Can You Get Paid to Housesit?
On a housesit in Norway
Yes you can. But whether you should depends entirely on your lifestyle, your goals, and what you want housesitting to be for you.
Welcome back to our mini housesitting blog series! In these short, specific posts, we answer the questions we get from curious travellers to soon-to-be nomads to people who accidentally fell into this lifestyle and never looked back. After over three years of full-time house and pet sitting across multiple countries, we’ve experienced just about every version of housesitting you can imagine.
So let’s dive in…
Can You Get Paid to Housesit?
Yes, you absolutely can.
But it’s not always the norm, and it’s not the path everyone chooses.
In my book, The Housesitter’s Guide to the Galaxy, I dedicate a full chapter to “Paid vs Exchange-Based Sitting,” because it’s one of the biggest debates in the community. If you’ve ever wondered whether you should charge for housesitting (or why some people never do), here’s the breakdown.
Why Some Housesitters Charge
Income & Financial Stability
Paid housesitting can give you a reliable income stream, especially if you take on long sits or high-responsibility pet care (think: multiple pets, medication, reactive animals, puppies, or farms).
Pet Care Is Expensive
Walkers, sitters, boarding, kennels: none of it comes cheap anymore. A live-in sitter who keeps the pets calm, comfortable, and in their routine is a premium service. Many homeowners value that enough to pay for it.
You Become a Professional Service Provider
When you’re paid, you’re not “helping out”, you’re offering a trusted, skilled service. For some people, this is empowering. It also makes expectations extremely clear on both sides:
Set schedules
Defined responsibilities
Clear boundaries
Higher accountability
For many, paid sitting feels secure, structured, and sustainable.
Why Paid Sitting Doesn’t Work For Us
There’s no right or wrong approach, just what fits your lifestyle. And we prefer exchange-based sits. Here’s why:
We Already Have Jobs
Our income doesn’t depend on housesitting. We use sits to reduce living costs, not generate income. It’s accommodation, not employment.
An Exchange Just Feels… Chilled
Pet care and home security in exchange for free accommodation and zero bills works beautifully for our rhythm. Once money enters the equation, everything gets heavier and more confusing:
More pressure
Higher expectations
Less flexibility
More “job” than “experience”
We like housesitting to be peaceful, not another work stream.
Platforms Add Security
Using a third-party site (like TrustedHousesitters, etc.) gives both sides:
Verified identities
Reviews
Messaging
Support if something goes wrong
Once you go private and paid, you lose that built-in safety net, and we genuinely value it.
The Middle Ground Exists
Some people charge for certain sits and not others. Some start with exchange-based sitting, get great reviews, then move into paid work. Some do a mix depending on geography, season, or the level of responsibility.
There is no single “correct” approach. There’s only the one that makes your lifestyle work best.
Final Thoughts
Can you get paid to housesit? Yes.
Should you? Only you can answer that.
For us, the exchange model gives us freedom, simplicity, and the chance to live in incredible places without the weight of turning it into a job. For others, paid sitting brings stability, income, and recognition as a skilled service provider.
Whichever path you choose, the goal is the same: safe, respectful, and happy humans and pets.
Stay tuned for more Mini Blogs!
Got questions about housesitting? We’d love to help. Message us anytime on Instagram: @hitchedhikingandhousesitting 🫶
Want to join us and try house and pet sitting? Your wish is our command…