How to Prepare for a House Sitter

Updated 21 Jan 2025

Whether you’re welcoming sitters into your home for the first or the tenth time, it’s always important to create a welcoming and comfortable environment for them.

So below, find our guide on how to prepare for a house sitter to help your sit run as smoothly as possible.

And to make sure you're fully prepared with all the essentials, check out our pet sitter checklist and what to look for in a pet sitter ahead of welcoming your next sitter.

How to prepare for a house sitter

Provide clear directions
Make sure the house is comfortable
Prepare a bed with clean linen
Make space for your house sitter
Wifi name and password
Add some personal touches
Provide kitchen instructions
Be ready for their arrival
Use the welcome guide
Introduce you sitter to your pets
Run through routines
Pet care and medications
Details on nearest medical facilities
Trash and recycling
Prepare a welcome meal
Provide a travel itinerary
Confirm emergency contacts
Prepare for any questions
Specify your return ETA

Provide clear directions

For many sitters, it may be the first time they are visiting your locale or even your country. Bear this in mind when giving directions to your home. Not everyone has a SatNav or internet access, so always provide clear instructions or even share a map with them via email so that they can print it off prior to their arrival. Exchange personal email and telephone contact details and be absolutely clear about what time you would like them to arrive, but be considerate of the fact that there might be traffic or delays.

Make sure the house is comfortable

Whether your sitter is staying for the weekend, or a couple of weeks, make sure the living spaces available are comfortable for the sitter. Take some time in advance to clean the spaces your sitter will have access to and make sure your home is looking its best. This will make your sitters feel welcome in the home and well cared for. They will repay the favour before your return and ensure the house is looking how they found it.

Plus, you'll of course need to make sure your home is all set with everything your sitter needs to take care of your furry friends - whether that's dog, cat or rabbit essentials, make sure you're stocked up.

Prepare a bed with clean linen

Be sure to make the bed with fresh sheets before your sitter arrives, and always provide spare linen. This is especially important if your sitter is staying for an extended period of time. Also show your sitter how to use the laundry machine and any special instructions around washing your sheets - like that extra spot of fabric softener you can’t go without.

On the note of bedrooms, be sure to clearly state where you’d like your sitter to sleep, and show them this space on their arrival.

Make space for your house sitter

Before your sitter arrives, clear some space in the areas of your home they’ll be using the most - think bedroom, living room, bathroom. It’s important your sitter feels welcome and comfortable, so get your home as tidy as possible so that it’s easy to live in for your sitter.

Ensure there is space for your sitter to store their luggage, and if it’s an extended stay, you could clear some space in your closet for their clothes.

Wifi name and password

Provide your Wifi name and password ahead of the sit and leave a note out for your sitter to refer to, if you think this might be helpful. Explain what to do if the Wifi stops working, and leave instructions on how to reset the router.

It’s super important to provide all of this information in your Welcome Guide, as many of our sitters work remotely, so will need access to a good internet connection throughout the sit.

Add some personal touches

You don’t have to go over the top here, but you might like to put out some fresh flowers or a small box of chocolate. Or perhaps you could provide some literature on the local area on things to do. You may even want to put together a small welcome package with some local produce including bread and milk so that your sitter can settle in and not worry about heading straight to the shops.

Provide kitchen instructions

Provide clear instructions on how to use your kitchen appliances. All ovens, microwaves and grills work differently, so leave out user manuals or write a few simple instructions yourself.

A key point to note when learning how to prepare for a house sitter is making note of anything you’d like your sitter to avoid using. If there are any kitchen appliances you don’t want your sitter to use, include that in your instructions as well.

It’s always worth running through how to use things in person, but be sure to include any kitchen instructions in the ‘Home’ section of your Welcome Guide.

Be ready for their arrival

If your sitter has provided you with an ETA or if you have agreed an arrival time, make sure you are ready to greet them. We know how stressful it can be preparing to go away, but now is not the time to be packing last minute bits. Make the time to welcome your sitter properly and show them around. The best way to ensure a successful sit is by arranging a time to provide a full handover. You can then leave confident that your sitter has all the information they need.

Use the welcome guide

Your Welcome Guide is a comprehensive guide and an essential tool that should be used by all owners. Not only does it provide your sitter with all the information they need to settle into your home, it will act as a reminder of your expectations. If you can, share the Welcome Guide with your sitter before they arrive so they have some time to digest all the information. You could also print a copy of it and run through it with your sitters before your departure. This gives your sitters the opportunity to ask any last minute questions.

Introduce you sitter to your pets

By inviting someone into your home, you are also inviting them into your pet’s home. Meeting new people for an animal can either be a daunting or an exciting experience depending on their personality. Taking the time to introduce your sitter to the pets can help settle the pet so that they feel comfortable around new people and your sitter will feel comfortable caring for your pets.

Run through routines

Every home has a routine and to ensure this is followed, run through this routine with your sitter. If you expect your sitter to take out the rubbish, show them where they need to leave the bins and tell them on which day they need to go out.

If there is a particular walking route that your canine companion loves, take the sitter on that walk so they get to know the locale. If your feline friend has a particular toy they love to play with or if they like a daily grooming session, show the sitter where they can find the toys or brush. Running through daily routines will ensure your home and pet gets the best possible care whilst you are away.

Pet care and medications

Specify the medications your pet has to take, the dosage, when they’re administered, whether they need to have eaten beforehand, and any other important information. Show your sitter where you keep your pet's medication, along with any other important things like leashes, poop bags and food.

All aspects of your pet’s needs - including the administration of medication - should have been discussed with your sitter in detail before confirming your sit. If the sitter is up to the tasks and you’ve confirmed your sit, all pet care information should be detailed in your Welcome Guide.

Details on nearest medical facilities

It can be helpful for your sitter to know where the nearest doctors surgery, hospital and pharmacy is located. Add this to the ‘Neighborhood’ section of your Welcome Guide and provide any directions that you think might be helpful..

Trash and recycling

You’ll need to provide instructions on which days to take out the trash, and which trash cans are for what. Provide all of this information in the ‘Home’ section of your Welcome Guide, and feel free to run through it when your sitter arrives.

Prepare a welcome meal

This isn’t essential, but if your sitter is arriving a couple of hours or the day before your departure, it might be nice to sit down together and have a meal. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but this will give you a good opportunity to officially welcome your sitters and get to know them properly. Maybe find out what their favourite meal is in advance or what wine they enjoy. Once again, this will help you sitter feel welcomed and settle in.

Provide a travel itinerary

It can be really helpful to provide an itinerary, including outbound and inbound flights, ferry or other transport details if you are leaving the country, include hotel and other accommodation details also.

Confirm emergency contacts

Confirm emergency contact details with your sitter. These should be confirmed in your Welcome Guide, but it’s always worth just double checking they have all the numbers they might need to hand. That way, you're covered for all eventualities.

If you are flying out of the country, we recommended that you supply the contact details of a nominated person who is local and can be relied upon in your absence. This could be a family member, a friend or a colleague that can be contacted if they are unable to get through to you.

Prepare for any questions you might be asked

When considering how to prepare for a house sitter, it’s worth thinking about the questions you might be asked as the homeowner, such as:

Would you like me to share pet updates?
How would you like me to handle a pet emergency?
Is your neighborhood safe at night? Are there any areas I should avoid?
Does your pet have any specific triggers?
What’s the best way to calm your pet down?
Is your pet okay with other dogs and people?
What food from your home is okay for me to consume?
Are there any areas of the house that are out of bounds?
Do your neighbors know that you will be having a house sitter?

Specify your return ETA

You may have already discussed this when messaging your sitter, but it is always worth just confirming your estimated return time before you leave. Your sitter can then ensure their departure plans work with yours. Once again, be considerate of your sitter and their arrangements so if you know you are going to be delayed or late, let your sitter know as soon as possible. If you are leaving the country provide all flight details of outbound and return flights

That’s it, all that’s left to do is to say your thanks and goodbyes and you are now ready to leave your home and pets in the capable hands of your trusted house sitter!

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Tips from pet and home owners on how to prepare for a house sitter

Take a look below for advice from pet parents and home owners who’ve welcomed pet sitters in the past, and are experienced in preparing their pets and home for their arrival, first-hand.

“The more important things to sitters is typically: Remove clutter so we’ll have room to put our stuff, especially if it’s a longer sit; Put away valuables, sentimental items and such that would be expensive or hard to replace; Clear out fridge and freezer space and leave it clean” -@Maggie8K
“When we have a sitter stay at the family home we might put away important documents and such for everyone’s comfort but not photos or any iconography” - @B1anca
“A clean uncluttered home, and maybe a little storage space will make your sitter very happy” - @Marion
“As a homeowner, I would always ask my sitters if they are vegetarian or if they have a problem with alcohol being left around the house” - @anon22438636, owner and sitter member
"It just has to be neat and tidy and there has to be space to store our own things. A place in the bathroom, a chest of drawers" @anon22438636, owner and sitter member
"Our sitters stay in our guest room and they have a good part of a closet with a bunch of hangers, a very large drawer, and a luggage stand" @SiobhanFL, pet parent

Useful resources

How to prepare for a house sitter: FAQs

Some professional pet sitters may expect to be tipped. Here at TrustedHousesitters, no money is exchanged between pet sitters and owners, other than pet care and a place to stay. Anything left for sitters - like a thank you gift - is totally not expected and down to individuals.

Yes, at TrustedHousesitters, our sitters stay a minimum of one night and provide round-the-clock care for pets and homes.

No, pet parents have access to as many sitters as needed for one annual membership fee. Our sitters are here for the love of travel, and the chance to make new furry friends around the world. Nothing is passed between pet parents and sitters but loving pet care and a place to stay.