The festive season has begun in South Africa, and with it comes a lot of people travelling throughout the country and outside. Because of the number of people travelling from cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, there will be empty houses that need to be looked after. One of the best side hustles/businesses to start now is house sitting.
What is House Sitting?
House sitting is when a person temporarily lives in someone else’s home while they’re away, taking care of the property, plants, and often pets in exchange for free accommodation, providing security and avoiding an empty house. Responsibilities vary but typically include feeding pets, collecting mail, watering plants, and basic upkeep, acting as a mutually beneficial arrangement for homeowners needing care and sitters seeking budget travel.
House sitting is a low-fuss yet lucrative business idea for entrepreneurs and possibly university students looking to make extra money over the holidays.
In this article, we look at house sitter business ideas and how you can make extra money this festive season.
How to Grow Your House-Sitting Business
Before you can house sit, here are a few ways to grow your house-sitting business.
1. Grow Your Online Presence
Having a professional website and active social media accounts is crucial for attracting homeowners. It will help you showcase your house-sitting services, testimonials, and past experiences to build trust with potential clients.
A visually strong website should highlight your experience and expertise in house sitting, which can set you apart from your competitors. Include high-quality images of homes you’ve looked after (with consent from owners), testimonials from satisfied clients, and a detailed list of your services.
2. Connect With Other Professionals
Make sure you network with other professionals, such as real estate agents, property managers, and vacation rental owners, to increase your chances of finding house-sitting opportunities. Establishing relationships with these professionals can lead to a strong, steady stream of referrals and collaboration opportunities.
3. Offer Additional Services
Expand your services to go beyond just house-sitting. Offer services such as pet care, gardening, or home maintenance. This demonstrates your versatility and will add value to your house-sitting business. Additionally, by expanding your services you can cater to the diverse needs of homeowners, differentiate yourself from competitors and make extra profit.
4. Leverage Online Platforms
Join reputable house-sitting platforms to gain access to a larger pool of homeowners looking for house-sitters. These platforms are a convenient way to connect with homeowners while showing your skills and expertise through user reviews and ratings.
Your profile on these house-sitting platforms is essential to attracting attention. Make sure your profile highlights your qualifications, experience, and unique selling points to stand out among other house sitters.
Different House-Sitting Business Ideas
There are various types of house-sitting businesses you can choose from.
1. Pet-centric Sitting
Pet-centric sitting focuses on looking after pets, typically dogs, cats, and horses. You can offer premium care to pet owners who are leaving their pets behind by providing grooming services.
2. Niche Property Management
Niche property management means looking after multiple vacation rentals or absentee homes, handling key exchanges, cleaning and performing maintenance between guests/owners. This type of house-sitting or house management is very lucrative and can bring in decent profit.
3. Home Maintenance and Garden Care
Combine house-sitting with scheduled gardening, pool cleaning or flower. This adds value for the homeowners, and it means you can charge extra for garden care. Also, you can oversee small repairs like plumbing, electrical or painting while the homeowners are away.
4. Concierge House-sitting
This type of house-sitting is a personalised home management service where you watch the home and pets, and handle all related tasks: maintenance, grocery stocking, managing property access and booking other local services for the homeowner.
House-Sitter Platforms in South Africa
It’s not easy to just start advertising yourself as a house-sitter, especially because there is a level of trust you need from potential homeowners. One way to become a house-sitter is by leveraging the following platforms:
TrustedHouseSitters – TrustedHouseSitters is a digital marketplace connecting pet parents seeking the best possible pet care with loving, verified sitters.
MindMyHouse – MindMyHouse is a global online platform that connects homeowners needing someone to look after their property and pets with house sitters seeking free accommodation, functioning as a matching service for a mutually beneficial exchange of services.
Pet and House Sitter – PetandHouseSitter is a service based in Pretoria that connects pet owners with sitters for in-home pet care, offering services like feeding, walking, and overnight stays, ensuring pets remain in their familiar environment while owners are away, and also providing pet food delivery.
Nomador – Nomador house-sitting is a trust-based community platform that connects homeowners needing someone to care for their home and pets with travellers (house-sitters) who provide that care in exchange for free accommodation, allowing both to experience travel and local life without cost.
