house sitting

[Scambone]

Should a flat rate be 200 a week or should it change depending the distance and the animals I'm looking after.

I just was asked if I would house sit for 2 dogs, 1 cat, one turtle, one rabbit and a lizard for a week.

 

[LovesTimone]

A girl I went to school with is a professional house sitter, pet sitter and nanny. She started doing it in high school and continued into college and it just blossomed from there. She has a serious wanderlust, and vagabond lifestyle, which for her works, she has clients all over the country. Some she has been with since her college days. For 10 years she never even had a home of her own. She just bought a townhouse that she calls the retirement villa.

I know she bases her fees on what each client wants, needs and expects. The minimum she gets for a week 250.00 plus tip, also most of her clients provide food, and pay for gas or give her a car to use. That's just to house sit, the fee goes up from there for pets, and for kiddos the amount doubles or triples that basic amount. She has been to Europe 3 times and to Australia once with some of her families, all paid by the families.

So 200.00 for a week is fair.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Should a flat rate be 200 a week or should it change depending the distance and the animals I'm looking after.

I just was asked if I would house sit for 2 dogs, 1 cat, one turtle, one rabbit and a lizard for a week.

Oh, I would change it. You can charge by the type of animal, by the # of animals, by the area (ie - far and away from you), etc. If you've never sat for this family, but got referred by your previous client, you don't want to be too far off the $200/week, but I can see asking for $225 or even $250 for a week since there are so many diverse animals (and if this wasn't a referral, I might go to $275 or $300, especially since it sounds like they aren't as convenient to you). I wouldn't go any higher than $300, though.

 

[Scambone]

A girl I went to school with is a professional house sitter, pet sitter and nanny. She started doing it in high school and continued into college and it just blossomed from there. She has a serious wanderlust, and vagabond lifestyle, which for her works, she has clients all over the country. Some she has been with since her college days. For 10 years she never even had a home of her own. She just bought a townhouse that she calls the retirement villa.

I know she bases her fees on what each client wants, needs and expects. The minimum she gets for a week 250.00 plus tip, also most of her clients provide food, and pay for gas or give her a car to use. That's just to house sit, the fee goes up from there for pets, and for kiddos the amount doubles or triples that basic amount. She has been to Europe 3 times and to Australia once with some of her families, all paid by the families.

So 200.00 for a week is fair.

This sounds epic.


thank you everyone for your replies

 

[NMAmy]

We pay our dog sitter $25 per day, I provide all food, and I usually give an extra day's pay in as a tip (sometimes more for a particularly long stay.) That said, I have people fighting to do this--I have the world's easiest, most mellow dog and a nice house with all the amenities. I work at a college so I know a lot of college aged kids. It's win/win for me.

That said, you really should come up with a set price you charge and how much extra per animal/distance, etc. Value your work and others will value it, too.

 

[dpswift]

Should a flat rate be 200 a week or should it change depending the distance and the animals I'm looking after.

I just was asked if I would house sit for 2 dogs, 1 cat, one turtle, one rabbit and a lizard for a week.

For the 2 dogs that live close by $200 seems reasonable considering it is not much more than the amount they are currently paying for weekends,

for the family with many pets I would charge more. The lizard will need crickets which will most likely need to be purchased at least once during the week. I do not know what care a rabbit or turtle need. I would most likely charge $40 a day for them and I think that they would still be getting a deal.

 

[inkedupmomma]

WOW! I own a pet sitting business and work closely with people who hire house sitters and they get at a minimum $75 a night, and that doesn't include taking care of pets (I get paid separately from that.) They also provide food and snacks for the house sitter. I'd say your people have a very good situation with you

 

[fabulousfive]

We pay our dog sitter $50 a day and she stays around the clock. However in your situation, it doesn't seem like you can raise the prices too drastically just because it's a longer trip. Also, are these family friends or neighbors? Do you do it mostly as a favor with some compensation, or is it mostly a job? These are some other factors to consider internally.