How to write the ideal house sitting application message

Updated 22 Aug 2024

Thinking about applying for the house sit of your dreams, and not sure where to start with your house sitting application message? You’re in the right place, fellow pet lover. Here we explore our top tips for landing the sit of any animal lover’s dreams, along with advice and thoughts from our members.

Before we kick things off though, it’ll help to have your eyes on a few house sits you’d like to apply to. Having these in mind will help to get you thinking about what you might write in your house sitting application message. So, before exploring our tips, take at the sits you could be landing:

How to write the ideal house sitting application message

• Show you’ve read the listing
• Tailor your message to the owner
• Focus on the pet and owners’ needs
• Let your personality shine through
• Talk about your relevant experience
• Be honest
• Structure your application message
• Check spelling and grammar

Show you’ve read the listing

Take time to understand what the owner is looking for before making your house sitting application and make sure you can fulfill their expectations. If it’s just the date and location of the house sit that matches your criteria, then that’s not a good enough reason to apply. 

You may be ready and willing to get house sitting but are you really up for the responsibility of a large farm with three llamas and a grumpy old Nanny goat?

If it’s a hella yes, then be sure to talk about how you’ll be able to meet the needs of the pets, pet parents and home in your house sitting application. This is one of our top tips on how to become a house sitter - owners need to be reassured that you’re clear on their needs before accepting your application.

Tailor your message to the owner

Your house sitting application message needs to clearly have been written specifically for the pet parents (and pets!) in question. So, if you’re wondering how to get into house sitting, one word of warning is to never copy a generic application message. Home owners will be able to tell, and you’ll be a whole lot less likely to secure the sit of your dreams.

Focus on the pet and owners’ needs

When it comes to your house sitter application, you might be super keen for the location and adorable animals, but make sure you’ve read the listing properly, and are truly up for the house sitting job.

Taking care of animals is no mean feat, but if you think you can give the pets the care they need (this may include administering medications), then go ahead and apply. And naturally, demonstrate you’re more than up for the job in your house sitter application message.

And if you don’t take our word for it, our member Kelownagurl shares the same view on how to secure sits through a well thought-out application message in this thread over on our community forum.

Let your personality shine through

Your house sitting application can certainly be personalized - in fact, we highly recommend letting your personality shine through. Feel free to briefly mention things you’re interested in, and why the sit itself appeals to you so much. 

Many of our members go back to the same sit - time and time again. In fact, many of our owner and sitter members become great friends, so it’s always worth being completely genuine from the get-go.

Talk about your relevant experience

Naturally, if you’ve got relevant pet sitting experience to speak of, you should reference it in your house sitting application message. For example, if you’ve got experience with a specific breed or species that’s relevant to the sit you’re applying for, go ahead and mention it. 

If the pet parents have said you’ll need to administer pet medications, look after a puppy, you’ve had pets of your own, or you’ve taken pet-related courses, go ahead and talk about it in your application message.

Be honest

This one should go without saying, but our number one tip on how to write the perfect house sitter profile is of course to be completely honest in your house sitter application message, and your pet sitter profile.

Exaggerating, or worse - telling lies - anywhere in your profile or in your house sitting application message could put yourself, the pets and pet parents in danger.

Structure your application message

When thinking about how to structure your house sitting application, it of course needs to be personalized, but there are a few points to make sure you cover so that homeowners can make the decision on whether you’re right for their pets and home:

• Introduce yourself and give a little background information.
• Talk about why you’re interested in the sit.
• Share the experience you have that’s relevant to the needs stated in the listing.
• Show that you’re open to having a phone or video call to discuss the pet parents’ needs further.

Check spelling and grammar

Last but not least, be sure to check the spelling and grammar of your house sitter application! While you don’t need to write for a living to send a brilliant application message, it’s always worth running it through a spelling and grammar checker to make sure the basics are all correct.

So, now you’re hopefully all set to write a truly irresistible house sitter application message, it’s about time to get clued-up on how house sitting with TrustedHousesitters works, and get applying!

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First time house sitter? No worries - that doesn’t have to hold you back. Explore our tips on how to become a pet sitter with no experience.