House Sitting is when a Police-Checked Sitter comes to stay overnight and sleep at your home in a spare room while you are away to take care of your pets. It does not mean the Sitter is totally house bound during the booking. They are free to go off to do other jobs but come back every night to stay over, cuddle, clean up after pets, play with them, top up their water bowls, and feed them.
Please read the article "How To Make Your House Sitters Stay Comfortable"
If you need someone to stay with them the whole time and not leave the house, then the service type you need to book is "24hr care". 24 hour care is around the clock care and is usually only used for pets that have recently been desexed and have a cone on their head and literally cannot eat or drink water by themselves and need monitoring while the anesthetic from the operation wears off. 24 hour care is a lot more expensive than house sitting as it involves constant care.
When is house sitting used?
It is good for when you have multiple pets, large pets, a hobby farm, or a pet (such as a cat), that are territorial and prefer to be left in their own environment. Reptiles such as snakes are also registered to a particular address and cannot be moved to stay at a Sitter's home.
What is the best way to set my expectations?
It's important that you leave a House Sitting Welcome Form with Instructions to set your expectations at the start of the stay.
What prices should be charged?
Sitters set their own prices. It varies between $20 per night to $50 per night depending on the Sitter's expertise and how much work is required.