- What's the animal's temperament like? Do they ever have any problems around other animals or people?
- Has the animal ever been away from the owner before? Did they handle it ok?
- What's the medical history of the animals? Do they have emergency contact details and insurance in case anything does go wrong?
- (For dogs) How often and for how long do they need to be taken out for walks?
- How rigid is the animal's schedule when it comes to walks/meal times?
- How long can the animal be left at home for? Anything that helps keep them happy if I know that I will be out for longer?
- Is the owner comfortable with guests coming over? (At this point I always clarify that I would never have a large group round, at most maybe a couple of close friends for a few hours)
- What would be the sleeping arrangements?
House Sit Questions
Unlike doing an Airbnb or a hotel where you pay with your money. As a housesitter you're paying for your stay with your services, making it a very mutually beneficial arrangement with no money changing hands. However, this does mean you need to do more work to make sure that the arrangement will actually work for both parties.
I'm still refining what questions I need to ask when meeting with a new homeowner, but I think what I've got so far is pretty good.
The questions are split into 3 groups, with each question group aligning to a different goal.
Am I Right For the Job?
This first set of questions help me decide if I'm actually going to be a good fit with what the other person needs and is comfortable with. This is definitely the most intense set of questions, so I'll always try to blend them into conversation rather than just rattling them off one after another which feels like it would be a bit too much like an interrogation.
How Do I Live With This Animal?
The next set of questions help me understand how to actually live with the animal in a way that the 2 of us will get along well together.
- What's the owner's normal daily routine with the animal? This includes walks, meals, medication times, etc.
- How is the animal around food? Do I need to be careful that they don't overeat? How much and of what do they normally get given? Do they ever try to steal human food? Any particular treats that they like?
- Are there any parts of the house that the animal isn't allowed into?
- Will I need to worry about bathing the animal or taking them to be groomed while I'm there?
- (For dogs) Are there any favourite spots they like to go to? Are they ever allowed off-leash? Any particular friends or enemies in the neighbourhood?
- (For dogs) If they need to go to the bathroom outside of usual walk times, are they good at signalling it?
- This one is more about the owner, but how often would they like updates from me of how things are going?
How Do I Live In This Home?
This final set of questions is far more trivial than the previous 2. It's more focused around helping me understand the day to day practicalities of how to do things in this home that I'm currently not familiar with. I'll generally try and save these questions until as close to the move in as possible, they're mundane enough that they feel kind of weird to ask on the first meeting.
- Where are the key facilities of the house? I.e. basic kitchen layout, laundry, bathroom, thermostat, cleaning supplies, vacuum cleaner, fuse box
- When do bins get collected?
- Should I pick up mail while I'm there? If yes, anything in particular I should notify the owner of when it arrives?
- Are there any parts of the house that the owner would prefer I not go into?