How to Create a TrustedHousesitters Profile That Actually Gets Accepted
When we first joined Trusted Housesitters it was because we were ready to come back to New York City immediately and didn’t want to pay for a place to stay. Like, we signed up while we were at the airport on our way home praying we would get accepted to the first New York City stay we applied to.
Did we get accepted to the first or second stay we applied to? No. But, this taught us how to approach our future sits that we did apply for. On our third application we were accepted and able to stay for two weeks in New York City in a perfect apartment for us.
Your profile isn’t just a resume of why you can take care of an animal. It’s an introduction and first impression of yourself to your future ‘client’. They want to know that you are trustworthy and the kind of person they want in their home taking care of their pet(s).
After years of housesitting in the biggest US cities – San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, Chicago, and more – we have figured out exactly how to get the places that we want. This is the profile guide everyone should read when starting their housesitter’s profile.
What Homeowners Are Actually Looking For
Before you start talking about yourself, remember what you are actually making this profile for. This is for people to read to decide whether or not they can trust this stranger in their house.
They’re not looking for the most experienced traveler. They’re looking for someone who feels reliable, warm, and genuinely invested in caring for their animals and their space. Every single part of your profile should be answering the unspoken question everyone on there is asking when looking at a profile – yes, you can trust me.
Creating Photos for Getting a Housesit
You don’t need headshots. You just need clear, visible pictures of yourself. Natural light, genuine smile, what you actually look like. No filters, no group shots.
Include photos of yourself with animals! This should be a no-brainer but it is what we are here for people.
Small disclaimer: You obviously shouldn’t be taking this opportunity unless you actually love animals and can provide amazing care to them.
How To Write A Bio for TrustedHouseSitters
Everyone is going to say, “I’m reliable, friendly, and love animals. I will take the best care of your home and pet.” It’s all a version of this and great, but that is the bare minimum and really tells the homeowner nothing.
Write your bio like a letter to the homeowner. Talk about why you sit, your lifestyle, how you spend your time when you’re at home, and what kind of care you can provide for animals.
Here’s an example snippet: “We work remotely, so we’re home the majority of the day and your pet won’t be left alone for long stretches of time. When we aren’t on a sit we volunteer with the local humane society as foster parents for kittens so we are experienced with giving animals medication or any extra care they may need.”
This gives them an exact understanding of what you would actually be like as a caretaker for their pet. Without just telling them you are reliable and trustworthy, they can see it through examples.
Be Specific About Your Animal Experience
Specificity is your best tool here. Anything concrete you can say like breeds you’ve worked with, situations you’ve handled, and other types of sits you have done before is more convincing than any one adjective you could use. If you have handled elderly dogs, shy cats, administering medication, say this. Owners are looking for someone who understands animal behavior.
Even if you’re new, you’re likely to have more relevant experience than you think. Family pets, pet-sitting for friends, volunteering with animals, all of this counts. Be honest about where you are, but be thorough about what you have actually done before.
Getting Your First Review
If you’re starting from absolute zero, this is your biggest hurdle to get over. But it is very solvable.
If you have taken care of someone’s pet before, you can send them an email where they can actually be a reference for you and their review shows up on your Trusted Housesitters profile. Start there.
Your first review doesn’t have to come from a housesit across the country. There’s a few ways to break in:
- Apply to local sits first – short commitment, less travel
- Offer to sit for friends or family and ask them to leave a TrustedHouseSitters review
- Look for listings with fewer applications: rural areas, less popular dates
One genuine detailed review from a happy homeowner changes everything. After the first, your second comes easier. After your third, you’ll start to see homeowners reaching out to you.
Fill Out Every Single Field
This sounds obvious, but for some reason people don’t do it. An incomplete profile reads as low effort, you will be skipped.
Specifically:
- Complete your ID verification and background check – major trust signals
- Add external references (employer, landlord, neighbor), anyone who can speak on your character
- Upload as many photos as you can. Pets you’ve cared for, homes you’ve stayed in, activities you like to do, photos are more powerful than most words
- Set up your availability and preferences so you come up in homes searching for sitters
Application Message VS Profile
When applying for a sit, you will send an application message. This isn’t just sending them your profile. Your application message matters just as much as everything on your profile does. Your profile gets looked at, your application gets you considered.
Never send a template that you can copy and paste. Homeowners can tell immediately and it signals that you’re applying without actually caring about the specificity of their sit.
A strong application message is short, warm, and specific. Reference the pet by name. Mention what you like about their home or location. Briefly explain to them why you are a good fit for their needs.
Something like: “Hi [name], I am [name]. I saw your sit and immediately fell in love with Mochi! I work from home full-time so she’d have company throughout the day since she loves having people nearby. I also have experience with shy cats who need patience to warm up. Chicago is a city I would love to spend more time in and your house matches my vibe perfectly. I’d love to chat more about taking care of Mochi for you!”
Warm, specific, and tells them exactly why you’re a good fit for their stay.
Ready to Start?
If you’re not on TrustedHouseSitter yet, it’s the platform we use and recommend. It has the largest amount of global sits and a strong system that allows you to really trust the platform. You can also search sits before signing up, so you can see what’s available for what you want without committing.
If you want to see a more full picture of how house sitting actually fits in our travel lifestyle, we’ve written all about it.
Use our refer a friend link!
https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF842846/?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=refer-a-friend&utm_campaign=refer-a-friend
