How much to charge for house and pet sitting for 3 weeks?

[Dizneydaz]

I live in Southern California, about 30 minutes from Disneyland and I may be offered a chance to housesit for someone who lives close by for 3 weeks. It also involves watching 2 dogs at the same time. What is a fair price to charge for this service?

I'm thinking of eating my meals at my own home but staying there overnight and during the day for a few hours to keep on eye on the house and dogs.

I don't have much more info than that. The house is fairly close to me so luckily the high cost of gas won't be a huge issue.

I would like to have a basic idea of what to ask for when I talk to the owner.

TIA!

 

[lurkernj]

We have paid $150/week to my adult nephew who pretty much does the same thing. He sleeps there, or goes first thing in the morning, stops in a few times per day to let him out and just watch tv or something so the pup isn't too lonely. This is for one large dog (who's not always well behaved)

 

[disprincessatheart]

Last summer was the only time we have boarded our dog when we went away. It was $35 per day for a small dog and would have been more for a bigger dog. So based on that and knowing that prices in California are likely higher, plus the fact that you're watching the house too (I assume watering plants, getting the mail) I would be thinking about $40 or $50 a day at least. If you're expected to do more I would up the price. Even at that price they would be getting a deal over kenneling 2 dogs.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I usually pay about 125-150, plus they stay there. I also buy what ever grocerys they would like.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Thanks for the quick replies! This helps a lot. If I do it, it will be a great way to earn some extra money for our (surprise) trip to WDW in late Sept/early Oct.

I'm glad to hear some higher numbers. I searched on google and found some fairly low rates that were several years old and out of the area.

I knew Disboarders could help.

 

[crjack]

Last summer was the only time we have boarded our dog when we went away. It was $35 per day for a small dog and would have been more for a bigger dog. So based on that and knowing that prices in California are likely higher, plus the fact that you're watching the house too (I assume watering plants, getting the mail) I would be thinking about $40 or $50 a day at least. If you're expected to do more I would up the price. Even at that price they would be getting a deal over kenneling 2 dogs.

That is how I look at it as well. I always add on to what I would pay to board our dog when we have a pet sitter plus stock the fridge. We have typically had relatives who I know aren't comfortable with getting paid a lot so I try to do some in gift cards based on what they might need like gas cards, etc.

For me it is a huge relief to have someone stay with our dog so that is worth it's weight in gold!

 

[zurgswife]

I have 2 beagles and I have house sitters when we go away; I pay $50 a day for someone to sleep in my house and be there a few hours at least in the PM..... I live on the east coast and that is pretty much the going rate for both services around here.

 

[Gigi22]

I pay our pet/house sitter $50 a day. She comes over twice a day, checks the house, opens and closes blinds, turns lights on and off, turns the radio and t.v. on and off, brings in the mail, waters our houseplants, puts out the garbage, and feeds and cares for our pets. I make separate arrangements with our cleaning lady, and ensure that any outside house maintenance (shovelling, raking, watering, cutting the grass) is performed.

 

[EllenFrasier]

Our pet sitting service charges $18 a visit. Dogs get at least 2 visits, most get 3. Then if there is an overnight visit that is $50. So we are talking about
$86 - $104 per day.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

$50 a day seems steep when you are talking about 3 weeks. That's $350 each week times 3 weeks= $1050 for house/pet sitting.

I think expecting around $150 for the week is more reasonable because you don't have to sit in that house 24 hours a day when you house sit or pet sit.

 

[2disneyboys]

I would be willing to pay $150 a week for dog sitting/house sitting. We are going on vacation this spring and are paying almost $300 to kennel our dogs. so $150 would be a deal for me!

 

[KristinU]

We pay $60 a night for someone to stay at our house who is licensed bonded, and insured. She's awesome and texts me a couple of times a day at least and sends pics and videos. When our old dog was younger we baorded her at $30-$35 per day.

 

[MichiganKris]

I would find out the cost to board the dogs in your area, and then decrease the amount by about 25%. That way you will be saving them money, so they don't decide to board the dogs and leave you with nothing.

 

[disneyofcourse]

I just puppy sat for a friend in January.

$80/ day + food. Her kennel charges $45/night and $20 extra for play sessions. It's not even the nice place. Just because someone decides to take a long vacation doesn't mean you should be paid less each week/per day.

Just looking up some local dog walking rates : $17/one pet/one walk , $32/one pet/two walks , Overnight $75 8pm-8am plus walking fee (ONE pet). $25 key fee.

Extra pet $2 per pet walked during same visit.

Just look online and see what the going rate is.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

We put out indoor lights on a timer. We bought the faketv.com device and put it on a timer, put a radio on a timer to make it look like someone was home especially at night. So all the house sitter has to do is get the mail, bring in the newspaper and check on the pets. We paid her $175 for the week.

That was cheaper than boarding our pets plus they get to stay at in the comfort of their own home the added bonus of having some one check on the house was well worth it. It gives us peace of mind while gone.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

It's $75 per day to board one dog at our local place. The 2nd dog is discounted but not by much. I'd say $50 per day is a bargain. When you have dogs and travel it's part of your budget.

 

[grumpyvet]

I am a small animal veterinarian in San Diego and work with techs/receptionists who house sit. They charge from $45 to $75 a night for overnight care depending upon the number of pets, driving distance and other things expected of them. (mail/trash to the curb etc.)

The higher end is sometimes charged because of medical care given such as insulin or fluids.

 

[LJSquishy]

We paid $250 for someone to live at our house for one full week with our 2 small dogs (Maltese). We asked her to be there day & night and not to leave for more than 4 hours per day. Other than that, there were no real stipulations! We didn't need her to walk the dogs, bathe them, etc so all she had to do was take them potty every few hours & feed them. She watched a lot of movies on Netflix. Heehee.

We did request a grocery list from her and purchased those items for her to have on hand. Just basics, mostly, but a few things we don't normally have on hand like whole milk (we usually have FF, 1% or 2%), certain kind of salad dressing, etc.

We had agreed on $200 for her payment, but I felt like she deserved more since we would have spent more on boarding the dogs at a kennel which is just cruel in my opinion so I gave her an extra $50. And, I made sure to have the money in full on the counter for her on our departure day so she could spend some on take out, etc if she so chose.

 

[MapleGirl]

My friend will be house-sitting for us for a week next month. She won't need to take out trash or take in the mail. I'll have the mail stopped through the post office. She will need to take care of our 3 cats; feed, water, scoop the litter, and give them cuddles. We're paying her $100. I plan on buying whatever groceries she wants and tipping her another $25.

 

[kid-at-heart]

Wow, you folks pay a lot. In our area the going rate is $10-$15 per day/night.