Housesitters: Pay or no?

[Buff]

Hey my friend is going away in a few weeks and she is having a friend house sit for her. She asked me if I use house sitters since I'm a regular Vegas tripper. Alas, my parents live close by so they go over to the house three or four times a day (overkill, I know) to check on the pets and put in the mail, etc. So I don't have experience with house sitters.

Do you pay a house sitter? If so how much? If no cash payment, do you compensate them in other manners such as a lovely gift or something like that?

[wooohooo]

When my parents got people to house sit, they usually just took them out to a nice dinner and we brought them a nice gift from where we were at. Sometimes a nice bottle of wine and whatever. Depends on how long they were gone for etc. Usually payments are kind of weird since they're most likely good friends.

When I house sat for a friend when they went to Cuba, they brought me a box of nice Cubans and a bottle of something I forget. It was nice though and that was perfect.

[KTrain]

Originally Posted by Buff

Hey my friend is going away in a few weeks and she is having a friend house sit for her. She asked me if I use house sitters since I'm a regular Vegas tripper. Alas, my parents live close by so they go over to the house three or four times a day (overkill, I know) to check on the pets and put in the mail, etc. So I don't have experience with house sitters.

Do you pay a house sitter? If so how much? If no cash payment, do you compensate them in other manners such as a lovely gift or something like that?

If they're friends, and just checking in on the house, you bring them back something from your trip or from the duty free shop (if you're not going somewhere fun). If they're staying at the house, you should leave money for food or emergency expenses.

[Poison]

Had no experience myself but if i did need a housesitter id look at it like this.

Id only pay if they needed to come by the house extensively, to look after the cat, dog etc.

If its only to pick up mail and make sure the house isnt cleaned out, then i think taking them out for dinner or drinks seems like fair compensation.

[CaptainCrunch]

Can you pay them in gum?

[peter12]

Heck, yes, you should pay them, especially if they are expected to watch and take care of your freaking house.

[photon]

Depends how fun your house is!

[enthused]

If you expect them to actually stay AT your house while you're gone, you should pay them. Especially if they will be looking after pets.

Otherwise, if they are just stopping by every few days to bring in the mail and that kind of stuff, I think a gift or treating them to dinner is fine.

[Locke]

What you have to do is walk in them doing something inappropriate so that you have the leverage to blackmail them, and then when the cute young (legal!) girl says she'll do anything so long as you dont tell her parents, thats when you pounce!

[RyZ]

I think you have to offer. If it's family or good friends and not too far out of the way they will likely turn the compensation down anyways.

[HOOT]

I'd just leave a bag of empties by the front door.

[zukes]

I think it depends on the amount of time you are asking the house sitters to do, and what their current situation is. When my wife (at the time /gf) housesat for some older friends at work (we all work together) we hadn't moved into our place yet and were still living in my mom's basement, so we got to live in a huge house and had free reign to their food, bar etc. We were allowed to have people over etc. When they returned they still gave us a gift card to the Keg, even though we didn't feel it was necessary.

[Sainters7]

Paying is usually standard procedure. But I think making sure the house is stocked full of food(and a case of beer in the fridge for your troubles), and them telling you to eat whatever you want should be good enough. And of course bring you home something from their trip.

My buddy and his fiance went away all August and I house sat to look after their cats. That's what they did for me and I was fine with it.

[Winsor_Pilates]

No way you pay. Can't people just do nice things for their friends and family?
If I was house sitting for someone, and they offered to pay me I'd be insulted and tell them to shut up.
If money needs to come into the equation for simple favors, I'd question the quality of the relationship.

I nice gift is a good gesture though.

[4X4]

Compensation should probably be proportional to convenience - or inconvenience. If the house sitter has to go far to do the checks, or if they're staying there and suddenly their commute has doubled to work, maybe you should consider that when thinking about paying or not paying. If the house is just down the street and all they're doing is bringing in the mail and turning lights on and off, a gift is probably appropriate.

[Burninator]

I knew someone who use to house sit. She would do it for people who had pets and she would have to stay at the house the whole time. Sometimes for a couple weeks. I recall one time she had to give medicine to a dog 4-5 times a day. The people she would house sit for were usually friends of friends or had been recommended to her by other people who she house sat for. So she wasn't house sitting for family or friends, it was people that wanted to hire her and she was definitely paid.