House Rules: What to Tell Your House Sitter Before You Go

Leaving your home under the watchful eye of a house sitter is a great relief. No worries about crispy plants, sad pets, appliance meltdowns, or uninvited guests.

However, house sitters can also bring a sense of stress to the trip. You need to prepare a place for them to stay, advise them on proper care, and make sure they don't do more harm than good to your sanctuary. Setting some guidelines offers an additional layer of security for you and confidence for your house sitter. Mine are below:

Dear House Sitter,

Welcome to our home! Caring for it is really quite simple, but because we know we might be out of touch, we want you to know everything you need to know if anything should go amiss.

IN GENERAL
- We keep the house locked when we are not home, which includes the doors and windows. Please do the same.
- Park in this space ________.
- All important numbers (including the code to our top-secret Swiss bank account) are _____________________ (tell them where they are located or leave them attached to the rules).
- Please check the mail daily or every other day. Place all mail and packages in this handy basket -->. (also indicate if you'll be receiving anything special or large and include tracking numbers and care instructions, if needed).
- Leave the lights on during this time/day/etc.
- Please water the outdoor plants daily, and the indoor plants every third day.
- You should not need to move our cars, but in case there is something funky, the keys are ___________________.

THE PETS
The feeding schedule and appropriate diet:
The care for bathing/toileting/medication:
Companionship activities like walking or snuggling:
Emergency contact (I include both a local contact who knows more about our pets to help determine whether the emergency is actually an emergency AND the veterinarian's contact information):
When to contact us: (include any circumstances you'd like to be alerted about, like transportation to the vet, injuries, etc).

PERKS
- The code to the internet is _____________ .
- Feel free to use the computer using the "guest" account.
- The video game console downstairs is connected to Netflix (here is the password). All relevant games are in the console below the TV.
- The food in the fridge is all fair game, as is anything else you care to eat. We'll provide some snack-ens for you, but help yourself to whatever you'd like. (add any limitations here and indicate clearly if there are foods that are off-limits).
- If you have a pool, hot tub, or other amenities, include the benefits and limitations for all use as well. This is a nice way of stating the "rules".

ODDITIES
- If you have any broken appliances, or if there is a secret way to make the back door lock, this is where you share that information. It will likely be updated with each trip.
- If there are dishes you'd prefer your house sitter not use, or use with caution, include that information here as well.
- If you have scheduled any house work, other visitors, or anything else out of the ordinary, include that here.

RELEVANT NUMBERS
To be kept in a place where the person can easily access them (I recommend sending an email and printing a copy somewhere in the home).
Emergency pet contact (friend/family)
Vet's number
Name of friend/family who can assist with other minor needs/questions
Utility information
Shipping/packing numbers
Your itinerary and contact information for the duration of the trip, as well as guidelines about when you'd like to be contacted.

Depending on who is house sitting for you and whether or not they will be staying in your home, you may want to prepare some meals or buy some snacks/drinks for them. It is the hospitable thing to do to show your appreciation for their time and effort. It is almost always reasonable to compensate the person financially, unless you have negotiated a trade or are doing them a favor by providing housing during a time when the would otherwise need to secure short-term housing. Arrange the details in advance depending on the level of care needed.

Next week: how to be a great house sitter.