Here at Workaway you will find 594 hosts and organisations for house sitting work from around the world.
Low cost travel without having to pay expensive agency fees.
Here you will find 31 last minute opportunities for house sitting work from Hosts that have indicated that they require help immediately.
There are 3444 reviews for 382 Workaway hosts for House sitting help from Workaway members.
382 Hosts for House sitting were rated at least 4.9/5!
Registering as a Host
Registering as a host with workaway.info is completely free of charge.
Workaway.info has been set up to promote and encourage exchange and learning. Hosts on Workaway should be interested in cultural exchange and sharing experiences. They should be able to provide a welcoming friendly environment for visitors as well as offering accommodation and food.
Register to be a hostCan you see yourself soaking up the sun on a sun bed by your own pool in an island villa? Or walking a dog through the early morning mist along a deserted beach? Popping down from your flat to pick up some bagels in a trendy neighbourhood? Setting up your computer catch up with work by a window with a great view? These might seem like images from someone else’s life, but they could be yours for a while if you volunteer to do some house sitting while you’re travelling!
House sitting is what a volunteer does when someone asks them to live in their home while they are away on holiday or travelling. The house sitter can stay in the property for free, in exchange for taking on a combination of responsibilities. Usually the main reason an owner wants a house sitter to look after their house for free is to look after their pets and to keep the house secure and occupied. However the house sitter may be asked to do other jobs too, like simple maintenance (including looking after the pool and watering the garden), and generally making sure that everything runs smoothly, just as if the owner was at home. All of the facilities in the house, such as cooking utensils, washing machine, TV and Wi-Fi, are available for the house sitter to use free of charge.
Sounds like a great arrangement, doesn’t it? It’s certainly a fantastic way to volunteer and travel the world, saving you heaps of money on accommodation. But let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of house sitting, before looking at some tips on how to find house sitting opportunities on Workaway.
Once you start checking out housesitting opportunities on Workaway, you’ll soon find out that it usually isn’t the house that you have to think about – your responsibility is really for the pets. Of course Workaway hosts want someone who will care for their home, but mostly they want your loving care and undivided attention to go to their beloved pets, or possibly their precious plants. It’s important to know this before embarking on your adventure and to think about the implications of this responsibility. And there may be other aspects of house sitting that don’t suit you.
So you’ve heard stories of people house sitting in amazing properties rent-free. And after reading the pros and cons of house sitting, you're interested in trying it for yourself. Here are some tips for finding house sitting opportunities on Workaway and some FAQ about house sitting.
Workaway is the world’s leading community for volunteering and cultural exchange. Lone travellers will find plenty of opportunities to meet and connect with the locals, but Workaway also offers many opportunities for couples, friends and families. Workaway has more than 50,000 opportunities and many of them are looking for house sitters – this is the perfect way to make travelling affordable anywhere in the world, or to allow you to travel for longer. Whether you want to visit coastal paradises, inland cities or farms, or get right off the beaten track and immerse yourself in wild nature and local life, the perfect host is waiting to hear from you. It doesn’t matter whether you are exploring during your summer holidays, or seeking a gap year adventure, the volunteering opportunities are almost unlimited and will guarantee you have the time of your life.
Like other volunteering opportunities, Workaway house sitters save money on accommodation, while traveling on vacation, or when living nomadically. House sitters can experience living like locals in different countries and cultures around the world, for anything from a few days to several months, or sometimes even longer. Although there is not a separate list of hosts looking for house sitters, there are plenty of house sitting opportunities available all over the world that can be found on the Workaway site. When using the Workaway search tool, just enter “house sitting” in the text box on the host search page and start choosing from hundreds of hosts currently looking for house sitters all over the world. Some of these are one-offs but others are more regular, since ex-pats often return to their mother countries regularly to visit family members.
If you’re very young, or look like a violent criminal, you’re probably going to find it hard to get a place! But if you’re responsible, trustworthy and a genuine animal lover, you stand a good chance of becoming a house sitter.
Competition can be steep, as many volunteers like the idea of some independent time and more and more people are learning about the money-saving benefits of house sitting. So when you write to your host looking for a house sitting opportunity, make sure you give enough information to inspire confidence. It will help if you can offer a testimonial or reference, and don’t forget to ask Workaway hosts that you’ve already stayed with to give you a review.
Remember, although all volunteering opportunities are based on trust and part of the sharing economy, house sitting involves even more trust than usual, because you will be left in charge of the owner’s beloved home and animals.
House sits can last from a couple of weeks to a few months. Usually they cover people’s holidays, so one to two weeks is common.
This will depend on your agreement. Some hosts will provide your food, but others will expect you to do your own shopping. Make sure you discuss this. Pet food should obviously be paid for by the house owner, and the owner should also make sure items like toilet paper, cleaning sprays, clean cloths and dishwasher tablets are fully stocked up before the house sit begins.
It isn’t essential to have your own car, but you might find it difficult to live without one in a remote location. Ask your host about public transport and shops before committing yourself to a house sit.
Again this will depend on the agreement you make with your host. The house owner’s main concern is usually the welfare of their pets, but it would be very strange behaviour to stay in someone’s house and leave it dirty. If you haven’t agreed to do more, then a basic clean up is advisable before the owners return. If you’ve been sleeping in the owner’s bed, it’s also nice to wash the sheets and make the bed for them, especially if they’ll be getting back at night. Both the house owner and sitter should leave the home clean for each other out of basic courtesy. And remember, if you get good reviews, you will find it easier to get other house sitting opportunities!
House sitting duties vary hugely from job to job; you could have an easy-maintenance cat that just needs dry food and water topping up (quite rare though), or a whole zoo of animals that require medication, multiple walks and even special meals, along with a list of household jobs.
If you are planning to visit any country as a volunteer and not as a tourist, you must have the correct visa. To find out about the latest requirements, you need to contact the Embassy in your home country before travelling. And please don’t forget to take out appropriate insurance to make sure you qualify for healthcare!
House sitting can be a fantastic way to travel and to get to know a new place at a low cost. For house owners, it’s a brilliant way to keep their pets happy while they’re away. If you’re ready to expect the unexpected, enjoy someone else’s home and kitchen and love someone else’s animals, then house sitting could be perfect for you. Why wait any longer? Join Workaway and get planning your trip! And once you’re there, making yourself at home, remember to get out and visit the area as much as possible – you’re still a traveller after all!
