What to charge for dog & house sitting?

[tamzdance]

Hello smart people--

A little background: I have a close friend who travels quite a bit and I have done dog/house sitting for him several times over the past couple of years. I have also done some house cleaning for him and helped him with special projects at his house. He has paid me for my help, but we never seem to agree on the pay before the work was done. (Not good, I know.) Essentially, the pay he offers has consistently been less than my expectations. We are close friends and have known each other for many years---so I don't mind giving a discount to a friend. But sometimes I think he's really being a cheapskate. I have spoken up when he offers ridiculously low pay, and he's coughed it up. But not without a little fuss on his part, which kind of irks me!

Fast forward to this coming weekend...I begin a 17-day house & dog sitting gig for said friend. This includes:

- drop off and pick up from the airport
- caring for two dogs (well behaved/great doggies)
- watering all his indoor and newly planted outdoor plans
- cleaning the house (it's always a complete tip when I get there it seems)
- collecting mail

I want to charge what's appropriate but not as much as a "professional" would do---since I don't consider myself a pro, and because he is my friend. But I am not going to let him get off as cheaply as in past gigs. I have looked around on the internet for what others charge, and it sounds like anywhere between $20 to $35/day is the going rate. Aside from the house cleaning, it's not like it's too labor intensive and I don't want to soak a friend.

Has anyone here done any house & dog sitting jobs, and what did you charge? And, would you charge less for a close friend?

[beast]

Maybe he thinks since he's giving you free housing, you should cut him some slack? I don't know what your housing situation is. If you guys hadn't agreed on a price beforehand, he might have thought you were doing him a gift as a friend, and anything he gave you would be a sort of bonus thank you gift.

Anyways, I gotta say, my friends don't usually ask for compensation to drive me to the airport (though I always offer to pay for their gas and take them out to brunch or something). Watering plants and collecting mail isn't a very big deal, and caring for two well-behaved, great doggies seems like a joy to me. Is the work you're doing for him seriously inconveniencing you in a profound way? And does he ask you to clean his home while he's gone?

If my friend were housesitting for me, and we hadn't agreed on payment beforehand, I think I'd just buy them a nice bottle of wine and take them out for dinner when I got back, or agreed to return the favor when they wanted it from me. I think when you start getting petty with friends over money, it can get really ugly.

[tamzdance]

Originally Posted by beast

Maybe he thinks since he's giving you free housing, you should cut him some slack? I don't know what your housing situation is. If you guys hadn't agreed on a price beforehand, he might have thought you were doing him a gift as a friend, and anything he gave you would be a sort of bonus thank you gift.

I have a house of my own, so it's not a free housing arrangement (if it was, I would agree). But I am unemployed at the moment and he kindly has offered to pay me for my house cleaning, helping him with special projects, for house & dog sitting for him when he travels.

Anyways, I gotta say, my friends don't usually ask for compensation to drive me to the airport (though I always offer to pay for their gas and take them out to brunch or something). Watering plants and collecting mail isn't a very big deal, and caring for two well-behaved, great doggies seems like a joy to me. Is the work you're doing for him seriously inconveniencing you in a profound way? And does he ask you to clean his home while he's gone?

I also do not charge to drive my friends to the airport--so I see how me listing that was misleading (I guess I was just thinking of the whole gig from start to finish). I agree that watering plans and collecting mail are not a big deal--and these are great dogs. Doing the house/dog sitting is not inconveniencing me profoundly, but it does wrinkle the routine--especially as I am job hunting and interviewing often. I also have a job offer pending which I will likely accept--and I assume I will begin that job while he's still away. And, yes he does ask if I would mind cleaning, doing his laundry, etc. while being there. He leaves a very upset/untidy home and comes home to a very orderly and clean sanctuary when he returns. (I do great work! LOL)

If my friend were housesitting for me, and we hadn't agreed on payment beforehand, I think I'd just buy them a nice bottle of wine and take them out for dinner when I got back, or agreed to return the favor when they wanted it from me. I think when you start getting petty with friends over money, it can get really ugly.

Actually, he asked me what I would charge to be there for 17 days. I really had no idea what to suggest. So it's still not been agreed upon. Last time I house/dog sat for him for over 6 weeks and he gave me $80 when he got back. He does expect me to live there, clean, do all the normal house upkeep and care of the dogs (which I do, admittedly enjoy---they're great).

[beast]

Well, how much cleaning do you have to do? I assume you don't have to clean every day during the entire period when he's gone, right?

[tamzdance]

Originally Posted by beast

Well, how much cleaning do you have to do? I assume you don't have to clean every day during the entire period when he's gone, right?

No, I won't be cleaning every day he's gone. I will likely spread the cleaning out over the time I am there since I have a job hunt going on right now. It's a 3-story house, so it does take about 8 to 10 hours to clean it and do a decent job. And, I will be watering all the outside plants every other day as they are all new and just getting started.

I am going to suggest $10/day. In all my research on the net, it seems like anything less than $20 for house & dog sitting (and that doesn't include all the cleaning I'll be doing) is a really great deal. But because of the friendship and all...I still have some doubts. That's why I am trying to get some 2nd opinions. Thanks, Beast, for taking the time to read through this and reply. I appreciate it!!

[beast]

I think $10 a day is reasonable to ask. I think it would also be reasonable to offer your cleaning services for $15/hr, and let him know that the dogsitting/mail collecting/plant watering is something you'll do out of the goodness of your heart.

[tamzdance]

I forgot to mention that I have house/dog sat for him a few times, helped him clean up his house many times (we worked together on it), and expected no pay. I wouldn't take it when offered. I considered these few times favors from me to him. Those gigs were short though--2 or 3 days max. It's becoming more of a regular thing lately (I've done it 4 times in the past 8 weeks), and the lengths of his absences are getting longer. And, the expectations about cleaning, it seems, are getting more and more--at least that's the vibe I am getting from him.

[tamzdance]

Originally Posted by beast

I think $10 a day is reasonable to ask. I think it would also be reasonable to offer your cleaning services for $15/hr, and let him know that the dogsitting/mail collecting/plant watering is something you'll do out of the goodness of your hear.

Thanks, it's a good suggestion about the cleaning rate. The dogs/mail/plants are not too big of a deal, but staying overnight there every night can get a bit much when it's a long gig like this (17 days). Just sleeping in a different bed (takes me days to adjust!) and being responsible for his property for a half a month is worth $10 per day.

[emeadow]

We have friends come feed our crew when we are out of town, and I would say we average paying about $20 dollars a day. Now keep in mind, this is NOT house sitting, they just stop by for about 10 minutes twice a day, feed, water, scoop boxes, and check mail. It would cost us about $30-35 a day if we hired a professional in the area so we consider $20 to be great (I have priced a half dozen local companies). It would cost over $50 a day to hire a professional to actually stay at the house.

The couple friends we have paid are hurting for money, so we probably pay a bit extra. If we have been gone for longer periods (like 10 days plus), we usually pay a bit less per day, more like $10-15. To pay to board two dogs at a kennel would range anywhere from $30-$50 or more a day and that doesn't include someone watching the house.

In regards to house cleaning, I used to pay a house cleaner to come every 2 weeks and clean our 1900 sq foot home (took about 3-4 hrs). Included all bathrooms scrubbed, floors, kitchen, dusting, and usually included one deep cleaning item each trip (scrubbing baseboards, fans, blinds, etc). It ran me about $100 every 2 weeks, with the first cleaning being $150 since they have to 'catch up'. I also keep the house really picked up and did not have them do any laundry or anything.

One thing to keep in mind is the convenience factor I think in price. If I had a young friend with no pets, no other obligations (like a spouse, etc), I would probably pay them less to come stay at my house then I would someone who had to split their time between two homes. Like friends have asked me to house sit for them, but I am married and I have cats and dogs of my own to take care of. Its an ordeal to stay at two homes and keep up with everything. So consider the convenience factor in your pricing. The friends we pay all work full time and have pets/responsibilities of their own, so we pay knowing they have to go out of their way to come by our house.

[tamzdance]

Thanks for all the info, emeadow. I've begin dog/house sitting today and settled on $200 for the 17 days (that's about $11.75/day). Seems fair to me.

[Lil Chris]

I'll share what I get paid from a good friend and what I have to do.

I have a 2 week sitting job coming up next month. My responsibilities are going over there 2 times a day to let the dogs out and feed them. In the morning I let them out and feed them, it takes about an hour. At night they like me to let them out, feed them and stay for a few hours to play with them and let them run around. I put them in their cage when I leave. There is also two cats and I just need to make sure there is food for them and clean the box. They live less than 5 minutes from me, under 2 miles. I also grab the mail and paper so it doesn't look like nobody's home...

They offered the price of 500.00 and their reasoning is it would cost at least as much to put them in a kennel for that long (and if they are going to pay someone, they might as well pay me). But their real reason is to avoid things like kennel cough and one of the dogs doesn't do well in the car to get them there and the other has "other dog issues" doesn't play nice with others. Plus the dogs are in a familiar environment.

[beast]

Jeeze! Pet-sitting is something I've done for free for my friends, and they've done it for free for me! I'd like to meet these nice friends offering $500 for two weeks of it!

[tamzdance]

Originally Posted by Lil Chris

I'll share what I get paid from a good friend and what I have to do.

I have a 2 week sitting job coming up next month. My responsibilities are going over there 2 times a day to let the dogs out and feed them. In the morning I let them out and feed them, it takes about an hour. At night they like me to let them out, feed them and stay for a few hours to play with them and let them run around. I put them in their cage when I leave. There is also two cats and I just need to make sure there is food for them and clean the box. They live less than 5 minutes from me, under 2 miles. I also grab the mail and paper so it doesn't look like nobody's home...

They offered the price of 500.00 and their reasoning is it would cost at least as much to put them in a kennel for that long (and if they are going to pay someone, they might as well pay me). But their real reason is to avoid things like kennel cough and one of the dogs doesn't do well in the car to get them there and the other has "other dog issues" doesn't play nice with others. Plus the dogs are in a familiar environment.

Hi Lil Chris--- this is helpful. It sounds very similar to what I am doing, except I live on the same block as my friend. But he does expect me to sleep there, too. Plus, I have agreed to clean the house (it's big 3 story house), do any dirty laundry, fold it, and water all the newly planted shrubs and trees that do not have root systems yet (very large yard---apx 20 to 25 new plans this year). All this on top of the dog care (which I love to do---they're lovely little doggies). I think the $200 I am getting is very low compared to what others are getting. $500 sounds more like it! Thanks for sharing your info. Next time...believe me, I will ask for more! LOL

[Lil Chris]

Originally Posted by beast

Jeeze! Pet-sitting is something I've done for free for my friends, and they've done it for free for me! I'd like to meet these nice friends offering $500 for two weeks of it!

Normally, I would agree doing it for free for a few (2) days but, two weeks is longer than a friendly gesture.

[Bradman]

My brother-in-law pays someone $60 a day (4 x $15) for a person to take care of his cats and dog when he's out of town.

[Rebecca800]

On the cleaning front, he's using you. Especially if this is becoming a habit for him to leave a messy house for his friend who's only doing him a favor!!

However, I always thought house/dog sitting was done for free. If you are inconvenienced by living there with his dogs then he should find a friend who is actually keen and could mutually benefit from the situation.

We needed someone to look after our two dogs and keep the gardens tidy for 4 weeks. However none of our friends could commit because of their jobs. So I placed an ad on a house sitters website and within 24 hours got 10+ replies from registered members. I interviewed, checked references and past house sits. In the end we chose a nice retired couple who are building their house nearby and need a place to stay. The standard arrangement is they look after your house and pets, and in return get free accommodation (inc utilities). No money is ever involved because it is win-win for everyone.

There are so many people who are keen to housesit for free - if your friend ever finds out about housesitter websites, I think your situation will resolve itself! (Even if he does have to start paying a cleaner....)