Questions to Ask a House Sitter Before You Say Yes

The call has gone well. The sitter is warm, the dates fit, and the dog barked at the screen in a way that made everyone laugh. Twenty minutes in, the homeowner realises they have done most of the talking: the house, the garden, the walk by the river. The sitter has nodded a lot.

They say yes. It’s only on the drive to the airport that the homeowner wonders whether the sitter has ever given a cat a tablet, or knows what to do if the old dog goes off his food on a Sunday.

Nothing went wrong on the call. It just never got past the pleasant part.

A good first call is easy to mistake for a good fit. Both of you want it to work, so both of you keep it light. The awkward questions feel like doubting someone you’ve only just met.

But the questions aren’t about doubt. They’re about the animals, who can’t ask anything themselves, and about a home that someone will be living in while you’re a long way off. A good sitter expects them. It’s better for you both to answer now than to guess later.

And the call works both ways. A sitter who asks no questions is a red flag. They should want to know about your animals, your home and what you expect. Curiosity is one of the better signs you’ll get.

About them and your animals

• Have you looked after an animal like mine? Dogs aren’t cats, and cats aren’t rabbits or horses. Look for specifics, not “lots”.
• What’s the longest sit you’ve done? A long sit is a different thing from a fortnight. Ask what they found hard.
• Have you dealt with this before? Name the unusual bits plainly: medication, injections, a nervous or reactive dog, several animals with different needs, a pool or livestock next door.
• Is there anything you can’t do? An allergy, not driving, not managing stairs. Better known now than discovered mid-sit.

About the things that tend to cause trouble

• How do you usually keep in touch on a sit? Listen for what they could keep up on a quiet week, not what sounds keen.
• Is there anything you’d want to know about the home first? This is your opening to tell them about any indoor camera before they ask. Cameras are something you declare, not something they should discover.
• Would you want anyone to visit while you’re here? A partner for a weekend is easy to agree to. A surprise is not.
• Could you come and meet the animals before we confirm? If distance makes it hard, ask how they’d want to settle in instead.
• How do you usually handle food on a longer stay? It’s a fair question on both sides, and better asked than assumed.
• How would you get here, and would you need a car once you’re here? Public transport, luggage, whether they’d use yours: all worth saying now.
• What would you do if my animal became ill? Listen for a sensible answer: assess, contact you, contact the vet if it’s urgent, and not panic.
• What do you usually leave behind on the last morning? Everyone’s idea of “as I found it” is different.

About the home and the unexpected

• What would you do if something went wrong in the house? A burst pipe, a power cut, the alarm going off at night. Listen for calm and practical.
• What do you need from me to do a good job? A good sitter will have a list. If they don’t, help them start one.
• Is there anything you want to ask me? Save it for last, and leave room for the answer.

Pay attention to how things are said as well as what. Do they admit what they don’t know, or haven’t done? An honest “I’ve never given an injection, but I’d want you to show me” is worth more than a confident yes.

Notice whether they ask about the animals as animals: what the dog is scared of, where the cat hides, what a bad day looks like. That’s someone already picturing the sit.

And if something feels off, it’s fine to keep looking. Saying no politely before anything is agreed is easier on everyone than a sit that starts uneasy.

For the reviews and the video call itself, see our guides on vetting a sitter and on the video call. For the sitter’s side of the same conversation, see our guide on the questions to ask before accepting a housesit.

Several of the questions above are the ones an agreement on Reputable Sitters is made of: keeping in touch, cameras indoors, someone drops by, meeting first, getting there, the urgent vet decision and the last morning. Food isn’t one of them, so agree it between you.

Instead of asking them on a call and hoping you both remember, you each answer them from your own side. The agreement writes itself from your answers. One of you proposes it, the other answers, and each line either matches or isn’t matched yet. Either of you can change an answer before you both sign, and once you have, you can each download a copy.

What the agreement says, if you both settle on trying to meet first:

The rest of the questions still belong in the conversation. The agreement doesn’t know whether they’ve ever given a cat a tablet. You’ll have to ask.