Last Updated on September 3, 2025 by Sam
In recent years, housesitting has become an increasingly popular way to travel around England for less. It’s easy to get started with platforms like TrustedHousesitters, where homeowners offer free accommodation in exchange for pet care while they’re away. As well as being a great way to travel more of the country, housesitting (also known as petsitting) is also a convenient option for remote workers or digital nomads looking for a longer-term base while looking after some furry friends. We’ve been housesitting since 2021 and have completed dozens of sits around the country, so we’ve got plenty of helpful housesitting tips to help you get started. Here’s everything you need to know about housesitting in England.
What is housesitting?
Housesitting is when you live in someone’s home while they’re away and take care of their property and/or pets. Most housesits in England involve animal care, typically for cats and dogs, but exact responsibilities depend on the homeowner’s needs.
Other common duties include handling mail, watering plants, sending regular pet updates, and keeping the property secure to give the owner peace of mind while they’re away. You’ll find both paid and unpaid sits, with the latter being a mutual exchange where you get free accommodation in exchange for taking care of the pets and property.
If you’re looking to begin housesitting in England, then unpaid sits are the easiest way to get started. We personally recommend signing up for a free account on TrustedHousesitters, the world’s largest housesitting platform, to see the kind of sits that are available.
Is housesitting right for you?
Housesitting is a fantastic way to explore different parts of England while saving on accommodation, but there are a few things to consider before deciding if it’s right for you. Firstly, you’ll need a legal right to work in the UK.
Beyond that, the most important thing is a genuine love for animals and experience in caring for them. The pets should always be your priority, so if you’re hoping to spend full days sightseeing in London without spending any real time at home with the pets, then housesitting probably isn’t for you.
Some pet parents are happy for their pets to be left for the majority of the day, but it’s more common to ask them not to be left for more than 4–6 hours, particularly if you’re looking after a dog. Every housesit is different, so if the responsibilities don’t line up with your plans, then it’s best to look for an alternative sit.
Housesitting in England is a particularly good fit if you work remotely, as pet parents like to know you’ll be about for long periods to give their pets lots of love and attention. Even if you’re new to caring for animals, try offering to pet sit for friends or family to gain the experience you need to start housesitting.
How to start housesitting in England
The easiest way to start housesitting in England is to sign up for an online platform where you can browse and apply for available sits. We recommend TrustedHousesitters as it consistently has the highest number of available sits, with more than 3,000 open for applications at the time of writing.
Signing up for a TrustedHousesitters account is free if you just want to browse available housesits, but you do need to pay an annual membership fee to apply for sits. Thankfully, it’s very affordable, and you’ll quickly make back the cost on what you save on accommodation.
It’s particularly great value if you’re looking to stay in expensive spots like London, where we’ve saved thousands of pounds in accommodation costs (compared to the price of an Airbnb or hotel) over the last few years by housesitting. And it’s even better value if you sign up via our referral link and use the promo code SOF25 for 25% off the fee for your first year!
Click here to get 25% off your first year of membership!
Applying for housesits
To successfully start housesitting in England, you need to know how to make your application stand out. Once you’ve joined a platform like TrustedHousesitters, the most important thing to do is to create a compelling housesitting profile. Be sure to list any relevant animal care experience (even if it’s just looking after pets for friends and family) and upload plenty of photos of you with cats and dogs (or other animals) to reassure homeowners that you’re the right person for the job.
The next step is to browse the available sits, find one that looks like a good fit, and then send over an application. Reviews can be a big factor when homeowners decide which sitter to pick, so it’s a good idea to start with a few short-term local sits so you can get some 5-star reviews on your profile. If you don’t have reviews yet, you can include references from people you’ve previously looked after pets for.
When you’re searching through the available housesits, make sure to read the listing in full to understand the exact responsibilities. When you find a good match, you’ll then want to send a tailored application introducing yourself and referencing key details from the listing to show the owner that you’d be a suitable sitter.
Once your application is in, it’s a waiting game. Some owners get back to you quickly, while others can take their time. Most owners like to do a quick video call (or phone call) before they decide who to pick, so use that opportunity to ask any questions you have and show them why you’re a good fit.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear back or get rejected; most housesits get lots of applicants, and so it’s inevitable you’ll miss out on some. We still get rejected for some sits, even though we have dozens of 5-star reviews.
How to get the best housesits in England
TrustedHousesitters consistently offers thousands of housesitting opportunities in England, so it’s generally the place to find the best sits. Sits come in all shapes and sizes, from countryside mansions with swimming pools to small city apartments and everything in between.
We’ve been lucky enough to get some amazing housesits around England and the UK, including at a house with incredible views of Loch Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye, a six-month stay in a cottage in the New Forest, and various homes and apartments in central London. Finding the best housesits in England largely depends on what you’re looking for, and it can take a little bit of time to figure out exactly what makes for a good sit.
To find your ideal housesit, you can filter by preferences like desired dates, location, and length of stay. You can also filter by the type of pets you’re happy to look after, and we recommend starting out with cats as they tend to be easier to care for than dogs (though we still love to sit for both!).
Checking for new sits regularly is key to getting the best housesits in England, particularly in sought-after areas like London, as the number of applicants is limited and the spots fill up quickly. We recommend using the saved searches feature (only available to standard and premium members) to get notifications of any new sits that match your preferences without having to constantly check the site yourself.
For the most luxurious housesits, the competition is fierce. These listings attract experienced sitters, so owners typically have their choice of strong applicants. Ultimately, the easiest way to get the best housesits is to start with some less desirable ones to build up your reviews, which makes it easier to stand out from the competition.
If you’re still not sure whether it’s for you, we definitely recommend signing up for a free account on TrustedHousesitters to keep an eye on the kind of housesits that come up in England. But, if you’re ready to get started on your housesitting journey, then make sure to sign up via the link below and use the discount code SOF25 for 25% off your first year’s membership fee!
Click here to sign up for your discounted membership!
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