I stood on the balcony, gripping a warm mug of coffee, staring directly at the steel arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge shimmering in the morning sun. It was a ten-minute walk away. Behind me, in the sprawling living room of a $3 million home, a toy poodle named Coco was just waking up on a designer rug that probably cost more than my first car.
I took a sip of coffee and checked my bank account. No rent payment had gone out. No hotel bill was pending. I was living in one of the most expensive cities in the world, in a home most people only see in architectural magazines, and it wasn't costing me a cent.
This wasn't a heist, and I haven't won the lottery. This was just Tuesday.
If you are reading this, you’ve probably scrolled through House Sitting Sites, seen those incredible listings, oceanfront villas, mountain chalets, penthouse apartments and thought, "There is no way I’m getting that."
You might feel like these opportunities are reserved for a secret club of elite travelers or people who do this for a living. You apply, you hear silence, and you go back to booking an overpriced Airbnb.
The pain point isn't that these sits don't exist; it's that you don't know the unspoken rules of how to land them. You are competing in a marketplace based entirely on trust, and if your profile screams "amateur," the owners of multi-million dollar estates will keep scrolling.
Caro and I have been there. We didn't start with a portfolio of luxury homes. But after staying in Swiss chalets, Tuscan farmhouses, and that stunning Sydney residence, we cracked the code. The solution isn't luck.
It’s a specific strategy of positioning, platform selection, and professional communication. Here is the deep dive into exactly how we land luxury house sits, so you can stop scrolling and start packing.
The Foundation: Choosing the Right Battlefield
The first mistake most people make is looking in the wrong places. If you want to find high-end, luxury properties, you have to go where the serious homeowners are.
In our experience, while you can find gems on almost every site, the "pay-to-play" platforms are where the real luxury inventory lives. We’ve found that the more you pay for the platform membership, the higher the quality of the homes.
It sounds counter intuitive, why pay to work for free? but hear us out.
Websites like Trusted House Sitters and Nomador act as a filter. The membership fee weeds out the house sitters who are just looking for a free crash pad because they are homeless or desperate. Homeowners with assets worth millions want to know you are serious. They want to see that you have skin in the game.
Caro and I have literally stayed in places that would usually go for 650 Euro per night, with views that would blow most people's minds. The vast majority of these house sitting opportunities were on paid services.
Even though Trusted House Sitters has introduced a booking fee that we find unappealing, it remains the heavyweight champion for volume and quality of luxury listings. If you are serious about this, you need to be where the inventory is.
The "Chicken and Egg" Problem: Reviews vs. Experience
Here is the cold, hard truth we learned the hard way: You cannot land a luxury sit with an empty profile.
When we were first starting, we applied for a dream house sit in Switzerland. It was perfect. We wrote a great message. The owner wrote back and straight-up told us: "You need at least seven 5-star reviews before I can consider you."
It felt unfair. How do you get reviews if no one will hire you?
The strategy is to lower your sights temporarily to raise them permanently. You need to get house-sits without prior experience by targeting low-competition, local gigs first.
Look for a short weekend sit nearby. Ask friends, family, or even your boss to give you a reference to get the ball rolling. We found that once we hit that magic number of 10 reviews, every door unlocked. Suddenly, the Trusted house sitters review on our profile carried more weight than our actual application message.
If you are struggling to break in, check out How Can I Find House Sitting Near Me Using Online Services. Do a few weekend sits for regular homes with easy pets. Build that social proof. Once you have those 5-star badges, you can pivot to the mansions. It’s a ladder, and you have to climb the first few rungs.
The Art of the Profile: Signaling Trust
Owners of luxury homes are not looking for a "buddy." They are looking for a security guard, a pet lover, and a property manager rolled into one. Your House Sitting Profile needs to reflect that.
One critical element is the background check. You might think it's invasive, but for a high-end homeowner, it’s non-negotiable. They need to know that the person they are talking to online is the real person arriving at their gate. Platforms like Trusted House Sitters and Nomador often offer this for free with sign-up. Get it done. It’s a trust signal that sets you apart from the casual travelers.
Furthermore, consider Insurance Coverage while House Sitting. While not always mandatory, purchasing premium memberships that include coverage (not insurance) gives owners peace of mind. It shows you are committed. If you accidentally break a vase in a $3 million home (nightmare fuel), having that coverage may help you with covering the costs of replacing the vase.
The Application Strategy: Speed and Personalization
So, you have the platform and the profile. Now, how do you compete with "career" house sitters who have hundreds of reviews?
You have to be fast, and you have to be personal.
We have a system. When a notification pops up for a dream sit, we don't hesitate. We have a pre-written template, but, and this is crucial we customize it heavily. We change the names of the owners and the animals immediately. We reference specific details from their listing.
"Hi [Name], we’d love to take Coco for those morning walks to the harbour…"
This personalized introductory message is the hook. It gets the house owner to click on your profile. That is where you lock them in with genuine photos and the reviews you worked hard to get.
However, keep your eyes open for red flags. Just because a home is luxurious doesn't mean the owner is a good host. We’ve learned that if a house owner treats you like a worker or someone who should be "grateful" to breathe their air, run. It is an equal exchange. If they start from a position of power, expecting you to scrub floors like Cinderella, they will be critical in the reviews. Which companies provide verified reviews for housesitting services? The ones that value two-way trust.
Managing the Luxury: Staff, Amenities, and Expectations
One question we get asked often is: What Do House Sitters Usually Do in these massive homes? Do I have to mow a two-acre lawn?
Here is the good news: luxury house sits usually come with help.
So far, most of the high-end homes we looked after had cleaners and gardeners. These staff members usually know the routine and have already been informed of our arrival. Your job isn't to deep clean the pool; it's to maintain the status quo and keep the pets happy.
However, never assume. house sitting safety and protocol require communication. We always ask about the pools, saunas, and wine cellars during the walkthrough or video call. It is better to ask "Can we use the gym?" beforehand than to awkwardly explain why the treadmill is left on later.
When it comes to the pets, the care level varies, but pet boarding vs house sitting in a luxury environment usually means the animals are treated like royalty. You need to be prepared to maintain that standard. If the cat eats 82g of food exactly, you weigh it.
The Money Talk: Payment vs. Exchange
A common misconception is that if the house is wealthy, the sitter gets paid.
In our experience, average pay for house sitters in the luxury sector is usually zero. It is strictly an exchange. Think about it: the homeowner is saving thousands on kennels and security, and you are saving thousands on accommodation.
We believe that with the popularity of platforms growing, high-end homeowners prefer paying the yearly platform fee rather than a salary. They get a "stay-at-home" sitter who is there for the love of travel and pets, not just a paycheck. While we have received tips, we never expect them. The value is waking up 10 minutes from the Sydney Opera House without a mortgage.
If you are looking for a house sitting job where cash changes hands, you might want to look into professional services like Rover, but those rarely come with the live-in luxury lifestyle of international travel.
Handling the Unexpected
Even in paradise, things break.
If you are in a luxury home and something valuable breaks, do not hide it. Call the homeowner immediately. Inform them of the breakage. If you have that insurance we mentioned earlier, see if it can be resolved that way. house sitting legal issues can arise if you try to cover things up.
Also, be prepared for the reality that the home might not match the pictures (though this is rare in the luxury tier). If a home is not as described, inform support and contact the owner. Your safety comes first.
Why We Do It (And Why You Should Too)
People often ask Can I use housesitting as a way to travel affordably across the US or Europe? The answer is a resounding yes. We sold most of our stuff and now chain sits together like a travelling circus.
We focus on the "sweet spot" of 2-4 cats or 1-2 dogs. This gives us ample time to enjoy the pool, explore the city, or just sit on a balcony that costs millions of dollars.
The best platforms for international housesitting opportunities have opened the world to us. Whether it is House Sitters Canada, Kiwi House Sitting, or Uk House Sitters, the inventory is there.
If you are in the States, house sitting america and What are the best house sitting platforms available in the United States are great queries to start with, but usually, the big international players cover the luxury market best.
Final Thoughts: Just Start
The first few house sits were a bit awkward for us. We were looking after literal mansions in some of the most beautiful places around the world, feeling a bit like imposters. But now? It’s second nature.
We know we bring value. We keep the house safe, taking in mail, opening shutters, making it look lived in so Do house sitters have to stay overnight is a definite yes for security. We love the pets. And we leave the home spotless.
If you want this lifestyle, don't overthink it.
Start local. Get verified. Be professional. And soon, you might find yourself drinking coffee on a balcony overlooking a harbour, wondering how you got so lucky.
If you need a bank that works great for this nomadic lifestyle, we recommend N26 for handling currencies without the headache. And if you’re heading down under, Aussie House Sitters is a fantastic local option.
Caro & Konrad 🐾🚐
DM us @housesittersguide if you have questions — we answer everyone!
Which house sitting websites are actually best for finding high-end, luxury properties?
I have been with a few house sitting websites and have to say that on every house sitting website you will find luxury house sits. But I would say that the more you pay for the platform, for example Trusted House Sitters and Nomador, the more you will find. Because the price usually invites people who are more serious about house sitting and even more so will weed out house sitters who are just looking for accommodation because they are homeless.
Do luxury homeowners typically pay sitters, or is it strictly an exchange for accommodation?
I think that with websites such as Trusted House Sitters and Nomador growing in popularity, you will find that more and more high end luxury home owners will prefer paying a yearly fee with the platform than paying for a home sitter. It's a huge saving for them + they get a better service, because they have a stay at home house sitter, who will look after the home and the pets.
What specific "red flags" should I look for in a luxury house sitting listing?
I would say that if the house owner is treating you like a worker, or someone who should be grateful to look after their home is a big red flag. It's an equal exchange and when a home owner is off the bat in a position of power, thinking that they are providing all the goodies, then you can expect them to ask more of you than expected and also be more critical on the reviews.
Is a background check required for high-end house sitting, and how do I get one?
I would say that people in most house sits, would prefer knowing that the person they are talking to online is the real person that is arriving at the house sit. That's why platforms like THS and Nomador offer it free with every sign up.
Do luxury house sits usually come with staff like cleaners or gardeners I need to manage?
So far most of the homes we looked after that would be considered luxury, had cleaner. The cleaners usually know what to do already and have already been informed of us being there.
What is the etiquette for using amenities like pools, gyms, or wine cellars in a luxury home?
I always ask about the pools, saunas etc during the walkthrough. It's nice to work this out before the luxury house owner leaves the house.
You can always also message. But what I have found so far, is that the house owners will inform you of the amenities they have and how to use them while they are away.
