TrustedHousesitters Review [2024]: Should you Pet Sit for Free Lodging?

What is TrustedHousesitters?

TrustedHousesitters, also called THS, is the go-to house-sitting platform for tens of thousands of pet owners, animal lovers, and digital nomads worldwide who want affordable pet care or economical lodging while they travel.

It has a beautiful, easy-to-use website and highly rated mobile app, making signing up fast and easy.

However, there’s a twist.

TrustedHouseSitters isn’t your traditional side hustle because you don’t get paid (in dollars anyway). In fact, you must purchase a membership that costs between $129 and $259 a year to be a pet sitter.

You’re probably wondering what type of platform requires the sitters to pay a membership fee and then doesn’t pay them? Isn’t this a scam?

It’s not. TrustedHousesitters pays in another way: lodging. Pet sitters can travel the world, finding pet-sitting jobs in almost any destination while getting a free place to stay in exchange for their services.

So, while I’m all for finding as many income streams as possible, this is one side gig that doesn’t pay the traditional way but may pay off for certain people.

How does TrustedHousesitters work?

TrustedHousesitters is simple to use, whether you’re a pet sitter or looking for care. To be a sitter, you must buy a membership, complete your profile, and apply for sitting opportunities.

The good news is that paid memberships let you apply for as many sitting opportunities as you want.

If you’re just browsing and haven’t decided if TrustedHousesitters is the right fit, you can sign up for a free account. This will allow you to browse different sitting opportunities worldwide to see if it's something you want. The downside is that you can’t apply for the jobs until you purchase a membership.

Sitting responsibilities vary by listing but may include:

• Feeding and walking pets
• Watering plants
• Spending time with pets
• Keeping the home clean

Some jobs may require more tasks, but you can video chat with the pet owner before accepting a job. If you aren’t comfortable with what they require, you don’t have to match and can keep looking for other opportunities.

Common questions to ask a sitter before accepting a job include:

• Do the animals require medication?
• Are the animals on a special diet, or are they allergic to anything?
• Are any special household tasks required?

It’s easiest to have the conversations via Skype or Zoom, as you can ask as many questions as you need and get the necessary answers.

It’s also important to ask about the types of animals you’ll watch. While cats and dogs are most common, you may see listings for horses, chickens, fish, reptiles, birds, rabbits, and more. You can filter homes by the types of pets you’d like to care for. You can also choose “No Pets,” but few listings without pets exist.

How much can you earn with TrustedHousesitters?

If you’re looking for the best side hustle to make extra money, TrustedHousesitters isn’t it because sitters don’t get financially compensated, but that’s part of the appeal.

Pet sitters (travelers) and pet owners benefit in the following ways:

• Pet owners: You can get nearly free pet care and have someone watch your house while you’re gone.
• Pet sitters (travelers): You can pet or home sit and eliminate the cost of lodging.

Let’s break down a potential scenario to see if TrustedHousesitters is worth using for you as a traveler who wants to pet and/or home sit.

After creating a free account, I was able to look at available house sitting opportunities worldwide. I found a sitter opportunity in Sydney, Australia, from December 20 to December 30, 2024.

The listing featured a four-bedroom, four-bathroom home in Sydney with a pool, large deck, and balcony. The property is also located near one of Sydney’s most beautiful beaches. Responsibilities include feeding and walking the dogs several times a day, staying in the house or close to it often because the dogs are used to people, and watering the plants. So you get ten days of lodging in a giant home in a cool part of the world for playing with three cute dogs.

I compared that with Airbnbs in the area on the exact dates featuring homes with four bedrooms and four bathrooms and found several listings like this one for $1,218 a night, just over $12,000.

While this is just one example, you can see how TrustedHousesitters may open up travel opportunities that otherwise may be outside your budget. It can help you save thousands of dollars on lodging.

How to get started with TrustedHousesitters

Signing up for TrustedHousesitters is as easy as visiting the TrustedHousesitters website and filling out a short form to create your free account.

A free account only requires a name, email, and password. This lets you access listings worldwide, but you can’t apply for any opportunities.

To apply for sittings or list your home as an owner, you must purchase an annual membership.

After that, simply fill out your profile and apply for opportunities if you want to be a sitter. Or fill out your profile and create your listing if you need someone to house sit.

How to save money with TrustedHousesitters

Although you can’t earn money with TrustedHousesitters, you can save money on lodging or pet care. Lodging is often a significant expense for travelers, so TrustedHousesitters provides opportunities to erase that expense.

Getting to stay in a house and only having to take care of a pet or two and do a few minor chores sounds like a great deal for budget travelers. But you must qualify for sitting opportunities, which happens only if a host accepts your application.

The best way to increase your rate of accepted applications is to get homeowners to trust you. Here are some ways to make yourself look more trustworthy:

1. Complete verifications. TrustedHousesitters lets you complete different verification forms, including email, phone, ID, and external references. These verifications show up in your profile picture once completed.
2. Fill out your profile. More information is often better when filling out your profile. People want to get a feel for who you are, so help them with clear photos and descriptions.
3. Get good reviews. It’s up to homeowners to leave you a review after you complete a sitting. The best you can do to get good reviews is to ensure you complete all your responsibilities during the sitting and gently remind owners to leave a review. Getting reviews is often the most challenging hurdle to overcome as a beginner.

How to get good reviews on TrustedHousesitters

There’s no guarantee you’ll get a good review on TrustedHousesitters, whether you’re a sitter or an owner. Just like Google reviews, or testimonials on a company’s website, it’s up to the individual to decide whether they want to leave one.

However, if you had a good experience, and you think the host did too, you can offer to leave a review for them, and hope that they will reciprocate.

To get good reviews as a sitter, you can:

• Follow all directions about taking care of the pets and the home
• Communicate clearly with owners and respond quickly to notifications

To get good reviews as an owner, you can:

• Leave detailed instructions about sitter responsibilities in a welcome guide and discuss responsibilities through messages and video chats
• Communicate clearly with sitters and respond quickly to notifications

How to stay safe while working for TrustedHousesitters

Everyone on TrustedHousesitters is likely a stranger to you, but here are some tips to help keep you safe as a sitter or owner:

• Learn about the home and the pets in conversations with the owner
• Choose a plan with insurance
• Choose a plan with 24/7 vet consultation
• Work with U.S.-based sitters, as they’re required to complete background checks
• Ask if homes have cameras installed
• Research areas for crime rates before applying for a sitting position
• Work with sitters who have completed all available verifications
• Work with sitters who have good reviews
• Check past reviews about sitters and owners

Alternatives to TrustedHousesitters

TrustedHousesitters provides relatively cheap opportunities for someone to take care of your pets or to provide lodging when you travel. But if you don’t think you’ll travel enough for the membership fee to be worth it, compare TrustedHousesitters to other side hustle options.

	TrustedHousesitters	Rover	Uber Eats
Services involved	Pet sitting House sitting	Pet boarding Pet sitting House sitting Dog walking Dog training Doggy day care Drop-in visits	Food delivery
Sign-up cost	$129 to $399 per year	$35 profile review fee	None
Requirements	Create your profile Buy a membership Complete email, phone, ID, and external references verifications	Create your profile Set your services, rates, and preferences Request testimonials Pass a safety quiz Complete a background check	Be at least 18 years old Have a valid U.S. driver’s license if using a car or scooter Submit required documentation Complete an online screening
Potential income	None	Variable, depends on how much you work and the rates you charge	Variable, depends on how much you work and if you receive tips

TrustedHousesitters focuses on exchanging pet sitting for lodging accommodations while traveling. If you simply want side gig opportunities in your local community that involve pets, consider Rover instead. This pet sitting app pays you to pet sit, house sit, dog walk, board pets, take care of dogs at your home, and make drop-in visits.

If you have a vehicle and some spare time, making food deliveries with Uber Eats can make sense. Depending on where you live, you may also be able to use a motorized scooter or a bicycle — or even just your own two feet. You can earn with Uber Eats by getting enough orders to make it worthwhile, so being in a busy area can be helpful for this particular side hustle.

FAQ

Bottom line

TrustedHousesitters isn’t your typical side hustle, but it saves you money in the same way that living rent-free with your parents does. If traveling is important to you and you prefer to do it frequently, TrustedHousesitters could be a good gig because you could potentially save thousands on lodging.

If you don’t travel, there are plenty of other side hustle opportunities to help you reach your financial goals.