House Sitter Questions
Refer a friend
House Sitters can invite their friends to become house sitters on the Mindahome website and when their friend registers using the link in the invitation, they will receive a $10 credit to their account which will be redeemed when their account is ...
Why are we getting two ‘Latest positions’ notifications each morning?
Your account has the option to add a second email address and if you have added one, these notifications are sent to it as well. To only receive 1 morning notification email, in your Mindahome control panel, untick the ‘Add second email’ checkbox and ...
How can I add reviews, references, testimonials to my profile page?
Owners and sitters may leave reviews for each other which will show on their public ad or profile page. When a house sitting position commences, a ‘Leave a review’ button will become visible to both parties on the bottom of their conversations on ...
How can I search for sitting positions in specific locations?
On the home owners list page you can use the 'Additional filters' button to search by location or postcode. You can also click the 'See map' icon at the top right of the home owners list or first choose a state then click the icon to see the map for ...
I'm already registered as a home owner. How can I join as a sitter?
Members can have both Owner and Sitter accounts using the same email address. To create the other account, a member needs to register using the appropriate registration form. When done, the type of account they are logged into will be noted under ...
I'm not having much luck getting a sitting position, what am I doing wrong?
There are often several applicants for positions in cities and popular holiday locations so when starting out as a house sitter, follow these steps to help you get off to a successful beginning. 1. Obtain a 'Police check' or 'Police clearance': This ...
Should my police check be an employment or a volunteer one?
The police check or police clearance, you need is the volunteer one. When filling the application form, if asked what the purpose is, as it's unlikely there will be a category to select into which house sitters fit, you should choose "other" from ...
I have not had a reply to my message.
Many members access the internet and their emails only periodically and it may be few days before they reply to your message so it may just be a matter of waiting a little longer. We have put many features in place to encourage members to do the ...
What duties are expected of sitters?
House sitters are expected to perform agreed tasks regarding the care of the home owners' property and pets. These can include house security, house cleaning duties, garden and lawn maintenance, caring for pets, forwarding mail and phone messages and ...
Do we get paid for House sitting?
Not usually, but everything is negotiable between you and the Home Owner. In the majority of cases it's a straight swap where House Sitters care for the house and pets in exchange for free accommodation. However there maybe exceptions when a ...
Does the House sitter pay rent to the Home Owner?
The essence of house sitting is that the house sitter enjoys free accommodation in exchange for taking care of the home owners house and pets. Being asked to share the cost of usage of utilities for sitting positions longer than a month is not ...
Can I mind a home with my pet dog?
That's completely up to the Home Owners, some don't mind while others don't like strange pets in their homes. It is a matter for discussion between both parties.
Can I mind a home with my family?
Some home owners prefer not to have children in their home whereas others may actually like children because, if they have pets, it provides more play and walking opportunities for them. The home owner will usually state in their ad if families with ...
Will I need references?
References are a definite advantage and for new house sitters a character references from people of standing in the community that have known you for a reasonable amount of time are acceptable. Have you rented or are you renting a property and can ...
I cannot contact a home owner from their ad page
If you visit a home owners ad page from a link in your 'Latest home owners' notification email and can't see how to send them a message it will be because either they have either found a sitter or you are not logged in to the website. Please check ...
How can I suspend my membership?
I'm sorry we don't suspend memberships but you can unpublish your 'Public profile' which will take you out of circulation however your membership will still come up for renewal at the end of the 12 months.
I paid by bank transfer but my account is not active
Often when people pay by EFT/bank (bank transfer), or by cash over the counter at a Commonwealth bank, they do not identify themselves and we have no way of knowing who the payment is from. Please take a look at your bank statement and let us know ...
My house sitters membership has expired. If I pay the invoice, when will the new membership period start?
The new membership period will start from the date you pay invoice, not when your old membership expired so you will get a full 12 months from date of payment.
We are a couple, do we pay two joining fees?
No couples can join and use the one membership account.
If we house sit as a couple do we both need a police check?
It's the home owners that will want to see your police clearance when they are deciding who they will use for their house sitters. We recommend that you both get them.
I'm a sitter and I'm not getting contacted by home owners
Not all home owners go through and search the sitters list and then contact those whose profile appeals to them, and those that do may only contact a handful. The majority of our home owners register and wait to be contacted by available sitters so ...
I would like to join as a house sitter for a few months only
I'm sorry but we only have the one membership plan which is for a period of 12 months.
How do I suspend or stop the email notifications and alerts I'm getting?
The check-box to turn the notifications and new house sitting position alerts off and on is found on the "Your account" page in your Mindahome control panel.
Why are new position notifications I receive not in my chosen local area
Currently the email notifications of new positions contain all positions from the state you selected in your profile. The software does not provide results for just the locations within the state that you selected. Your 'preferred location' details ...
My membership expired a while ago, how do I renew it?
All you need do is pay the invoice that's showing in your Mindahome control panel and your next 12 months membership will start from the date you make the payment.
I'm a sitter. How do I put an owner ad on?
Members can have both Owner and Sitter accounts using the same email address. To create the second account a member should register for the other account using the appropriate registration form. When completed, the type of account they are logged ...
How can I add non Mindahome references to my profile for people to see?
You can scan written references as well as your police clearance, save them on your computer and then upload them to your 'Media library' page in your Mindahome Members control panel. Email references can be saved as text or document files and be ...
Do you get long term House Sitting positions?
Yes some can be. House sitting positions can be anything from 1 day to 2 or more years but generally the length of a House Sitting position varies between 1 week and 4 months with the most common being between 2 and 6 weeks. You can search our 'house ...
Is the house-sitter allowed to take a break or holiday (even for the weekend)?
The home owner engages you to look after their property and pets while they are away and you need to be in attendance to be able to fulfill that obligation. In return you are offered free accommodation. Having said that, everything is negotiable with ...
I'm young (19), will I get a sitting position?
We have quite a few people around your age join us as house sitters and some are more successful than others. There is no doubt that your age and inexperience is a disadvantage however, depending on how you present yourself both in your profile and ...
I'm from a different country, can I still join as a House Sitter?
Yes we do have people in other countries house sitting with us. Most home owners will consider house sitters from another country and certainly an overseas police clearance is acceptable. Because of your location, a face to face interview is ...
Am I sure of getting a House sitting job?
There are too many variables to guarantee anyone employment as a house sitter using our service. Things such as location choice, location flexibility, date flexibility, duration flexibility and how your profile is perceived, all play a part. Each ...
Before I join can you contact a homeowner to see if their position is still available?
At Mindahome we only have one house sitter membership plan which is for a period of 12 months and is ample time for a person to obtain multiple sitting positions with us whether or not they are successful in obtaining the one that first attracted ...
Do you send out renewal reminders?
Yes, we email reminder notices 30 days and 14 days before your membership expires.
I want to cancel my sitter account and stop any future payments.
We do not have an automatically renewing payment system. 30 days before the end of your 12 month membership period an invoice is generated and a reminder sent to you. Another reminder is sent 14 days before expiry. If you don't want to continue with ...
How do I find out when my membership renewal is due?
You can see this in your Mindahome control panel. Click your name near the top right of the website then in the menu that appears click 'My control panel'. The information is shown beneath the heading 'House Sitter Membership'.
I need your bank account details to pay at the bank?
After registering you are taken to the payments page where you can choose your payment options. When you choose 'Pay at bank' and you will be given our bank account details.
How can I get notifications of new sitting position in my location only?
We currently send out a notification each morning at 5am with a list of all new positions for the previous 24 hours. You can filter or limit the positions shown in the list that you receive to just the State you are interested in by changing the ...
How can I get Mindahome messages sent to a second email address?
Sitters can have email notices sent to two email addresses by ticking the "2nd email address" checkbox on their "Your Account" page. This reveals a 2nd email address field in the form.