Home > Blog > Should You Mow the Lawn When House Sitting
Quick Facts
| Is mowing required? | Only if the listing specifically asks for it |
| Should it be listed upfront? | Yes — every garden maintenance expectation should be in the listing |
| For short sits (under 2 weeks) | Not expected — focus on the animals and the house |
| For longer sits (1 month+, summer) | A mow is reasonable and often truly appreciated |
| For a 6-month sit | More like maintaining your own home — garden upkeep makes sense |
| If the owner surprises you at arrival | You are within your rights to dispute it and contact the platform |
| Our approach | We mow if it needs it and we feel like it, several times without being asked |
In Lullin, France, the homeowner asked us to mow the lawn. We were there for a month. There was a ride-on mower. I was on that machine before they finished asking. I mowed it twice. That is an accurate description of how I feel about lawn mowing.
I am Australian. Mowing lawns is normal to me. More than normal, it is satisfying. Caro and I have mowed lawns on sits in Leysin, Cries, Lullin, Linz, Bochum, and others, often without being asked. We did it because it felt like the right thing to do in the places we were lucky enough to stay in. We did it because we appreciate the experience and mowing the lawn is one small way to say thank you.
That said, I understand this is not universal. Not everyone wants to do garden maintenance when they are staying somewhere temporarily. The question of whether you should mow the lawn during a house sit does not have a single answer. It has a few, depending on the length of the sit, what the listing says, and the time of year.
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The Length Rule
For a short sit of a week or less, lawn maintenance is not something any reasonable homeowner should expect. The grass is unlikely to need cutting in that time and the sitter's focus is correctly on the animals and the house. Nobody should arrive at a two-night sit to find a note asking them to mow.
For a sit of two weeks in summer, the grass is growing. A quick mow might be welcome, but it is still discretionary rather than expected. If the listing mentions nothing about garden maintenance, it is not part of the arrangement.
For a sit of one month, the dynamic shifts. At a month you are not a temporary presence. You are living in the home. The lawn will grow meaningfully over four weeks, especially in summer. A mow at some point during the sit is a natural part of maintaining a tidy living space, for your own benefit as much as for the homeowner's. I would do it regardless of whether it was asked.
For a six-month sit. Which is what Caro and I are currently doing in Portugal. Garden maintenance is simply part of living there. The listing mentioned garden work. We applied to it knowing that. It is our home for six months. Why would we not look after it?
The principle is simple: the longer the sit, the more it resembles living in your own home, and the more sense it makes to treat the garden accordingly.
The Summer Variable
Grass grows fast in summer. A lawn that was fine when the homeowners left can look truly neglected two weeks later in a hot, wet European summer. A mow is not just courtesy to the homeowners. It makes the space feel livable for you while you are there. Caro and I have come to the conclusion that we want to enjoy the sits we choose. A nicely cut lawn makes a garden feel tidy, inviting, and pleasant to spend time in. Letting it grow long benefits nobody.
This is a practical as much as a hospitality consideration. If you are working from home at a sit, spending evenings on the terrace, or using the outdoor space, a maintained garden is in your direct interest.
When It Should Be in the Listing
Any garden maintenance expectation should be in the listing before the first application is submitted. A homeowner who needs their lawn mowed regularly, their hedges trimmed, or their vegetable garden watered should say so clearly. This is not an unreasonable ask on a longer sit. But it needs to be upfront.
The homeowner who lists a sit as "caring for two cats" and then hands over a comprehensive garden maintenance schedule at the front door has misrepresented the arrangement. This matters because:
The sitter applied based on what was listed. If garden maintenance was not in the listing, it was not part of what they agreed to. Springing it on someone at arrival is not just inconsiderate. It can cause the sit to break down entirely. A sitter who feels misled has every right to raise it with the homeowner and, if it is not resolved, to contact the platform. Our guide to what to do when a homeowner misrepresents a listing covers what to do when this happens.
A homeowner who is upfront about expectations will receive applications from sitters who are truly happy to fulfil them. A homeowner who hides expectations will receive applications from sitters who would not have applied if they had known. Which is a worse outcome for everyone. The consequences of misrepresentation are serious: a sitter who leaves mid-sit, a homeowner who has to cancel a holiday to return for their animals, and a potential platform ban for the homeowner. Honesty in the listing costs nothing and avoids all of that.
If It Is Sprung on You at Arrival
You are within your rights to push back if significant garden maintenance is presented as an expectation that was not in the listing. This is a reasonable position, not a failure of hospitality on your part.
Have the conversation calmly. Ask whether it was listed because you do not recall seeing it. If the homeowner insists it was implied or assumed, explain that the arrangement as you understood it did not include it. If you are willing to do it as a goodwill gesture on a longer sit, say so. But make clear that it is goodwill, not obligation.
If the disagreement cannot be resolved and the maintenance requirement feels unreasonable or disproportionate, contact the platform. This is exactly what the support process exists for. Our house sitting legal issues guide and our misrepresented listing guide cover the escalation steps.
If the homeowner has a contractor who comes regularly, this should also be in the listing. A sitter does not need to know the contractor's schedule to do a good sit, but they should know they are coming so they can plan around it.
The Optional Gesture
Setting aside the obligation question, there is another category: the voluntary mow.
Several of our sits have involved mowing that nobody asked us to do and nobody expected. Leysin, Cries, Lullin, Linz, Bochum. In most of those cases the homeowners were not expecting it and were truly touched when they returned. Small gestures like this, which cost almost nothing in time or effort, are disproportionate in their impact on the relationship.
The Leysin homeowners still message us with photos of their new dog. We had a barbecue with them after the sit ended. That started with a sit that went well, a house that was looked after, and a lawn that was mowed when it did not have to be.
Caro and I already bring a lot to a house sit by being there for the animals and maintaining the home. An extra mow is not what defines us as sitters. But it is part of a pattern of treating the home as if it were ours. Which is how we approach every sit, because that is the standard we set for ourselves. It is why we have a high return rate from homeowners and why the sits continue to build into something more than a transactional exchange.
If you feel like mowing, mow. If you do not, do not. But if a sit has been good to you and you have the time and inclination, it is a small thing with lasting consequences.
The Garden Size Exception
There is a practical limit to this. A small suburban lawn in a French village is one thing. A large garden, an estate, or extensive grounds are another. If the garden is significant in size or complexity, it should be explicitly mentioned in the listing as a requirement, and a contractor should be provided or the compensation of that labour factored into the arrangement.
A sitter should not arrive at a sit expecting to care for two cats and discover that "light garden maintenance" means managing a half-acre property. Do not apply to sits with large gardens if you do not want to maintain them. Read the listing carefully and ask in the pre-sit video call exactly what garden maintenance is expected and how often.
Conclusion
Mowing the lawn during a house sit is not required unless the listing says it is. For short sits it is rarely relevant. For longer summer sits it becomes a practical part of maintaining the home. For six-month sits it is simply part of living somewhere.
The obligation question matters less than the honesty question. Homeowners should list garden expectations clearly. Sitters should read the listing carefully and raise any concerns before confirming. If an expectation appears at the door that was not in the listing, the sitter is within their rights to question it.
For those who enjoy it. And some of us truly do. A voluntary mow is one of the easiest ways to leave a lasting impression on a sit. It takes twenty minutes and it tells the homeowner something specific about the kind of people you are. Some of our best ongoing relationships with homeowners started exactly there.
Read our cleaning and etiquette guide and our house sit checkout guide for the full picture of how Caro and I approach looking after a home.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is mowing the lawn part of a house sitter's job?
Only if the listing specifically says so. Garden maintenance that is not listed is not part of the arrangement. For longer sits in summer, a mow is reasonable and often appreciated, but it should be voluntary rather than assumed unless explicitly agreed. If a homeowner raises it at arrival and it was not in the listing, the sitter is within their rights to question it.
What should I do if a homeowner asks me to mow the lawn at the last minute?
Have a calm conversation about whether it was in the listing. If it was not, explain that the arrangement as you understood it did not include it. If you are willing to do it as a goodwill gesture on a longer sit, make clear it is goodwill rather than obligation. If the disagreement cannot be resolved, contact the platform. See our misrepresented listing guide for the full escalation process.
How do I know if a house sit includes garden maintenance?
Read the listing carefully and ask during the pre-sit video call. Any garden maintenance expectation should be stated explicitly in the listing. If it is not mentioned in the listing and not raised in the video call, it is not part of the arrangement. Our video call guide covers everything to confirm before a sit starts.
