Housesitting

[Only me]

My recent college grad daughter is housesitting for the family of one of her friends. I am just curious what you think the appropriate pay is for this: Staying overnight for 15 days, taking care of a 6 month old puppy (pretty much trained but is currently injured so she has to be sure puppy doesn't run or jump and has to give it pain meds. The puppy wakes her up several times a night). She has to clean out the inground pool filter every day (including removing dead animals like mice). She has to vacuum the house every day to keep up with dog fur. She is also expected to mow their lawn (at least an acre but with a riding mower). She is to mow 4 times while she is there. She did not know about the lawn or hurt puppy before she accepted. She can leave the house to come home and get new clothes etc but it is a 40 minute drive each way and she can only be gone for a few hours.

 

It was her decision to do this but she is regretting it. She is also in a wedding next weekend and needs to do things to get ready for that. They have a family member coming for the 2 days she will be gone for that as well as the night her brother graduates. So just an inconvenience for her as she needs to worry about getting back. Of course that was her choice but just adds to this job not being worth it and a making it a learning experience for her on politely declining things in the future.

[OneStepAtATime]

Did they offer extra money to take care of the injured puppy and mowing the lawn or did they just tack that on after the fact as part of the deal?

 

It sounds like she got taken advantage of but I guess that also depends on what they were paying her to begin with.

[KungFuPanda]

On what planet do people mow an acre of grass twice a week? She should say, I'm willing to mow once, vacuum every other day, empty the filter, and care for the puppy for x dollars. She should just think of what she WANTS to do, present her offer to the homeowner, and let THEM decide to take it or leave it. They can accept or offer or find someone else.

 

For reference, my dog sitter is a bargain. She lives in my neighborhood and can walk here. She comes by twice a day and hangs out with our dog for an hour at a time. I pay her $20 a day; so roughly $10 an hour.

Edited May 20, 2016 by KungFuPanda

[KungFuPanda]

She CAN just say no to the lawn. They can hire a lawn service. My daughter is allergic to grass. Tacking that job on last minute is laughable.

[Only me]

She already told them she would do it before finding out about the lawn or the pay. She told her friend she would do it several months ago and then went to their house a few days ago to see what they actually wanted her to do. At that time they told her about the lawn but she felt like she couldn't back out. The puppy she just found out a few days before. They are giving her $40 a day plus some money for food. If it was just the housesitting and puppy I don't think it would be bad but t would cost more than that just to pay someone to mow the lawn. Btw, she is there now so she can't change anything.

Edited May 20, 2016 by Midwest mom of 3

[Truscifi]

In my area $40/day would be reasonable if food or money for food was also provided, but it wouldn't include lawn mowing. She needs to tell them she can't do that or that it will be extra.

[J-rap]

My dd housesat for a month, which included taking care of their high-needs dog.  They paid her a lump sum of $500.  She didn't need to do any lawn care.  It maybe would have been okay if it were in a convenient area for her, but it was very inconvenient, and the dog had to be let out several times during the day.  This would sometimes mean traveling 30 minutes to let it out, and then traveling another 30 minutes to return to where she was.  She vowed to never, ever do that again unless it was as convenient as possible AND they paid her more!

 

[AK_Mom4]

The pay is about right for the job except for the lawn mowing. We paid a similar rate for a house sitter a couple of years ago for two easy going dogs (sitter could be gone during the day) and a shy cat.

 

Since she agreed to do the lawn, she needs to either do it or contact them and let them know what she can do (mow once, not at all, whatever).

 

We have aw big back yard (3/4 acre?). It gets mowed twice a summer.

[kewb]

I don't think $40 a day is reasonable at all for what they are asking her to do. However, the deal is done so I would chalk it up to a learning experience.  I would also probably not mow the lawn 4 times. 

[OneStepAtATime]

I agree with upthread, why do they need her to mow so often?  Who does that?

 

Oh, and as to your question of what to charge, that probably varies widely but I do know a couple of friends that house sat upon occasion.  I can share what I remember they got paid. Not sure it helps you much, though.

 

 One only had to sleep in the house, pick up the mail, pick up a couple of packages,  and make certain the outdoor animals had food and water and were o.k.  They got paid $50 a day.  Just very light housework basically cleaning up after themselves since the couple had a maid that came twice a week.  They also had a lawn guy that took care of the lawn.  

 

Another friend watched a house all summer, had to do light housework, take care of the yard maintenance, take care of a strictly indoor dog with all kinds of specifications for care (spoiled rotten), and had to handle the mail and paying some bills.  They got paid like $20,000 or something for 3 months of work.

 

I guess this is a lesson learned.  She needed to talk to the owners regarding details BEFORE agreeing and they really should have had a written contract.  Still, the owners took advantage of her by adding on several things that are far more involved than just house sitting and they are underpaying her.  Perhaps she could be honest and explain that she got caught off guard with the additional requests and should have said something sooner but since she really had no idea about the lawn mowing and the puppy being injured, she feels that she should at least get paid for the lawn mowing separately, beyond what they are paying her for the other, or they need to hire a service to take care of it.

[OneStepAtATime]

The pay is about right for the job except for the lawn mowing. We paid a similar rate for a house sitter a couple of years ago for two easy going dogs (sitter could be gone during the day) and a shy cat.

 

Since she agreed to do the lawn, she needs to either do it or contact them and let them know what she can do (mow once, not at all, whatever).

 

We have aw big back yard (3/4 acre?). It gets mowed twice a summer.

I would agree except the puppy is injured, and needs additional care and medications.  She isn't just keep an eye on it and letting it out to go potty.  A baby animal needing meds and additional care means she really can't be gone all day and she has to be a LOT more diligent about caring for this animal.  I think tacking that additional responsibility on should have also added a little more to what they are paying her.

 

As for the lawn, yeah, I agree she needs to either just do it or contact them and let them know what she can do.

 

Still kind of seems really weird to me that they need her to mow an acre of land 4 times in 2 weeks.

[QueenCat]

She already told them she would do it before finding out about the lawn or the pay. She told her friend she would do it several months ago and then went to their house a few days ago to see what they actually wanted her to do. At that time they told her about the lawn but she felt like she couldn't back out. The puppy she just found out a few days before. They are giving her $40 a day plus some money for food. If it was just the housesitting and puppy I don't think it would be bad but t would cost more than that just to pay someone to mow the lawn. Btw, she is there now so she can't change anything.

 

That's more than reasonable pay for everything but the lawn. However, since she didn't say anything about the lawn when they told her, it'd be tough to not do it. But in her shoes, I'd only do it twice. Once half way, and once right before they get back. And it's fine to leave the puppy in the crate for a few hours while she goes and does her normal every day stuff and wedding prep.

Edited May 20, 2016 by QueenCat

[Annie G]

Some of this sounds over the top but other things sound like not a big deal.  Ds cuts a guy's acre lot on a riding mower and it takes him about 40 minutes and since he's just driving a lawn mower it's super easy. He doesn't even break a sweat.  Of course if she's not used to a riding mower there is a learning curve.  And cutting it 4 times in 15 days is just crazy. 

 

Is cleaning the pool filter lifting the basket and dumping it? If so, that's a five minute task and even though there might be a dead mouse, it's not a huge job. And truly probably doesn't have to be done every day. 

 

Can she shut most of the rooms so she can run the vac in just the main room and the bedroom where she sleeps? Running the vac every day seems a bit much but if she can limit it to a couple of rooms, it's not that bad. 

 

Does the puppy have a crate? It's unreasonable to expect her to be there 22 hours a day. *I* am not home 22 hours a day!  So does this pet owner not work or go anywhere? Sheesh.  

 

I cannot imagine how a person is supposed to prevent a puppy from running and jumping, unless the pup can be crated. Disclaimer: I am a cat owner and know nothing about dogs. 

 

I never know what a reasonable amount to pay a house sitter is. For my kids, the amount your dd is being paid would be fine because at minimum wage, the cost covers the actual amount of hours they would need to 'do work'.  And in the off time, they'd be watching Netflix or online chatting with friends.  But most people I know who hire house sitters understand that the sitter has a day job and will only be there at night and before work in the morning. 

 

Your poor dd- the dog owners sound so over the top- mow, run the vac, nanny the dog, clean the pool....it's not house sitting as much as caretaker. 

[bettyandbob]

I am going to hope that the family will give her a tip well above the $40/day when they get back.

[Only me]

Also not sure if I mentioned that she is expected to stay overnight and not leave the house for more than a few hours a day.

 

Anyway, she will be cutting the lawn but this is definitely a learning experience for her in what she calls "adulting". She will know better next time to speak up. Even though she lived in an apartment in college this is probably a good learning experience. She still relied a lot on campus food efc. She wants to her her own apartment next year so this also gives her an idea of what it's like to live on her own. So overall all its not all a waste. Without the mowing expectations it would be fine but lesson learned.

[hornblower]

If the puppy goes out on the property keeping the lawn cut very short would be important for ticks & to an extent fleas. 

 

 

Just as a point of reference - 

Overnight pet sitting with an insured pro here is $75/night & you'd have to pay extra for a puppy that young.  Boarding would run $50+ & many places won't board a puppy that young. 

Some people believe they're doing a teen or YA a favour by letting them house sit because they can live somewhere rent free so they don't understand why they'd have to pay real wages for this. 






 

[bettyandbob]

The puppy alone would cost more than $40/day. He has injuries and needs special care. I would expect at least $50/day. I've seen lawn mowing rates of $60/acre. Plus daily vacuum and pool care. And they expect her to be chained to the house (probably so puppy is not alone). Most house sitters just stay overnight and are free to do other stuff. This means she has to forgo any other source of income. This is a very important consideration in compensation. This cannot be compared to a my going rate in your area for a Housesitter because of this restriction.

 

Your dd needs to finish the job and say no if ever asked again.

[StephanieZ]

I think $40/day isn't too terrible for basic pet/housesitting, but I think the lawn mowing is over the top and the special needs of the puppy make it rough, too. I can't imagine being required to be there 22/24 hours per day. That's nuts, IMHO. 

 

I pay $50/day for housesitting our house/pets.

 

That includes probably 1-2 hr/day max of actual work. We have 3 dogs, 3 cats, a coop of chickens and a goat. But, they are generally low maintenance because we have a large fenced yard, self-waterers/feeders for the farm animals, etc. So, it's pretty much feed and water everybody twice a day plus let the dogs out and in the door a handful of times a day and scoop the cat boxes daily. And bring in the mail. That's about it. I encourage my housesitter(s) to eat our food, but they rarely do. When I've needed mowing done, I've paid additional to mow. I wouldn't expect a house sitter to mow as an included service. Same with cleaning. I hope/appreciate that the sitter will clean up after herself, but I make sure to leave her with a clean house and I expect to have to vacuum as soon as I get home. :) Other than cleaning up after herself in the kitchen and taking out her trash, I really don't expect any cleaning. 

 

FWIW, I don't have trouble finding house sitters. Our current regular house sitter is a frugal college kid who earns minimum wage at any other job. When she house sits for me, she gets a day's pay under the table but can watch Netflix all day or even go to her regular job or out with friends. She is required to sleep at the house and to avoid being gone for more than 8 hrs at a time if possible, definitely not be gone more than 10-11 hrs at a time without making arrangements ahead of time with us (so we can hire someone else to tend the dogs that day).

 

It's a nice job for the house sitter because we travel a fair amount and they can house sit for us while still living mostly their normal life. So, it's fairly easy money compared to working a minimum wage shift job.

[OneStepAtATime]

The puppy alone would cost more than $40/day. He has injuries and needs special care. I would expect at least $50/day. I've seen lawn mowing rates of $60/acre. Plus daily vacuum and pool care. And they expect her to be chained to the house (probably so puppy is not alone). Most house sitters just stay overnight and are free to do other stuff. This means she has to forgo any other source of income. This is a very important consideration in compensation. This cannot be compared to a my going rate in your area for a Housesitter because of this restriction.

 

Your dd needs to finish the job and say no if ever asked again.

Agreed.  This is not just house sitting.  They want a full time maid and full time vet care and lawn care that would normally be considered more than even your average homeowner has to take care of (4 times cutting an acre of land in just 15 days) at the price of just a house sitter.

 

They are taking advantage of your daughter but at this point I guess there really isn't much that can be done unless she is willing to contact them to let them know that she will only be mowing the lawn twice while they are away or whatever.

 

At least it is only for 15 days, not the whole summer.  Hopefully she gains some valuable life skills and it is all over soon.

[QueenCat]

Also not sure if I mentioned that she is expected to stay overnight and not leave the house for more than a few hours a day.

 

Anyway, she will be cutting the lawn but this is definitely a learning experience for her in what she calls "adulting". She will know better next time to speak up. Even though she lived in an apartment in college this is probably a good learning experience. She still relied a lot on campus food efc. She wants to her her own apartment next year so this also gives her an idea of what it's like to live on her own. So overall all its not all a waste. Without the mowing expectations it would be fine but lesson learned.

 

I assume spending the night when it's called housesitting..... Ds made $20/day in our area for everything you mentioned, including pets but not lawn. Sometimes it's been sick pets. They did always buy him food and/or give him a little extra food money. However, he did leave for part-time work and other things. Most of the time, he'd be gone for 6-8 hours during the day. If he was housesitting a puppy, he might go back for a quick potty trip during the work day but usually the pups were crate trained during the day, and even pups did okay for the time period gone. He housesat on a regular basis and would have been in heaven at $40/day. I do think it's insane for them to expect her to cut the lawn 4 times over 15 days and to vacuum daily. I'd only cut the lawn that often if it actually really needs it..... Typically, my son did get paid extra so hopefully your daughter will too...... but she is already getting paid a good amount per day if you don't factor in the lawn care.

[QueenCat]

If the puppy goes out on the property keeping the lawn cut very short would be important for ticks & to an extent fleas. 

 

 

Just as a point of reference - 

 

Overnight pet sitting with an insured pro here is $75/night & you'd have to pay extra for a puppy that young.  Boarding would run $50+ & many places won't board a puppy that young. 

 

Some people believe they're doing a teen or YA a favour by letting them house sit because they can live somewhere rent free so they don't understand why they'd have to pay real wages for this. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yikes, the good places here charge about $20 to board.

 

[JustEm]

That is not enough money in my opinion.  It is for the house/pet sitting of a healthy adult dog who can hold it in for 8 hours. A puppy needs a lot more work and it is injured meaning even more work. I'd charge $60/day for just that. Vacuuming and lawn care would be extra. Housesitting does require some house work, such as watering indoor and outdoor plants, bringing in mail, and turning lights on and closing blinds to make it seem like people aren't away.  But vacuuming is not a house sitting duty. As a professional pet sitter I do sweep up the downstairs on my last visit if the dogs have shed a lot because I know people appreciate coming home to a clean house. But no one has ever asked me to clean their house while there. Actually one person did ask but she specifically asked if I wanted to make additional money.

[Bluegoat]

I'm not sure about the price - my thought there is they would pay more to board the puppy and it would still be left alone part of the day.

 

But I find some of the requirements really weird.  No one needs to vaccume a whole empty house every day, and I seriously doubt they need to mow that often.  Maybe they were just guessing about the mowing, how often it would need to be done?  I'd go by the length myself.

 

But the main crazy thing is the idea that she can't leave at all.  I am sure the owners actually go out places.

[J-rap]

 

Some people believe they're doing a teen or YA a favour by letting them house sit because they can live somewhere rent free so they don't understand why they'd have to pay real wages for this. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I'm sure this was the case with my dd.  They had no idea how inconvenient it was for her, and how much sacrifice it required on her part.  When my dd housesat, they didn't even leave her a key, because they were too paranoid about leaving a key behind.  They only gave her a garage door opener.  One day, the door between the garage and the kitchen self locked (she must have accidentally locked it without realizing it), and she had to pay around $200 for a locksmith to come!   They had told her a neighbor would have an extra key in case of an emergency, but the neighbor did not have the key.  The whole thing was a huge, stressful learning experience for her!

[Only me]

Yes, I'm sure this was the case with my dd. They had no idea how inconvenient it was for her, and how much sacrifice it required on her part. When my dd housesat, they didn't even leave her a key, because they were too paranoid about leaving a key behind. They only gave her a garage door opener. One day, the door between the garage and the kitchen self locked (she must have accidentally locked it without realizing it), and she had to pay around $200 for a locksmith to come! They had told her a neighbor would have an extra key in case of an emergency, but the neighbor did not have the key. The whole thing was a huge, stressful learning experience for her!

Yes this has been quite the learning experience already. The puppy was up 4 times between midnight and 7 and sorry for TMI but now he has diarrhea (oh but they left medication for that). Yikes.

 

She has a summer job she will be missing the first week for this. Luckily she has a full time teaching job waiting for her in the fall so no more jobs like this. She was trying to be nice to her friend by doing this but I think she has learned her lesson to find out more upfront and to not be afraid to say no.

[J-rap]

Yes this has been quite the learning experience already. The puppy was up 4 times between midnight and 7 and sorry for TMI but now he has diarrhea (oh but they left medication for that). Yikes.

 

She has a summer job she will be missing the first week for this. Luckily she has a full time teaching job waiting for her in the fall so no more jobs like this. She was trying to be nice to her friend by doing this but I think she has learned her lesson to find out more upfront and to not be afraid to say no.

 

I can very much understand!  In my dd's case, it was for an aunt, and she wanted to help her out.  She definitely learned that she can say no even to relatives!

[goldberry]

I assume spending the night when it's called housesitting..... Ds made $20/day in our area for everything you mentioned, including pets but not lawn. Sometimes it's been sick pets. 

 

That's surprising to me.  I live in a low COL area and pet sitting alone (visiting, replacing food and water, a bit of playtime) is $20 a day.  Finding a good one for $15 is a steal.

[Erica in OR]

That's surprising to me.  I live in a low COL area and pet sitting alone (visiting, replacing food and water, a bit of playtime) is $20 a day.  Finding a good one for $15 is a steal.

 

Same here. I think we're fairly low COL and my DDs have been pet sitting at $20 a day (two dogs, not puppies), just stopping by as needed, not staying over. They vacuum on the final day for the collected pet hair.

 

Erica in OR

[QueenCat]

That's surprising to me.  I live in a low COL area and pet sitting alone (visiting, replacing food and water, a bit of playtime) is $20 a day.  Finding a good one for $15 is a steal.

 

If he charged more, he wouldn't have gotten jobs. When he didn't stay the night, he could charge $6-8/visit, depending on distance. It was a low COL area and people really weren't going to pay more than that. Really, most of his clients wouldn't have been able to travel if they'd had to pay much more. Those that could pay more did "tip" him quite a bit extra but that was never a given. He's been out of the "business" for a bit now, and might be able to get more now, but not $40/day.

[QueenCat]

Yes this has been quite the learning experience already. The puppy was up 4 times between midnight and 7 and sorry for TMI but now he has diarrhea (oh but they left medication for that). Yikes.

 

She has a summer job she will be missing the first week for this. Luckily she has a full time teaching job waiting for her in the fall so no more jobs like this. She was trying to be nice to her friend by doing this but I think she has learned her lesson to find out more upfront and to not be afraid to say no.

 

Not fun......... maybe doggie diapers? They really do make them.

[Pawz4me]

We're mowing every three to four days right now.  So I don't think four times in fifteen days is unreasonable at all.  If we only mowed once a week our grass would be knee high (to DH's knees, not my short ones ;)).  So I don't think that's unreasonable at all, nor do I think mowing an acre on a riding mower is a big deal.  It takes me about an hour to do an acre with lots of trees to go around.  Riding around on a mower isn't hard work!  The puppy care and vacuuming to me are both much bigger issues than mowing.  I don't think $40 with a stipend for food is a total ripoff, but I do think the job is worth more than that in most places.  FWIW, my pet sitter charges $15per visit that averages 15 to 30 minutes.

[lmrich]

geez - I can see why they went on a long vacation.

[Stacia]

For rates in our area, I think she's being underpaid, mainly because of the puppy needs & medical care.

 

I have a cat with medical needs & it is not easy to find a pet sitter or someone willing to care for an animal who needs medication, or shots, or other medical care. Boarding at a vet office is available, but one of the disadvantages is that it tends to be highly stressful for the animal. So, I think the owners should be willing to pay quite a bit more for the at-home, highly-interactive puppy with medical care. And that's in addition to all the other stuff & time they expect her to invest.

 

I think they've willingly taken advantage of her (using the element of surprise).

Edited May 20, 2016 by Stacia

[Guest]

My "yard" is an acre and a half and I pay my yard crew $65 per service which is a STEAL for the area I have them take care of. To ask your dd to do everything she is doing is insane for what they're paying. Our pool company would charge an extra $10 for emptying the filters Etc in addition to chemicals. Throw in the puppy and the housekeeping and, well I'm speechless. If I asked someone to do all of that I would probably be offering $100 a day. That's just ridiculous. I would renege on that deal in a heartbeat. That's completely taking advantage of her.

 

ETA- you can watch the grass grow where I live during the summer it grows so fast and once a week is still plenty sufficient. We have our yard done weekly and we mow our pasture monthly April-October. I highly doubt their yard grows faster than here or similar climate.

Edited May 20, 2016 by texasmom33

[zoobie]

Also not sure if I mentioned that she is expected to stay overnight and not leave the house for more than a few hours a day.

 

Anyway, she will be cutting the lawn but this is definitely a learning experience for her in what she calls "adulting". She will know better next time to speak up. Even though she lived in an apartment in college this is probably a good learning experience. She still relied a lot on campus food efc. She wants to her her own apartment next year so this also gives her an idea of what it's like to live on her own. So overall all its not all a waste. Without the mowing expectations it would be fine but lesson learned.

Oh heck no! That's crazy. Here, stay at my house and be my servant 24/7 for $40? No. Noooooo.

 

She should refuse the lawn certainly. The puppy is outrageous, but he's a living creature and she can't ignore him. These people are NOT friends.