House Sitter Instructions Template: 56 Topics Cut to One Page

Two kinds of house sitter instructions

There are two documents, and most homes need both:

• The welcome guide. Everything: how the coffee machine works, which plants need what, the streaming logins. It can run to many pages, and the sitter reads it once.
• The one page. What the sitter needs when something goes wrong: the address, who to call, where the shutoffs are, the pets' medicines and the vet. It goes on the fridge.

The top result, a house-sitting service's checklist, is the first kind: 4,415 words and 56 topics, from before the sit to after it. The second result is the second kind: a one-page printable. The template below is the one page.

What the top 3 checklists include

We read each one and counted a field only when it is named.

Two things stand out:

• Shutoffs are on only 1 of 3. A leak is an emergency a sitter may face alone, and the water valve is the first thing they need. The long checklist lists the fuse box, water shutoff, gas shutoff and more; the two shorter ones do not.
• No checklist has an animal poison line, though two of the three have a section on pets.

The two official numbers to add

ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435

The ASPCA runs a poison line for pets, staffed by veterinary toxicology experts, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Its page says "a consultation fee may apply." Write it under the vet, so a sitter whose dog has eaten something knows who to call at 2 am.

USPS Hold Mail: 3 to 30 days

If no one is collecting the mail, the US Postal Service will hold it at your local Post Office for a minimum of 3 days and a maximum of 30, and you can request it up to 30 days in advance. If the sitter is collecting it, write that on the sheet so they do not wonder why it stopped.

A free house sitter instructions template

A filled example

A sample sheet for a week away, with a dog and a cat.

The household is a sample. Two details are worth copying: what each shutoff looks like and which way it turns, and the alarm code kept on the back of the sheet rather than the front.

Pair it with your trip plan

A sitter also needs to know where you are and when you will be back. A one-page trip plan, with your dates, where you are staying and how to reach you, answers that.

Edit this template

A sample trip plan on one page: the days, the bookings and who to call. Leave a copy with the sitter.

Open it: travel itinerary template.

How to write your instructions in 20 minutes

1. Walk the house with a pen. Find the water main, gas valve and breaker panel, and write down where each is and what it looks like.
2. Write the address and cross street, then your numbers, where you will be and when you will be back.
3. Add the emergency numbers: 911, the vet, the animal poison line, a plumber, an electrician and a neighbor with a key.
4. Write the pets' food, medicines and walks as times and amounts.
5. Add the weekly routine and the rules.
6. Decide on the mail: Hold Mail, or the sitter collects it.
7. Walk the sitter round before you leave: the shutoffs, the alarm and the pets' medicines.

Prefer to type it out? Write your notes in any order and drop them into the free AI One-Pager generator to lay them out on one page, then check every number and location before you print it.

House sitter instruction mistakes

Make your house sitter instructions

Use the template table above, walk the house to find the shutoffs, and put the finished page on the fridge. To lay it out as a One-Pager, drop your notes into the free AI One-Pager generator, check every detail, and walk your sitter through it before you leave.