Housesitting question

[Bantamlover23]

I was wondering how mush you would pay a housesitter to come to your house and watch your animals. I have been doing this for a couple years but not seriously. I only have a few houses that I take care of on a consistent basis. Now I am looking into starting to become more serious about acquiring new houses because I need money. I have experience in most type of animals but mainly dogs, cats, and horses. In the past I have taken care of a bearded dragon and I own chickens so I have experience with them.

I am just not sure to charge for housesitting. The house I have the most often pays me $30 a day if I go over twice or stay over night and she has 3 horses, 4 cats, and 5 dogs so I am doing a lot.

I am also very responsable and I think that is important to have that quality while housesitting.

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

I would visit the websites of local boarding kennels and see how much they charge per animal and go from there. I am looking for bird/horse sitter now and most charge about 25-40 a day coming to feed twice daily, my dogs are boarded at 13.50 for under 30# and 15.00 for over (daily). If you were going to make a business out of it, get your references in writing and maybe even a background check so you can prove what you are worth. I am super picky about who takes care of my animals and am having a tough time finding the right person (No I do not live even remotely near you

and the lady you are sitting for is getting a heck of a deal.

 

[corancher]

That does seem a lot of work for $30.00 per day. How long does it take you to care for the animals and any other chores (collecting mail, newpapers, house keeping)? I would charge a higher amount if it requires you to stay as opposed to caring for the animals and leaving. You might also think about charging mileage in addition to your per day or trip charge.

Check with a few other boarders or pet care sitters to see what they are charging (You will likely have to pose as a customer). That way you will have a general ideal of what others are charging. Good luck with your business.

 

[PotterWatch]

We have paid $10/day for someone to come stay at our house to feed our two dogs and chickens as well as collect eggs. Both times we have done that it has been a friend or the daughter of a friend. They had full use of the tv and computer as well as any food in the fridge and pantry. We ended up giving a bonus as long as everything had been done so it probably ended up more like 12 or 13 per day.

ETA: We didn't ask for any house cleaning other than picking up after themselves. Nor did they need to collect mail.

 

[Chickenmaven]

I pay $25-$30 per day, depending on what I am asking & what I am providing. I pay $20 per day to a young man I know, because he stays for a week to 10 days and has all the amenities (food, cable, private room, etc.)

Some advice: Get "bonded". Also: Don't set your prices low to start, you'll have a hard time ever raising them.

Best of luck!

 

[Tigerjane]

Quote:
Whoa, are they getting one heck of a deal!

I run a pet sitting business, and we charge $10 per 30minute visit for a cat, $12 for a dog, additional for a second pet ($2 for cat, $4 for dog), and if we stay in your home it's $50 for 10hrs, including a short walk at the end and beginning of the visit for up to two pets. Prices are all area dependent, but we are most definitely on the low of the low end for our services.

You must be there for HOURS every time, and you also have to consider how much it would cost to board those same animals as compared to using you. Your neighbor is saving MUCHO amounts of money. Probably won';t be able to raise it too much right away on the people you already work for, but your new clients should be charged a higher rate. Don't give it away!

 

[shadowpaints]

we just had a house sitter come while we went camping for 4 days. we have a lot of animals, 20 mini horses, 5 dogs, 100+ chickens 4 big horses. BUT the way i have it set up is that it takes less than 30 minutes AM and PM to feed, and water everyone and the dogs are pretty much outside during the day. what i did, is i hired a teenage (18) girl to come stay at my house for 4 days to care for the animals. i brought her the day before, she followed me around and saw how long it took to do chores, i then asked her if 20$ a day was ok, she said that was fine, all she really had to do was walk to each pen with horses in it and throw 1 flake per mini in each pen and make sure water was available. total, i paid her 100 as she did a really good job. discuss it with the person that house sits, or pay what YOU would expect to be paid if you were doing the same amount of chores for some one else!

hope that helps!

Edit to add- we also took her grocery shopping and made sure she had plenty of food and soda! ( spent 50 or so on groceries

 

[Bantamlover23]

Thank you for your replies. I have been knowing this lady has been getting a deal and when I stay over I usually I let the dogs 3 to 4 times a day then I stay the night. In the morning it takes a little over an hour to feed all of the animals because a lot of them are on medications and I have to make sure that they get it. I have been with anyone new I am raising my price becasue it is a lot of work.

 

[ChickenFanaticAB]

I house sit fairly regularly, not as a primary means of income, but it definitely helped me out through college, and I still maintain those relationships despite having a full time job. In my opinion, you are not asking enough for all of the pets that those people have. I get paid $50 per day for staying at someones house full time (by full time I mean, I sleep there, and plan to take the dog out 5-6 times per day). Of the two families that I sit for most often, one has two golden retrievers, and the other has one large mutt and two cats. When I started, I was offered $50 so I took it, and I think it is a fair price. These people can know with confidence that their pets and house will be well taken care of. I am located in Atlanta, so prices for boarding would be higher as it is, but the fact is, these people are willing to pay to ensure that their pets are well taken care of while they are gone, and get to stay in the comfort of their homes. For someone who only wanted me to come by a few times a day, I would probably charge about $30, or $10 per visit depending on the care required, but the truth is, if I have to drive to someone's house 3x a day, I will be spending a lot on gas, so the price wouldn't really drop dramatically. I have considered trying to make this work as a primary means of income, but for now, it is best as supplemental. Definitely continue doing it though if you are interested. If you prove to be a reliable pet sitter, word spreads fast, and those connections will last a long time. Good luck!