Breadcrumbs: Home > House Sitting Guide > Average Pay for House Sitters
The average pay for a house sitter is $40-$100 per day in the US, £25-£75 per night in the UK, and AUD $60-$100 per night in Australia. Professional sitters with specialist skills or high-needs animals can charge $100-$150 or more per day. Rates depend on location, number of pets, property complexity, and the sitter's experience level.
📊 QUICK FACTS (2026):
Paid Work: $40-$100/day (US), £25-£75/night (UK)
Pro Rates: $150+ for medical/complex sits
The Nomad Secret: Exchange sits pay $0 cash but save us €100-€1,100/night in rent. We've saved €32,400+ this way.
How Much Do House Sitters Get Paid?
The honest answer is that it depends heavily on three things: which country you are in, whether you are using a paid platform or a private arrangement, and what the sit actually involves. A basic no-pet house check in a mid-sized US city pays very differently from a professional overnight sit with three dogs and a large property in London or Sydney.
Here is the current market broken down by region.
United States
The US has the most developed paid house sitting market in the world, driven by platforms like Rover and a strong culture of paying for domestic services.
Basic sits with no pets or minimal maintenance run $30-$50 per day. Standard overnight sits with one or two pets run $40-$100 per day. Professional sitters with certifications, specialist experience with high-needs animals, or coverage of large or complex properties charge $100-$150 or more per day. Data from Care.com, HomeGuide, and UrbanSitter confirm these as current 2025-2026 ranges.
For anyone building toward the professional end of this market, House Sitters America is worth adding to your platform mix alongside Rover.
United Kingdom
Standard arrangements in the UK run £25-£75 per night. Rover's own data from September 2025 puts the London average at £38-£40 per night for a standard house sitting arrangement with a pet. Independent providers in major cities charge £40-£65 per night. Professional or agency sitters with experience and credentials command £80-£100 or more per night.
One practical note: if you are listing on Rover in the UK, factor in their commission when setting your rate. For exchange sits alongside paid work, UK House Sitters is the dedicated domestic platform.
Australia
Australia has a well-developed professional sitting market. Standard paid rates run AUD $60-$100 per night for one pet, confirmed by Airtasker and independent sitter data. Most professional sitters add AUD $10-$20 per additional animal. Longer sits typically attract a 10% discount on the daily rate. Sitters in major cities like Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane command rates at the higher end of this range due to local demand and cost of living.
The main paid platform in Australia is MadPaws. Aussie House Sitters also has a paid market alongside its exchange listings.
Western and Northern Europe
Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Scandinavia, and the Benelux countries all have paid markets, particularly in affluent urban areas. Basic paid sits run €25-€45 per day. Standard with one or two pets run €40-€70 per day. Professional level with complex properties or specialist pet care runs €80-€150 or more per day.
Switzerland in particular commands some of the highest rates in Europe, reflecting the overall cost of living. A professional sit in Geneva or Zurich can push well above the standard range.
Southern Europe
Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Greece have smaller paid markets. Where paid sits exist, basic runs €15-€30 per day, standard with pets €25-€50, professional level €60-€100 or more. The exchange model is dominant in this region so paid opportunities are harder to find, but they do exist, particularly through private arrangements and local agencies rather than international platforms.
Canada and New Zealand
Both countries follow similar patterns to Australia and the UK respectively. House Sitters Canada and Kiwi House Sitting both host a mix of paid and exchange listings. Paid rates broadly track AUD and UK figures adjusted for local cost of living.
What Affects Your Rate
Understanding the market rates is the starting point. These are the factors that determine where you land within that range.
Pet complexity: One calm cat is the baseline. Multiple dogs, animals requiring daily medication, pets with behavioural issues, or livestock all push rates up significantly. Each additional animal typically adds $10-$25 to the daily rate depending on the market.
Property size and complexity: A small urban flat is standard. A property with a pool, extensive gardens, a security system, or coordination with tradespeople like gardeners or cleaners commands more. Some sitters charge a separate property management fee on top of the sitting rate for complex estates.
Duration: Short sits of one to three nights often attract a higher daily rate than longer sits of a week or more. Many professional sitters offer a 10% discount for sits longer than ten days. This reflects the administrative overhead of short arrangements and the stability value of longer ones.
Experience and credentials: A profile with fifty verified reviews commands more than one with five. Certifications in pet first aid, animal behaviour, or veterinary assistance add demonstrable value and justify higher rates. Insurance also matters: sitters carrying their own liability coverage signal professionalism and reduce risk for the homeowner.
Location: Urban rates are higher than rural ones. Demand in major cities like London, Sydney, New York, and Zurich pushes rates to the top of regional ranges. Remote or less desirable locations may need a financial incentive to attract qualified sitters at all.
Platform vs. private: Direct private arrangements typically pay more than platform bookings because there is no commission taken. Rover charges 20% commission on sitter earnings. Building a repeat client base off-platform over time is how many professional sitters increase their effective hourly rate.
How to Build Toward Paid House Sitting
Starting from zero, the path into paid house sitting looks like this.
Get your first reviews anywhere you can. Exchange platforms like TrustedHouseSitters are the fastest way to build a legitimate review history. A profile with ten strong reviews is significantly more compelling to a paying homeowner than one with none. Our TrustedHouseSitters review covers the platform in full.
Build a niche. Sitters who specialise, whether in senior dogs, exotic animals, farm sits, or luxury properties, consistently command higher rates than generalists. Think about what you are genuinely good at and make it prominent in your profile.
Invest in credentials. A pet first aid certificate costs very little and is visible proof of professionalism. It is the kind of detail that distinguishes a paid professional from an enthusiastic amateur in a homeowner's eyes.
Get your own insurance. Platform membership insurance has significant gaps for paid arrangements. Our house sitting insurance guide covers what is and is not covered. Personal liability insurance signals to paying homeowners that you take the role seriously.
Start local and build a repeat client base. The most reliable source of paid house sitting income is repeat clients who come back to you directly. That means no platform commission, flexible scheduling, and rates that rise over time as trust builds. Word of mouth from those clients is also the highest-quality lead source in the market.
Our house sitting profile guide and AI application guide cover the mechanics of building a profile that gets you selected.
The Exchange Model: A Bonus Worth Knowing About
If paid house sitting is your primary goal, the exchange model is worth understanding as a parallel income stream. Not cash income but accommodation value, which for many people is the same thing in practice.
Platforms like TrustedHouseSitters, Nomador, and HouseSitMatch operate on a pure mutual exchange. No money changes hands. The sitter provides pet and home care, and in return receives free accommodation worth, in our experience across 15 sits in 9 countries, anywhere from €100 to €1,100 per night in real rental value.
We have never been paid for a sit. We have also saved over €32,400 in accommodation costs across three years, calculated conservatively at €100 per night. Properties we have stayed in range from a house 500 metres from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to apartments with views of the Mont Blanc range in Switzerland. No paid daily rate replicates that.
For a digital nomad or remote worker, six months of free accommodation, like our upcoming sit in Portugal, means essentially every euro earned from work goes to savings. That is not a wage. But financially it functions like one.
Our how much house sitting costs guide covers the full maths. And if the exchange model interests you alongside paid work, our discount code for TrustedHouseSitters has the current verified offer.
The Tipping Reality
Even on exchange platforms, some homeowners tip at the end of a good sit. It is not expected but it happens, particularly in the US and UK.
A contact of ours in the UK received around £20 per day from homeowners at the end of longer sits, roughly £600 after a month. Still far cheaper for the homeowner than professional boarding. For the sitter, a genuine cash bonus on top of free accommodation in the UK.
From what we have seen in Reddit threads and our own DMs, tipping is more common in Anglo-American contexts. In Europe it is less expected. We have never been tipped ourselves, but it is worth knowing it exists and there is no reason to turn it down.
Konrad & Caro 🐾🚐
DM us @housesittersguide if you have questions — we answer everyone!
FAQ
How much do house sitters get paid per day?
In the US, standard paid house sitting rates run $40-$100 per day for sits with one or two pets. Basic no-pet sits start at $30-$50. Professional sitters in major cities or with specialist skills charge $100-$150 or more. In the UK, standard rates are £25-£75 per night, with a London average of £38-£40 per night on Rover. In Australia, AUD $60-$100 per night for one pet is the professional standard.
How do I get paid house sitting jobs?
The main platforms for paid house sitting are Rover (US and UK), MadPaws (Australia), and local agencies in most major cities. Building a strong review history on exchange platforms like TrustedHouseSitters first is the fastest way to become competitive for paid work. A niche, credentials like pet first aid certification, and your own liability insurance all help push rates higher.
Is house sitting on TrustedHouseSitters paid?
No. TrustedHouseSitters operates on a pure accommodation exchange with no cash payment between sitter and homeowner. The financial value is in the free accommodation itself. For paid house sitting specifically, Rover and local agencies are the right platforms.
Can you make a living from house sitting?
Full-time professional sitters who have built a local client base, established a niche, and moved clients off-platform over time do earn a consistent income. It requires treating it as a business, with credentials, insurance, contracts, and marketing. For most people starting out, the exchange model running alongside part-time paid work is more realistic as an entry point.
Do house sitters get tips?
Sometimes, particularly in the US and UK. A contact of ours in the UK received roughly £20 per day at the end of month-long sits, around £600 total. Still cheaper for the homeowner than professional boarding. Tips are not standard or expected but they do happen on exchange platforms where the homeowner wants to express genuine appreciation.
What is the difference between Rover and TrustedHouseSitters for pay?
Rover is a paid service platform. Homeowners pay per booking, sitters earn a rate minus Rover's 20% commission, and the relationship is transactional. TrustedHouseSitters is an exchange platform where no money changes hands and sitters receive free accommodation instead. Both have their place depending on whether your priority is earning cash or saving on accommodation costs.
