’t a fantastic solution. “That’s lying. And you’re breaking the law,” Gourley warned. And even if you show them one of the company’s explanatory letters stating that TrustedHousesitters doesn’t consider house sitting to be work, it doesn’t offer much authority and won’t change immigration laws.

To start getting house sitting gigs on TrustedHousesitters, you need to register as a house sitter. You can create a new account either online or using the TrustedHousesitters mobile app.

How to sign up online

Follow these steps to create a free account online at TrustedHousesitters.com:

1. Click the “Join Now” button.
2. Select “Choose sitter membership.”
3. Enter your name and email address, then create a password.
4. Create your sitter profile.
5. Complete the verification process.

Before you pay the fee, it’s a good idea to explore the pet sitting and house sitting opportunities in your desired location. While TrustedHousesitters is a global service, some locations have very little demand. With such a high membership fee, you’ll want to make sure it’s worth it.

Where to get the TrustedHousesitters app

App Store Google Play

Expert tips for building your profile

With competition rising among sitters on the platform, it’s more important than ever that you know what to do (and what not to do) to make yourself an attractive candidate.

We asked Gourley for her top tips for beating the competition on TrustedHousesitters, based on her 5+ years of experience house sitting with TrustedHousesitters.

Keep it simple

When creating your profile, keep your description simple. “You don’t have to write paragraphs and paragraphs to highlight why you’re the best candidate,” Gourley said. In her case, she spent less than an hour putting her profile together, and she’s landed dozens of house sits.

Add photos of you with pets

Make sure your profile has photos of you with pets. “It doesn’t really matter if it’s your pet or someone else’s, as long as the pet looks comfortable in your presence,” Gourley said. Your photos aren’t as much about showing what you look like as they are about giving homeowners evidence that you’re trustworthy.

Get reviews

House sitting and pet sitting both involve a great deal of trust. For this reason, reviews are everything. One negative review can make it nearly impossible to beat the competition, and a lack of reviews can make it hard to get your first gig. Go above and beyond on your first couple of house sits to get good reviews that elevate your profile.

Some frequent travelers find TrustedHousesitters the perfect solution for going on vacation or living abroad with free accommodation. But it’s certainly not a perfect platform, and you won’t always get a completely free or pleasant stay.

TrustedHousesitters pros and cons

Here’s a quick look at TrustedHousesitter’s main advantages and disadvantages.

TrustedHousesitters is best for responsible and easygoing travelers

Don’t be fooled—TrustedHousesitters isn’t an “Airbnb alternative,” and it’s much more than just accommodation. You need to be okay with handling pet care responsibilities, and you need to like pets.

Additionally, just as some properties may be above your current living standard, others might not be as convenient to live in as you’d hope. For example, the house you’re staying in could be far from grocery stores, not have great WiFi, or lack some of the amenities you’re used to.

Another factor to consider is that it’s not realistic to expect to be able to plan your trip first and find a suitable house sit later. Instead, you’ll need to plan your trips around the house sits you manage to land. For last-minute house sits, this might end up getting stressful if you’re someone who likes to plan out their trips well in advance.

Other house sitting platforms to consider

If you’re interested in becoming a pet sitter or becoming a paid house sitter, then TrustedHousesitters probably isn’t for you since you won’t make any money. It may also not be the best option if you’re planning to do house sits in a country with a more popular house sitting platform.

Whatever your situation may be, it’s worth exploring your options with other house sitting websites before you commit. Here are a few popular ones to check out:

• HouseCarers
• Nomador
• HouseSit Match
• MindMyHouse
• House Sitters UK
• House Sitters America
• Kiwi House Sitters
• Aussie House Sitters

Alternatively, you could explore other side hustle opportunities in the realm of caretaking. For example, you could become a caregiver, sign up for one of the top babysitting apps and sites, or even start your own cleaning business. And if you’re still not sure which is best for you, you can try out multiple side hustles to find the perfect fit.