We will be gone for 17 days. We have a large house,one 16 yr old will be at home..the 13 only a few days..a larger than expected collie and a fussy cat...what does anyone lese pay their house sitters in the US?? We are paying 50.00 a day.. ps have a gardner and house keeper both once a week. t hanks..actually gave them a 1000.00 .. ouch as they are young graduates students and getting married in August,so gave them a bonus..

We only pay $15 a day for a local college kid who has an older sibling we know, but we have no kids involved. Just 3 cats, one of whom likes to make messes. Keep in mind we are in a mid size city in the NW. So these aren't NYC prices.

Hi kmon,

The answer to this question depends on which State your in, which part of that State, which neighborhood in that part, and your own personal financial situation, and what you expect of the house sitters.

I know folks who plan their vacations on being house sitters. They charge nothing, but don't have to pay for hotels.

We had an older teenager stay at our house to keep our 6 cats company, take care of the hermit crabs and water my tomato seedlings. I gave her $200 for 2 1/2 weeks. Plus we brought her back a nice necklace from Venice.

She'd have been happy to do it for free. She lives on a farm, she got a house to herself, kitties to sleep with (at home cats are outside creatures) internet and cable. She was in heaven.

Joelle

thanks so far.. we live in San Diego..The dog needs activity,the cat attention,there will be grocery shopping,mail handling and phone calls,some watering..I think the responsibility of taking care of kids,even a sixteen year who likes to stay out! ups the anty. Next time we might pay less..they even accepted without knowing how much we were paying them,but they dont earn very much and they are so nice..its fine..although this was a bit much for us!! anyway so just still interested in other going rates..

We live in Portland, OR and pay $30 a day for a dog and a cat. Our wonderful woofie sitter walks the dog (nice) and tolerates the cat (priceless). A few years ago, when we were gone for six weeks, we had someone stay here who was living at her parents' house to save money. She just had the cat here, and we didn't really discuss payment. I brought her treats from all the places we went and gave her a $150 or $200 spa certificate. In hind sight, I feel like I should have paid her, although she never mentioned it.

i live in seattle and housesit and cat sit here in the city quite a lot. one family pays me $20 a day to watch 2 cats. another $10 a day to bring in mail and water plants, another $10 a day to feed 2 cats, a hampster, bird and water plants, bring in mail... i never really laid out fees as most of these are families i used to babysit for and i'm happy to help out. Are you expecting these people to keep track of your kids? can't your 16yr old stay by self and take care of pets while you are away with neighbor keeping watch? if housesitters are to be resopnsible for kids then you are probably good. not sure if i'd take $50 a day to watch teenagers but i'm professional nanny

I have asked an acquaintance who misses having his own dog to sleep over if we are gone more than 3 nights. We have a young dog who needs attention (play) and 2 older cats who disappear while we are gone (they sneak in when sitter is out to eat).
He was agreeable to $25. night. We use automatic feeders and water dispenser - he only needs to make sure they are full, and throw some pellets out to the fish (2 koi ponds). His real duty is to play with the dog, watch tv, read, enjoy the back yard and relax.
It helped that he notified us that an electrical glitch had knocked out the pond pumps - we got someone over same day to reset everything. I get emails almost daily as a reassurance.
It's very calming and worth it to us.

We pay our college housesitter $20.00 a day. We have two dogs, a cat and a rabbit. She gets the chance to leave Mom and Dad's house and be on her own for a little while, get a little cash, empty our refrigerator and pantry, and use the yard and pool. We know the animals are happier to be in their own home and our house is taken care of. Everyone wins!

I give my sister, who moves into the house and takes care of 1 active dog and one very old dog on medication and not entirely continent $25 a day, plus use of one of our cars, plus gas, plus $5 a day for groceries for herself so that's about $35/day, all told. Boy, if I was leaving two teens as well, I can only imagine the cost! We're in L.A. and my sister could use the money.

I've never done this, but I'd pay whatever it takes to keep that 16-year-old under wraps while I was a few thousand miles away Especially if it's a 16-year-old with a driver's license!

thank you all...you are soooo right....She and I had dinner tonight while we discussed the 'expectations'..last year she was going the wrong way with the wrong friends..this year more on track,,BUT yes she does have a license and is out until 11;30 I hope!!! it is scary...people have listed about leaving animals..teenagers are way worse!!!!

kmoncrief: I share your pain. I would suggest you draw up a "contract" with your teenager - no kidding. Have her sign a "contract" that says that she will do such and such and NOT do such and such while you are gone and that if she abides by it she will be rewarded with something that is important to her - money, a trip somewhere, a new outfit, whatever is reasonable for you, and her. It's good practice for later life, if nothing else. And it will put your mind at ease.
I went out to dinner tonight with francophile friends from the Delphi forum and came home to find my 14-year-old son nestled in my bed studying for a science exam tomorrow. Problem was, he had turned on the bath water so he could take a bath, and it was just about overflowing the minute I returned. Had I not gotten home when I did, we would have had a flood in the house. Kids are kids - they just don't focus on the details sometimes, or they get caught up in stuff and "forget" their responsibilities.
I would also suggest that you invest in a cell phone that you can use while in Europe to communicate with your daughter. Nothing keeps them under control like a cell phone call from Mom, no matter how far away you are. When I'm in France and my kids are home, I call them regularly to check on homework assignments, etc. They resent it, but also like to hear from me while I'm away.
American teenagers, particularly those how are driving, ARE scary, and it takes a lot of effort to keep them under control. Do everything you can to make sure that your daughter is safe while you are away and not taking advantage of your absence. I'm sure I sound like a freaked-out mom, but until you have a 17-year-old daughter in the USA you won't understand this.
Best of luck to you!

I use a bonded, licensed, and insured house-and-pet-sitting service, here, and they charge CDN$10.00 per visit. I have no pets, but my friend who is going to Italy with us has an elderly dowager cat, and he uses the same sitter I do. I have her come in every 2-3 days when we go to the mountains each June, as my bedding plants need lots of water then (I container garden on my balcony), and every 3 days when we travel internationally in the fall, since my garden season is over by mid-September here. Plus, most homeowner's and tenant's insurance packages here specify the residence be checked once every 72 hours.

House and pet sitting are ONE thing; expecting someone to look after a teenager, drivers license or not, is a far, FAR greater responsibility. $50 a day for all of that? I'd say you're getting off pretty cheap!

I agree. House and pet sitting is one thing (we pay $25 per day for 1 dog and 1 cat in DC suburbs)--taking care of a teenager is another. Is there a overnight summer camp (can work as camp counselor perhaps), or family member/good friend with teenagers who can take the 16 year old while you are gone? I still have horrible memories of being left at home with my younter sister (then 19) who went carousing with friends while parents were away--was gone for days with no message or phone call to me or her summer job, and took parents car without parents permission (had planned ahead and copied key). I couldn't go to work since was looking for her, and had police looking for the car (they refused to look for her since they said she was an adult!). She has since grown up and is doing fine--but what an awful experience!

Let's see . .. $1000 to watch not only the house and pets, but also one or two teens for 17 days works out to $58 per day; if they sleep 8 hours, that's $3.62 per hour, or roughly half the minimum wage for one of the most reponsible and demanding jobs on Earth (parenting teens) plus running errands etc. Incredibly cheap, IMHO. And that's if the "ouch" meant "each."

Hi kmon,

For what you are asking - keeping watch over your kids as well as house sitting and animal care - you are getting a bargaain.

Our neighbor pays $30/day to have someone come in and look after her dogs and cats.

I save a lot of money here by hiring (responsible) teenagers with the most controlling parents. Usually $20/day. They are SO glad to have a house to themself and to get out from under Mom & Dad's thumb I believe they would pay ME! We have one cat, BTW. Doing this for years and it has always worked out nicely.

I pay $25 a day to the college girl who comes to petsit. I have a cat and two goats for her to look after. She is also a neighbor girl whose parents are friends of mine. I always know that if something goes wrong at the house, she will get her dad to come over to help her with the problem.