House Sitting Agreement

You can download a PDF copy of the Agreement: House Sitting Agreement


Date of Signing
Homeowner Names
House Sitter Names
Dates of Agreement
Address of property covered by this agreement

The homeowner gives the house sitter permission to occupy the above premises as long as they abide by the conditions of this agreement.

No person/s or pet/s other than those listed in this agreement are permitted to live at the premises during the term of this agreement.

This is not a lease. Both parties agree that the house sitter only has a license to occupy the premises according to the terms and conditions of this agreement and has no legal interest in the premises.

At the end of this term the house sitter may continue to occupy the premises under the same terms of this agreement only if given permission to do so by the homeowner.

All parties to this agreement should have their own copy of this agreement, which should be signed by every person who is party to this agreement.

Access to the premises

The homeowner agrees:

to provide the house sitter with at least seven days notice of any change to the agreed first day of the house sitting assignment
to provide the house sitter with seven days notice of an inspection of the premises
that the premises will be vacant and in a habitable condition for the house sitter to move in on the agreed first day of the house sitting assignment

The homeowner, or any person authorized in writing by the homeowner, may only enter the premises during the terms of this agreement in the following circumstances:

in an emergency (including to make urgent repairs)
if the premises seem to be abandoned
for any other purpose, if the house sitter agrees

1.2 The house sitter agrees:

to be responsible for any act by any person the house sitter allows on the premises who breaks any terms of the agreement
not to sub-let the premises without the homeowner’s prior written permission
not to allow any person not listed in this agreement to live at the premises without the homeowner’s written permission

2. Care of premises

2.1 The homeowner agrees:

to ensure that the premises are reasonably clean and fit to live in
to provide the house sitter or the homeowner’s nominated contact person with a set of spare keys for the premises

2.2 The house sitter agrees:

not to use the premises, or allow the premises to be used, for any illegal purpose
not to cause a nuisance or allow a nuisance to be caused on the premises
not to interfere, or allow others to interfere with the reasonable peace, comfort or privacy of neighbors
not to keep any animal on the premises other than those listed in this agreement without the permission of the homeowner
not to block any sink or drain
not to cause or allow any damage to be caused to the premises
to care for every item in the premises
to regularly clean the bathroom and kitchen
to maintain the grounds and garden in the same condition as at the start of this agreement
to put all household rubbish and recycling out for regular collection
to report any infestation of the premises to the homeowner and seek advice for solutions to the problem
to keep the premises as clean and tidy as at the start of this agreement
to notify the homeowner as soon as possible of any damage to the premises
to leave the premises as nearly as possible in the same condition (fair wear and tear excepted) as at the start of this agreement
to regularly feed, water and maintain any indoor plants and to keep them in at least as good a condition as at the start of this agreement
to keep windows and doors locked where appropriate and ensure that any other security measures in the premises are used effectively

Care of animals

Name and describe each animal to be covered by this agreement. Describe how you would like each animal to be managed on a day-to-day basis. Include details of any medications or special treatment that each animal requires.

3.1 The homeowner agrees:

to describe in writing and in detail how any animals normally resident at the premises should be cared for
to provide all food and sundry supplies (insect control and other medicine, bedding, exercising and cleaning equipment) for the animals, or make arrangement to reimburse the house sitter for any food or supplies bought for the animals
to make arrangements for payment for any services provided by a qualified veterinarian in the treatment and care of the homeowner’s animals

3.2 The house sitter agrees:

to make every reasonable effort to ensure the good health, comfort, safety and happiness of the animals listed in this agreement
to follow the homeowner’s instructions as far as possible in the care of the animals listed in this agreement

Veterinarian contact details:

After hours emergency service for animals

Pets covered by this agreement:

Feed instructions:

Any medications and instructions:

4. Payment for utilities

Check this box if Homeowner will cover all utility costs ______

For an accurate calculation of the house sitter’s liability for utility charges all relevant meter readings should be taken near the start of the house-sitting assignment. Before the house sitter leaves the premises at the end of the assignment, further meter readings can be taken, and the house sitter’s share of costs can be accurately calculated.

4.1 The homeowner agrees to pay or reimburse the house sitter for the following costs:

municipal service charges such as council tax and rates
all costs incurred by the house sitter in the care of the animals listed in this agreement
all costs of emergency repairs or routine maintenance of the premises

4.2 The house sitter agrees to pay service providers directly or reimburse the homeowner for the following utilities (unless noted above that homeowner will cover utility costs):

electricity
gas
telephone calls and service charges
water
excess rubbish or sanitary waste removal charges
internet access
cable or satellite TV

The house sitter should make good their financial obligations under the terms of this agreement before leaving the homeowner’s premises. The house sitter may choose to pay service providers directly and should keep receipts of such payments for homeowner’s records. Any financial liability still outstanding at the end of the house-sitting assignment may be reclaimed by the homeowner from the security deposit.

**Only needs to be filled out if Homeowner is not covering utility costs

Gas meter	Date recorded

Electric meter	Date recorded

Water meter:	Date recorded

Other (list)	Date recorded

Maintenance & repairs

5.1 What are urgent repairs?

The homeowner agrees to make payment, either directly to the service provider or as a reimbursement to the house sitter, for the following urgent repairs:

burst water service
blocked or broken lavatory system
serious roof leak
gas leak
electrical faults
flooding or serious flood damage
serious storm damage
serious fire damage
failure or breakdown of the gas, electricity, or water supply to the premises
failure or breakdown of any essential service for hot water, cooking, heating, or laundering
any fault or damage that causes the premises to be unsafe or not secure

5.2 Repairs & emergency contact details

Gas service person:

Electrician:

Plumber:

Handy Person:

Window Repairer:

Locksmith:

Local Police:

Fire Service:

Nearest hospital with accident and emergency department:

Veterinarian

Emergency 24-hour animal treatment service:

5.3 Reimbursement for repairs

The homeowner agrees to pay the house sitter, within 14 days of the end of the house-sitting assignment, any reasonable costs that the house sitter has incurred for making repairs to the premises so long as:

the house sitter was not in breach of this agreement when the damage occurred
the house sitter gives the homeowner, or their nominated contact, a reasonable opportunity to make the repairs
the house sitter makes a reasonable attempt to have any appropriate tradesperson named in this agreement make the repairs
the repairs are carried out, where appropriate, by licensed or properly qualified persons
the house sitter gives the homeowner, or their nominated contact person, written details of the repairs, including receipts for any costs the house sitter has incurred

Additional terms

Any additional terms and conditions may be added to this agreement here. All parties to this agreement need to initial each additional term. See the ‘Homeowners checklist for additional points you may want to address here.

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Staying in contact

7.1 Homeowner’s contact details:

The homeowner agrees to provide the house sitter with contact details for use during the term of this agreement. These contact details, whether phone, postal or email addresses, should remain current and functional during the term of this agreement. The homeowner can be contacted by the following methods during the term of this agreement:

Postal Address:

Email Address:

Cell Phone:

If Contact information is different while homeowner is away list how you would like to be contacted:

7.2 Nominated contact person’s details

The homeowner may choose to nominate a third party to act on their behalf during the term of this agreement. This nominated contact person agrees to provide the house sitter with their contact details and to be readily contactable. Those details should remain current and functional for the term of this agreement. The homeowner’s nominated contact person can be contacted by the following methods during the term of this agreement:

Address:

Email address:

Cell Phone:

Other:

7.3 House sitter’s contact details

The house sitter agrees to provide the homeowner or the homeowner’s nominated contact person with their contact details and to be readily contactable. These details should remain current and functional for the term of this agreement.

The house sitter can be contacted by the following methods during the term of this agreement:

Address:

Email address:

Cell phone:

Other:

Termination of agreement

8.1 The homeowner agrees:

to give the house sitter at least seven days notice of an early termination of this agreement if the agreement is for less than six months
to give the house sitter at least 28 days notice of an early termination of this agreement if the agreement is for six months or longer

8.2 The house sitter agrees:

not to leave the premises before the end of this agreement without written permission from the homeowner or nominated contact person
to give vacant possession of the premises to the homeowner or nominated contact person on the date of termination of this agreement
to return all keys and other security devices on the date of termination of this agreement
to provide the homeowner or nominated contact person with a forwarding address
at the end of this agreement the house sitter may continue to occupy the premises under the same terms of this agreement only if given permission to do so by the homeowner

8.3 Both parties agree:

that if either party persistently breaches this agreement, then the innocent party may terminate this agreement on 24 hours notice that termination of this agreement does not affect the right of either party to recover any monies due under the terms of this agreement

9. Signatories & witnesses

Homeowner/s	House Sitter/s

1. Name of homeowner:	1. Name of house sitter:

Signature of homeowner:	Signature of house sitter:


2. Name of homeowner:	2. Name of house sitter:

Signature of homeowner:	Signature of house sitter:

We do not have a set fee and do not charge per pet. We leave this totally up to you on how much you appreciate our care for your home and pets.

PLEASE NOTE This is not a legal document. It is an agreement between house sitter(s) and homeowner(s) outlining the terms and conditions for your agreed assignment. It is not legally enforceable but undertaken in good faith by both parties undersigned.

House Sitting Agreement

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