Creating a Welcome Guide for Your House Sitter

This is the most important part of your welcome guide. If your house sitter needs help quickly, they shouldn't have to search through a folder or scroll through messages to find a phone number.

Put this on the very first page:

• Your phone number and the best way to reach you (WhatsApp, text, call)
• A backup contact - a friend or family member nearby who can help if you're unreachable
• Vet details - name, address, phone number, and the after-hours emergency vet
• Pet insurance information - policy number and claims phone number
• Your home address - sounds obvious, but your sitter might need to give it to a delivery driver, vet, or emergency service
• Nearest hospital / A&E - address and how to get there

If your pets have conditions that could lead to an emergency, such as seizures, allergic reactions, or heart conditions, please provide specific instructions on what to do, when to call the veterinarian immediately, and when to monitor the situation.

Make sure your veterinarian knows that a pet sitter will be taking care of your pets. Some veterinary clinics will not treat animals brought in by anyone other than the registered owner unless they have been notified in advance. A quick phone call before you leave will take care of this.

This is where your welcome guide comes in handy. The more detailed you are here, the more confident your pet sitter will feel, and the better your pets will be cared for.

Feeding schedule:

• Exact times and amounts - "half a cup of dry food at 7am and 6pm" not "twice a day"
• Brand names of food - include a photo of the packaging
• Where food is stored
• Treats - how many per day, any restrictions
• Foods they absolutely cannot have (chocolate, grapes, onions - but also any specific allergies)

Walks and exercise:

• When and how long
• Favourite routes - describe them or drop pins on Google Maps
• Lead behaviour - do they pull? Are they good off-lead? Any recall issues?
• How they are with other dogs, cats, children, joggers, bikes
• Wet weather routine - is there a shorter walk option?

Medication:

• What, when, how much, and how to administer it
• Where it's stored
• What happens if a dose is missed
• Any side effects to watch for

Personality quirks:

These are the kinds of things that aren't easy to categorize, but are incredibly important. Does your cat hide when the doorbell rings? Does your dog need to go into his crate during a thunderstorm? Does one pet steal food from another? Does the parrot start squawking at exactly 6 a.m., no matter what?

These details will help your pet sitter see your pets as individual beings, rather than just a list of tasks.

Every home has its own quirks. What seems obvious to you may be completely unfamiliar to your pet sitter. Write everything down, even the things that seem obvious.

Heating and hot water:

• How to adjust the thermostat - include a photo if the controls are confusing
• Timer settings - when does heating come on and off?
• How to boost hot water if needed
• What temperature to keep the house at (especially important for pets)

Security:

• Alarm code and how to arm/disarm - step by step
• Which doors and windows to lock at night
• Where spare keys are kept
• Security camera locations (your sitter needs to know about these - it's both a legal and trust issue)

Appliances:

• Washing machine and dryer settings
• Dishwasher - any quirks? Special detergent?
• Oven and hob - gas or electric? Any pilot light issues?
• Coffee machine - how to use it and where to find supplies

Utilities:

• WiFi network name and password (print this in large, clear text)
• How to work the TV and streaming services - remote controls can be baffling in someone else's house
• Where the fuse box is and how to reset a tripped switch
• Where the stopcock is in case of a water leak

Parking:

• Where to park - driveway, garage, street parking?
• Any permits needed?
• Garage door remote or code

Bins and recycling:

• Which bin is which
• Collection day and where to put them
• Any local rules about sorting recycling

Your house sitter will be living in your neighborhood during the sit. Help him or her make the most of it.

This section transforms a basic welcome guide into something truly useful and thoughtful. Many sitters on Global Pet Sitter are travelers; they chose your assignment partly because of the location. Thanks to helpful local tips, they'll feel welcome, rather than just a temporary caregiver.

Essentials:

• Nearest supermarket - name, address, and opening hours
• Nearest pharmacy
• Best local coffee shop
• Nearest petrol station (if they have a car)
• Post office

Food and drink:

• Your favourite restaurants - what to order, rough price range
• Best takeaway options and how to order (apps, phone, walk-in)
• Any markets worth visiting - farmers markets, weekend food markets
• The pub or bar you'd take a friend to

Things to do:

• Walking routes - for both dog walks and general exploring
• Day trip ideas within an hour's drive
• Local attractions, museums, beaches, parks
• Seasonal events happening during their sit

Practical local knowledge:

• Which neighbors are friendly and might say hello
• Whether there's a local community group or WhatsApp chat
• Any areas to avoid (rough neighborhoods, roads without pavements for dog walking)
• Public transport options - nearest bus stop, train station, how to buy tickets

Don't worry too much about this. Even just a few tips based on your personal favorites are more valuable than a standard tourist guide.

There's no single right answer here; the best approach depends on your pet sitter and your situation. Most experienced homeowners on Global Pet Sitter use both options.

Printed guide advantages:

• Always accessible - no dead phone battery, no WiFi needed
• Easy to flip through quickly in a moment of panic
• Can be left in a visible spot (kitchen counter, hallway table)
• Older sitters often prefer physical documents

Digital guide advantages:

• Easy to update and share before the sit starts
• Searchable - your sitter can find "vet" in two seconds
• Can include clickable links to maps, restaurants, local services
• Photos and videos are easy to embed
• Your sitter can access it on their phone while out walking the dog

The best approach: both.

On Global Pet Sitter, you can create your welcome guide directly within the platform. The guide includes clear sections for emergency contacts, pet care, household chores, internet connection (including Wi-Fi speeds), tips for the neighborhood, and local attractions. Your pet sitter will have digital access to it via GPS, and you can print out the guide as a backup to leave in your home.

If you'd rather create something yourself, a Google Doc or a Notion page is a good option. Share this with your house sitter a week before the sit starts so they can review it, ask questions, and feel well-prepared before they arrive.

Be sure to print out a copy and place it in a prominent spot in your home. Highlight the section on emergencies. Your house sitter will likely use the digital version on a daily basis, but will appreciate having a printed copy on hand as a backup.

Starting completely from scratch can be overwhelming. Using a template helps you break the process down into manageable steps and ensures you don't overlook anything important.

Here is a checklist template that works well:

Page 1 - Emergency Info

• Your contact details
• Backup contact details
• Vet name, address, phone
• Emergency vet (after hours)
• Pet insurance details
• Home address
• Nearest hospital

Page 2-3 - Pet Care

• Feeding schedule and amounts
• Food brand and storage location
• Walk times, routes, and duration
• Medication details
• Behavioral notes and quirks
• Grooming needs during the sit

Page 4-5 - House Operations

• WiFi name and password
• Alarm code and instructions
• Heating / hot water controls
• Appliance instructions
• Bin collection schedule
• Parking details
• Spare key locations

Page 6 - Local Guide

• Nearest shops and supermarket
• Restaurant recommendations
• Walking routes
• Day trip ideas
• Helpful neighbors

You don't have to fill out every section of every pet-sitting job. A simple pet-sitting job involving a single cat that requires little care calls for fewer details than a complex one involving three dogs, a parrot, and a swimming pool. Tailor the guide to the complexity of the job.

GPS's built-in welcome guide already follows this structure: emergency information, pet care, household chores, and local tips are all separate sections that you can fill out. The guide is automatically saved along with your listing, so you only need to update the information that changes between house-sitting assignments.

If you'd prefer to have a standalone document, save your template and reuse it for each site. Update the data and make any necessary changes, but the core information remains the same. After your first guide, creating each subsequent guide will take only a few minutes instead of hours.

Timing is important. If you tell them too early, your house sitter will have forgotten the details. If you tell them too late, they'll show up unprepared.

The best time is one week before the sit begins. That way, your house sitter will have enough time to read through everything, take notes, and ask questions, but the information will still be fresh in their mind.

Here's a timeline that works:

• When confirmed: Share basic info - dates, address, general overview of the sit
• One week before: Send the full welcome guide
• Day before arrival: Quick message confirming arrival details, any last-minute changes, and anything they should know about the current state of things ("The heating's been playing up, engineer coming Monday")
• At handover: Walk through the guide together, filling in anything that's better shown than written

Encourage your house sitter to send you a message if they have any questions after reading the guide. No question is too small. "Where do you keep the can opener?" It might seem like a minor detail, but it's exactly the kind of thing that's really annoying when you can't find it at 7:00 p.m. while you're trying to feed a hungry cat.

After the job is done, ask your pet sitter if anything was missing from the guide. Their feedback will help you improve your guide for next time. The best welcome guides on Global Pet Sitter have been refined over the course of multiple pet-sitting assignments based on real feedback from pet sitters.

A detailed welcome guide isn't just helpful for your house sitter. It also ensures that you can relax and enjoy your trip with peace of mind. When you know that your house sitter has everything they need written down, you won't have to worry anymore and can truly enjoy your vacation.