How To Become A House Sitter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a house sitter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

House sitters are responsible for watching over a home owner's house to ensure it remains occupied while the owner is away. When the owner is away, the house sitter is tasked with performing basic cleaning and maintenance services and keeping the home operational. They occupy the house and monitor surveillance, earning an average salary of $56,000 annually or $27 per hour.

House sitters follow the homeowners' instructions and act swiftly in the case of an emergency. They shut windows, close curtains or blinds, lock doors, and set up alarm systems. They also water indoor plants as instructed by the homeowners and contact the appropriate service providers to repair problematic plumbing and air conditioning systems.

In terms of the academic requirements, house sitters mostly hold a high school diploma or its equivalent. They have a proven house sitting experience and the ability to follow verbal and written instructions. To succeed excellently in this field, they are expected to have excellent organizational, customer service, problem-solving, and communication skills. They also need to be honest and reliable.

ScoreHouse SitterUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,771

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.10%

Asian 6.37%

Black or African American 9.40%

Hispanic or Latino 17.02%

Unknown 6.52%

White 59.59%

Gender

female 73.47%

male 26.53%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

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Key steps to become a house sitter

Explore house sitter education requirements

Most common house sitter degrees

Bachelor's

43.3 %

High School Diploma

23.8 %

Associate

23.1 %

Start to develop specific house sitter skills

Skills	Percentages
PET	76.81%
Water Plants	6.04%
Plant Care	2.95%
Mowing	2.19%
Administer Medications	2.12%

Research house sitter duties and responsibilities

Manage light grounds keeping work such as mowing and watering plants.
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Provide traditional and non-traditional henna tattoos for proms.

Prepare your house sitter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your house sitter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a house sitter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable House Sitter Resume templates

Build a professional House Sitter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your House Sitter resume.

Apply for house sitter jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a house sitter job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do house sitters rate their job?

5/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

House Sitter reviews

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

I can learn patient fast get ething in order plan thing get meals together help any way I can give medicine on time I am there with the patience all time time help them

Cons

I can't think of nothing 8 don't like I am a person that can get al8ne w it th ething as long as it is right