TrustedHousesitters matches people who need someone to look after their pets and home with people who will do it for free in exchange for a place to stay. Nobody pays anybody for the sit itself: both sides pay an annual membership to the platform. The Brighton-born company says it has more than 280,000 members, and its sits stretch from a Shoreditch flat with a needy cat to a farmhouse in the Dordogne with two donkeys.
We like it for two specific reasons: it can turn a week in an expensive city into a week with no accommodation bill, and both sides review each other after every sit, so trust builds over time. Here is our TrustedHousesitters review: what each plan costs, the booking fee many members missed, how safe it is and how it stacks up against Couchsurfing and Rover.
TrustedHousesitters Promo Code: None needed
Best deal: Premium plans skip the per-sit booking fee and include a Money Back Promise
| Offer detail | What you get |
|---|---|
| Promo Code | None needed. We found no official public TrustedHousesitters code |
| Welcome offer | No standing official offer; first-year discounts sometimes appear at checkout |
| Who qualifies | Adults joining as a sitter, a pet parent or both (combined membership) |
| Key terms | Annual membership; Basic and Standard plans pay a booking fee per confirmed sit (£9 in the UK, $12 in the US); Premium does not |
| How to claim | Choose a plan on the pricing page, verify your ID and complete your profile before applying or listing |
TrustedHousesitters: key facts
- Official website: trustedhousesitters.com
- Owner: TrustedHousesitters Ltd
- Headquarters: Brighton, UK
- Founded: 2010
- Ratings: App Store 4.8 (8.6k ratings, UK App Store); Trustpilot 4.4 (30,233 reviews)
- Headline offer: Free stays in exchange for pet care; annual membership for sitters and pet parents; Premium plans have no booking fee
- Promo Code: None needed (no official public code found)
- Price from: Sitter Basic £99 a year plus £9 per confirmed sit (UK, as reported); pet parent Basic US$149 a year (official)
- Free plan or trial: No
- Best features: Two-way reviews after every sit, with ID verification for all members; 24/7 vet advice line on Standard and Premium; Money Back Promise on Standard and Premium pet parent plans
TrustedHousesitters at a glance
- Owner: TrustedHousesitters Ltd, a certified B Corp
- Launched: 2010, by Andy Peck, after he looked after a house and pets in Spain
- Platforms: iPhone, Apple Vision, Android and the web
- Free plan: no; sitters and pet parents both need a paid membership
- Paid from: Basic sitter membership, £99 a year plus a £9 booking fee per confirmed sit; pet parent plans from US$149 a year
- Offline use: no; you need a connection for messages, applications and the Welcome Guide
- Ratings: App Store (UK) 4.8/5 from 8.6k ratings; Trustpilot 4.4/5 from 30,233 reviews
Our verdict
TrustedHousesitters is the biggest and best-organised house-sitting platform, and for a flexible traveller it can pay for itself with one weekend sit in London or Paris. For pet owners it is cheaper than kennels for anything longer than a few days. The catches are real, though: popular sits fill within hours, new sitters with no reviews struggle at first, and the booking fee introduced in December 2025 has added a cost that many longtime members resent.
Pros
- Free accommodation in exchange for pet care, from city flats to rural farmhouses
- Two-way reviews after every sit build a track record on both sides
- ID verification for everyone, with optional background checks for sitters
- Money Back Promise on Standard and Premium if things do not get off the ground
- Standard and Premium add a 24/7 vet advice line
- App alerts help you apply quickly for sits in places you have saved
Cons
- No free plan, even to look around properly
- £9 per confirmed sit on Basic and Standard plans since December 2025
- Competition for sits in popular cities is fierce; listings close after five applications
- Building your first reviews takes patience
- UK prices are not shown clearly on the public pricing page
What TrustedHousesitters does and who it is for
Pet parents list their home, pets and dates. Sitters browse listings and apply. The pet parent reads profiles and reviews, chats with the applicants they like, often by video call, and confirms one. The sitter then stays for free, follows the Welcome Guide the owner shares in the app (feeding times, vet details, the Wi-Fi password) and both leave a review at the end.
It suits three kinds of people:
- Slow travellers and remote workers. You fancy a month in Edinburgh but not a month of Edinburgh rents. A sit with an elderly Labrador in Morningside would solve that.
- Pet owners. You are off to a wedding in Crete for ten days and your rescue greyhound panics in kennels. A sitter keeps him at home, on his own sofa.
- Retired couples. Many sitters are empty-nesters who want to see Australia or Canada without paying for hotels, and they often bring years of pet experience that owners value.
It is not for anyone who wants a holiday on their own schedule. You travel when the pet owner travels.
Is TrustedHousesitters free? What you pay for
No. Neither sitters nor pet parents use it for free; that is the model. The sit itself is free: owners do not pay sitters, and sitters do not pay owners. The money goes to TrustedHousesitters as an annual membership in three tiers for each side, plus a combined option for people who sit and also have pets.
Since 8 December 2025, Basic and Standard members also pay a booking fee per confirmed sit: £9 in the UK, $12 in the US. Members who joined or renewed before that date pay it from their next renewal. Premium members do not pay it.
TrustedHousesitters price: plans and the cheapest way to pay
TrustedHousesitters’ public pricing page shows US dollar prices for pet parents. The UK sterling prices below are those reported by house-sitting guides in 2026; your exact price is confirmed at checkout. Euro figures are conversions.
| Plan (annual) | UK price | US$ | € |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sitter Basic | £99 + £9 per sit | $129 + $12 per sit | €117.48 |
| Sitter Standard | £129 + £9 per sit | $169 + $12 per sit | €153.08 |
| Sitter Premium | £199, no booking fee | $259 | €236.15 |
| Pet parent Basic | £119 | $149 | €141.22 |
| Pet parent Standard | £199 | $229 | €236.15 |
| Pet parent Premium | £249 | $299 | €295.49 |
| Combined Basic to Premium | £179 to £329 | $209 to $399 | €212.42 to €390.42 |
What the tiers add. Basic covers unlimited sits and verified profiles. Standard adds the 24/7 vet advice line, dedicated member support and, for pet parents, listing boosts and the Home & Contents Plan. Premium adds no booking fee, two airport lounge passes and a sit cancellation plan.
The cheapest way to pay. Do the sum on booking fees. A Basic sitter doing six sits a year pays £99 plus £54 in fees, or £153; Premium at £199 costs £46 more but adds the lounge passes, the vet line and the cancellation plan. On fees alone, Basic stays cheaper until about 11 sits a year. If you both sit and have pets, one combined plan costs less than two separate memberships.
TrustedHousesitters promo codes and the Money Back Promise
There is no official public promo code. The “25% off” deals you see on blogs come through partner links rather than a code from TrustedHousesitters, and they apply to the first year only.
The Money Back Promise is more useful. On Standard and Premium pet parent plans, TrustedHousesitters says you get your money back if you do not find a sitter within two weeks of posting your first sit. Sitter guides describe a similar promise for sitters who have no sit confirmed within 14 days of their fifth application.
TrustedHousesitters features that matter
Verification and reviews. Everyone verifies their ID. Sitters can add a background check, which shows on their profile, plus external references from past landlords or employers. After each sit, both sides review each other.
Applications. A listing closes to new applicants once it has five, reopening only if the owner turns people down. In practice, the first few hours decide most popular sits, which is why saved searches and push alerts matter.
Welcome Guide. Owners write it once and share it in the app: routines, quirks, emergency contacts and the vet.
Vet advice line. Standard and Premium members get a 24/7 vet advice line, handy when a dog eats something it should not at 2am.
Offline. None, so screenshot the Welcome Guide before a rural sit with patchy signal.
Is TrustedHousesitters safe? Privacy and safety
Safety rests on verification, reviews and the video call before a sit. Pet parents should check reviews, ask for references and agree emergency plans in writing. Sitters should look closely at listings with no reviews and keep a fallback booking for long-haul sits, because an owner can cancel. The Premium sit cancellation plan exists for exactly that.
On data, the App Store privacy label lists contact details (including physical address), identifiers, usage data and diagnostics as linked to you, used for app functionality, analytics, personalisation and advertising or marketing. Location is collected but not linked to your identity. When DailyStoke looked, we found no regulator action against TrustedHousesitters.
What users say about TrustedHousesitters
TrustedHousesitters scores 4.8 out of 5 from 8,600 ratings on the UK App Store and 4.4 on Trustpilot from 30,233 reviews, 84% of them five stars.
Tracy, an Australian pet owner, wrote on Trustpilot in October 2026: “Felt comfortable that our cat was in good hands as the sitters had been properly vetted.”
Pam from the US agreed the same month: “Good verification system, communication.”
Lisa B. from Great Britain, also on Trustpilot in October 2026, had doubts about the pricing model: “Charging potential sitters as well as those looking for sitters puts people off.”
And on the UK App Store, ChloeeeAmosss was unhappy after a dispute in July 2023: “I will never be using this app ever again. AVOID!!”
How to get started with TrustedHousesitters, and how to cancel
- Choose sitter, pet parent or combined on trustedhousesitters.com and pick a tier.
- Verify your ID straight away; sitters can add a background check.
- Complete your profile with clear photos, pet experience and two or three external references.
- Sitters: save searches for your target places and switch on alerts. Start with a local sit to earn a first review.
- Pet parents: post your listing with dates, pets and the house rules, then video-call your shortlist.
- Confirm the sit and share the Welcome Guide in the app.
Cancelling. Memberships run for a year. Check the renewal setting in your account well before the renewal date, keep any confirmation email, and contact Membership Services if you need help. If you are relying on the Money Back Promise, get in touch within the stated window.
TrustedHousesitters vs Couchsurfing vs Rover
| TrustedHousesitters | Couchsurfing | Rover | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | No; a paid contribution is required | Free to join; you pay per booking |
| Paid from | £99 a year (sitters) | £1.79 a month (UK App Store) | Sitters set their own rates |
| Best for | Free stays for pet lovers; pet care at home | Short stays with local hosts | Owners who want a paid, local sitter or walker |
| Offline | No | No | No |
| App Store rating (UK) | 4.8 (8.6k) | 4.3 (1.5k) | 4.9 (27k) |
Pick TrustedHousesitters if you are flexible on dates and love animals, or you are a pet owner going away for a week or more.
Pick Couchsurfing for a night or two with a local host and no responsibilities beyond being a good guest.
Pick Rover if you own the pet and want a paid sitter for a short trip or daily walks.
TrustedHousesitters alternatives
- Nomador: a smaller house-sitting network, popular in France, with plans from €89 a year.
- Rover: paid pet sitting and dog walking, booked per job.
- Hostelworld: for the gaps between sits. See our Hostelworld review.
- HotelTonight: for the night before an early start at a sit. Our HotelTonight review covers it.
- Wanderlog: handy for planning a chain of sits into one route; see our Wanderlog review.
TrustedHousesitters FAQs
How much does TrustedHousesitters cost in the UK?
Sitter plans start at £99 a year, plus £9 per confirmed sit on Basic and Standard. Pet parent plans start at £119, and Premium plans have no booking fee.
Is TrustedHousesitters worth it for sitters?
Usually, if you complete two or more sits a year somewhere you would otherwise pay for accommodation.
Do pet owners pay the sitter?
No. Sits are a free exchange. Both sides pay TrustedHousesitters a membership.
What is the TrustedHousesitters booking fee?
Since 8 December 2025, Basic and Standard members pay £9 (UK) or $12 (US) per confirmed sit. Premium members do not.
Is TrustedHousesitters safe?
Everyone verifies their ID, sitters can add background checks and both sides review each other. Talk on a video call before confirming and agree emergency plans.
Is there a TrustedHousesitters promo code?
There is no official public code. First-year discounts appear through partner links.
How do I get my first sit?
Finish your profile, add references, apply within hours of a listing going live and start with local or less popular sits.
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