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Become a pro house sitter and earn £200 a day

Photo credit: Witthaya Prasongsin - Getty Images
Photo credit: Witthaya Prasongsin - Getty Images

From Prima

When people talk about house sitting, you probably only think of looking after your friends' or family's homes while they go away on holiday – but did you know house sitting can actually earn you a fair bit of money?

Research from online local services marketplace, Bark.com, has revealed that there has been a 340 per cent increase in the number of people hiring ‘Professional House Sitters’ since June 2017. Being a pro sitter for other people’s houses is rather lucrative, with some sitters earning more than £200 a day.

After questioning their professional house sitters, Bark.com also found that:

• 34 per cent said they house sit full-time and don’t have a home of their own.

• 57 per cent of those who don’t have their own home also don’t have a job – apart from house sitting

The house sitting hotspots are Cornwall and London, with many home owners (77 per cent) choosing to hire a sitter due to fear of burglary. Another main reason was not wanting to put their pet in kennels with 61 per cent of respondents citing this.

How to become a pro house sitter

1. You’ll have to undergo comprehensive background checks.

2. You must not have any criminal convictions.

3. The job will involve you looking after people’s homes while they are away. This may include looking after pets, monitoring CCTV, cleaning and recording TV programmes.

4. This may require travel on your part.

Photo credit: vladans - Getty Images
Photo credit: vladans - Getty Images

In general, Bark.com has found that most house sitters will earn more than £50 a day, with some earning more than £200.

'Housesitting tends to be something that relatives and friends do when someone’s on holiday,' Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, said.

'However, in recent years there’s been an upward trend in people looking elsewhere for the service, and for people without close family or friends, finding a house sitter can be extremely difficult.

'The housing market is ever-changing, and just recently Santander Mortgages revealed that it is actually cheaper to buy a house than rent in every area in the UK. It’s no wonder people are looking for alternative ways to live.

'There are thousands of people in the UK who want to see more places and travel but don’t have the time or money. Hopefully this service helps fix both of those problems.'

As well as there being an option for being a house sitter, you can also hire one for your own property. Want to get involved?

Register as or hire a professional house sitter here


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