Last Updated on March 18, 2024
If you are heading out of town for a well-deserved vacation (or dreaded work trip) the last thing you want to worry about is leaving your home vulnerable while you are away. But you can alleviate that anxiety with a house sitter. And today I want to discuss how to best prep your house sitter with important information to keep your house safe and running smoothly, including a free printable checklist.
Why Do You Need a House Sitter Checklist?
Picture this.
For the first time in 4 months you finally take a vacation and arrive at a luxurious beach-side report. You sit on the beach, take a deep breathe, dig your toes deep into the sand, and watch the sunset while holding a glass of your favorite wine.
And your phone beeps. A text message from your house sitter. She/ he has questions (“Where’s the garbage bags?” “What’s the wifi password?”). Or worse-yet, a panicked call from your house sitter (“The toilet is backed up – who do I call?”)
Not exactly ideal, right? Let’s avoid this scenario with this House Sitter Checklist. I compiled this checklist so that it provides the important details to prep your house sitter with all the essential tools to navigate emergencies as well as feel comfortable in your home.
Why Enlist a House Sitter?
There are a few reasons to enlist a house sitter – but the number one reason is to deter thieves. Having a sitter watch your house while you are away is a clear burglary deterrent. Why? About 70% of burglaries occur when no one is home. (Admittedly, home security systems are also a deterrent, but I’m appealing to those homeowners like ourselves who don’t have one).
Backstory
Now that I know stats on burglaries in the US, I no longer want to leave my house solo when we go on vacation. Next time we go away I’ll reach out to a family friend to house sit (and pet sit) while we were away.
I already know who it will be – a friend who knew us well and had been to our house countless times.
Yet he doesn’t know the workings of our house. He doesn’t know which day of week we leave out the trash. Nor does he know where the fire extinguisher is in case of emergency. Or the code to get into our detached garage. Of course he doesn’t – it would be a bit weird if he knew all that, right?
Grabbing a small notebook, I wrote down a list of things he needed to know about our house.
I wrote 2 full pages in that little notebook. And I was SHOCKED at all the information – there is a LOT of information a house sitter needs to fully handle watching our house!
I decided to convert that list of essential information to leave a house sitter into a FREE printable checklist for you (and for me the next time I go on vacation!!!).
How to Prep your House Sitter with Instructions
While the checklist is fairly comprehensive document, I need to point out that it should go hand-in-hand with a tour of the home.
Before you jet off into the sunset, schedule a time with the house sitter to come over and go over the checklist. Walk through the house referring to the checklist and pointing out various items, such as the location of the fire extinguisher, or where all plants that need to be watered.
In addition to the checklist, there is a lot more information to prep your house sitter to order for their stay to go smoothly. You might want them to come back and stay again! For example, point out:
- Keys – if you have multiple keys, which key goes to which door? Do your windows have funky locks?
- Location of important light switches
- Outside lights so that they have a safe lighted path if they go out at night
- Upstairs hallway – so that they don’t trip and fall the first night trying to get to bed
- Location of cleaning supplies
- Mops, vacuums, etc in case of spills
- Extra paper towels
- Kitchen instructions
- Quick demo of appliances that are not self-explanatory (for us it’s the oven and dishwasher)
- Location of garbage bags, dishwasher tabs, extra dish towels
- Bathroom supplies
- Toilet paper and tissues (and make sure you’ve bought enough for their stay!
- Towels
Also note that in our case, we know our house sitter. He’s a good friend. And an adult. If you hire a professional house sitter, or maybe a kid from the neighborhood, it’s probably a good idea to also discuss rules such as Whether or not they’re allowed to have guests over or what they can eat out of your fridge.
Prep a House Sitter Checklist
Click here to download the House Sitter Checklist!!!
Simply print and complete, then review the instructions to prep your house sitter. Bonus points is you laminate it so that it can be used over and over again. ?
[BTW, if you happen to be headed to a vacation rental house be sure to check out my Free Customizable Vacation Rental Home Checklist].
As further described below, there’s 7 easy sections to complete.
1. Our Contact Information
While your house sitter probably has your contact info in their cell phone, we all know that things happen to cell phones. Lost. Broken. Flushed down a towel (it happens! Don’t laugh, a friend’s wife mistakenly flushed her phone down the towel. Ok, laugh. I did.)
What to write down?
- Cell numbers
- Email addresses
- Itinerary – dates and locations – especially if you are traveling to various locations
- Return date and time
- Optional – Address(es) of where you will be staying and any phone numbers at that location.
When I was a house sitter, I’d always second guess when the homeowners would return. It may sound basic to write down the date and approximate time of your return, but it will help any anxiety and unease of the house sitter.
2. Friend and Neighbor Contact
In case of an emergency, leave the numbers of trusted folks who can help in case your house sitter can’t get ahold of you. For example, a relative or a trusted neighbor.
3. Need-To-Know
This section includes the day-to-day tasks requested of your house sitter to keep the house running smoothly. While your house sitter probably won’t use the majority of this checklist (since it deals with emergencies), the house sitter should refer to this section on a daily basis. This section should provide guidance on household tasks such as:
- Garbage and Recycling Days
- Mail/ packages (although I tend to hold my mail through USPS)
- Plant watering
In addition, this section describes the locations of items or tools your house sitter will need during an emergency. Write down the location of items such as:
- Fire Extinguisher (as a side note, this is the perfect time to ensure your extinguisher is active)
- Electrical Panel (also a side note, make sure your electrical panel is labeled)
- First Aid Kit
- Spare key hiding spot
- Flashlights
4. Wi-fi/ Alarms
If your house sitter is staying, they need access to some electric information.
For the wi-fi, ensure they know where the router is located in case they need to manually re-start it. In addition, they might need to know:
- Router location
- Wi-fi Network
- Wi-fi password
Do you have a security system? For example, we have an access panel for our detached garage. And if you have a fancy alarm system, be sure the house sitter is prepped on how to arm, disarm, and any security company phone numbers they might need to reach.
- Alarm panel location
- Alarm access code
- Security company phone #
Optional: Of course your house sitter will watch your tv. If your tv set-up is anything like ours, you have about 7 remotes to work the tv. Do yourself a favor and give your house sitter a demo on which remote does what. And if you are comfortable providing, write down username and passwords for your Netflix and HBO subscriptions.
5. Contractor Info
Fingers crossed these numbers, like the Emergency contact, won’t receive a call while you are away. But in case of a burst pipe, or electrical issue, write down contact info of your preferred contactors, such as:
- Plumber
- Electrician
- Locksmith
Leave their contact info – website, phone number – the best means of getting ahold of them. And if you have the name of a preferred person at that company, write down his/her first name.
That’s it!! Now that your house sitter is ready to keep your house safe and secure, start completing your own vacation rental house packing checklist!
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6. Pets
Clearly this section is not needed if you don’t own a pet. But I’m including since it was part of our checklist. Our house sitter loves our dog. And our dog loves our house sitter. Our dog gets SO excited whenever he comes over to visit.
Since he knows our dog so well, I didn’t have to go into detail on what she likes/ doesn’t like. But I still had to write down some basic care instructions, such as:
- Feeding Instructions – type of food (wet? dry?), how much, and when (also discuss permission of treats)
- Medications – how many times a day and how to give it to her
- Veterinarian contact info – in case of emergency
- Bathroom – when to let Fido out to minimize accidents on your nice floors, or how best to clean Fluffy’s litter box
Before you leave, make sure you stock up on pet food, dog poop bags or kitty litter and any medication so that your house sitter doesn’t have to run to the store.
7. Notes
This section is intentionally left blank so that you can add info pertinent to your home and needs. For example, maybe you need to add lawn mowing or sprinkler instructions for your garden.
Summary
Stop worrying about the security of your home while away on vacation or work with this free printable house sitter checklist!
Let me know what you think in the comments below. And please reach out if you think I’ve missed something!
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My monthly (admittedly sometimes more, sometimes less….) emails are like receiving a unexpected letter from an old friend WITHOUT needing to put on your slippers and walk out to your mailbox…. See? I got ya, my friend!)
[Note: My posts are proudly connected to these amazing link parties full of DIY ideas and inspiration!]
Want to be the first to know about new posts? Be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter of even Etsy! Or better yet… Subscribe below!
My monthly (admittedly sometimes more, sometimes less….) emails are like receiving a unexpected letter from an old friend WITHOUT needing to put on your slippers and walk out to your mailbox…. See? I got ya, my friend!)
[Note: My posts are proudly connected to these amazing link parties full of DIY ideas and inspiration!]