House Sitting Agreement

This eform provides details as to:

• house sitter compensation
• the duties of the house sitter
• pet care information
• house sitter compensation
• basic rules governing the house sitter's stay
• homeowner retaining rights to the house
• house sitter being granted only temporary limited use
• and more

Valid in all 50 States and Washington, D.C.

A house sitting agreement is used by the homeowner and the house sitter as the contract that will govern their agreement. The agreement is for the house sitter to look after and perform the duties laid out in the agreement for the care of the house for compensation paid by the homeowner. House sitter gets to stay rent-free during this time. The benefit to the homeowner is security that comes with someone at the house (as a crime deterrent), having the house and the premises cared for, having pets taken care of and not be put in a kennel, and the house sitter is paid for this service. Entering into a house sitting agreement provides homeowner with a contract in case of disputes. Where oral agreements can be highly unreliable, a writing provides more concrete proof of an agreement and to what has been agreed to by the parties.

In this packet is an Executive Summary which details background information on the House Sitting Agreement. The Checklist provides a way to check what needs to be completed in completing the Sample form. The Walkthrough Instructions provides extensive details as to all of the parts of the Sample form. The Sample form is fully customizable and fillable. Any questions regarding a space or clause of the Sample form may be answered in the Walkthrough Instructions. The packet comes in Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word, and Rich Text formats.

Below are common questions, with some answers.

What is house sitting?

House sitting is defined by one or more persons (house sitter) entrusted to live and stay at the home of a homeowner for a period of time for the benefit of the homeowner. More simply, house sitting is someone looking after a house while the homeowner is away. House sitter is, generally, paid to be there and not charged for the room and board. House sitting is a common practice in the United States.

What is a house sitting agreement? Do I really need it?

A house sitting agreement is used between a homeowner (the owner(s) of the house) and a house sitter (the one who looks after homeowner's house while the homeowner is away) to put their intentions into writing. Duration of the agreement can vary greatly. A house sitting agreement is a writing to put the parties' intentions onto paper.

Whether you really need a house sitting agreement will depend on you and your personal comfort level. Oral agreements can be highly unreliable. Implied agreements are even less reliable, if at all. People are not mind readers. Something obvious to one person may not seem that way to another. The best practice is to get all of the agreements in writing and signed by people who are to be bound by the agreement. As a legal requirement, a house sitting agreement does not need to be in writing and can agree orally. Note, however, certain aspects of a house sitting agreement may be required to be writing e.g., waivers, permissions, hidden dangers of the house. Sometimes where a court decides there is no agreement between the parties, the court may award compensation if one party benefits at the expense of the other. Result may vary.

What is the benefit of using a house sitting agreement?

A homeowner would want to enter into this kind of an arrangement because it is believed that the house sitter's presence is a crime deterrent. This is the primary benefit or reason why most people enter into a house sitting agreement, but this is not the only reason. Maybe the pets need caring after and you prefer not to put them in a kennel. Maybe you will be away for some time and don't want your home to go unutilized. Whatever the reason, the house sitting agreement can likely serve that purpose by putting the homeowner's intentions into writing.

One of the benefits of keeping house sitter is that the house sitter is expected to perform duties needed to keep the house in good repair e.g. taking out the trash/recycling, watering plants, looking after pets, collecting mail, and cutting the grass. Generally, the homeowner pays the house sitter, provides a daily allowance, pays for utilities, and allows the house sitter to stay rent-free. The benefit of the house sitting agreement is to spell out the duties of the house sitter in a legal document. If the house sitter breaks or causes damage to property or pets, then the homeowner may have legal recourse when a house sitting agreement is entered into.

Even where the house sitter knows the homeowner it is a good idea to enter into a house sitting agreement to better provide information to the house sitter and to have a writing of the agreement.

Is this House Sitting Agreement a legal document? Is it legal?

Yes, it can be. This is the contract the homeowner and the house sitter enter into. To make it legal, the homeowner needs to provide the details needed to complete the Sample Agreement that is included in this packet, complete the missing parts with the house sitter, and then both parties need to sign and date the document.

The ultimate legality of the House Sitting Agreement may depend on a court's ruling, but for the majority of situations, this House Sitting Agreement meets the normal standard required by courts in the United States.

Why use this House Sitting Agreement?

This packet includes a Sample House Sitting Agreement, which is meant to provide the legal framework for the homeowner and house sitter's agreement. This House Sitting Agreement makes the process of coming to an agreement easier by providing common information and other information that you may not have thought of or realize might be important to include in a contract or house sitting agreement. It is also intended to be a legal document and can serve that purpose once the parties agree, sign, and date the Agreement.

Avoid writing your own forms from scratch or using old free forms that can be incomplete and written by non-attorneys. Express your rights. Gain peace of mind without spending a fortune.

Table of Contents:

1. Executive Summary

2. Checklist

3. Walkthrough Instructions

4. Sample Form

The Walkthrough Instructions and Sample Form include the following Sections:

• Introduction
• Recitals
• Conditions Precedent
• Security Deposit
• House Sitting Instructions (Sample House Sitting Instructions not included in this packet, but this Section deals with the Homeowner providing a set of House Sitting Instructions)
• Consideration
• Expenses
• Access and the Use of the Premises
• Care of the Premises
• Care of the Pets
• Duties of the House Sitter
• Insurance
• Staying in Contact
• No Assumption of Liability
• Representations and Warranties
• Good Faith in Dealings
• Choice of Law
• Changes
• Independent Waivers
• Reliance
• Merger
• Supremacy
• Counterparts
• Termination
• Binding
• Acceptance
• Signatures Page
• Schedules (Walkthrough Notes, Security Deposit Form, House Sitter Expense Reimbursement Claim Sheet, and Duties of the House Sitter)

Total number of pages in this packet: 24.

Formats include Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word, and Rich Text. No physical copy is included. Copies can be edited and printed.

Purchasers of this material are granted a license to use the contents for their own use. By purchasing this material, you will be purchasing a limited license to use all forms for your own use. The license is not transferable to third parties. The license limits you to personal use only and all other copyright laws must be adhered to, but no claim is made to any government forms that maybe reproduced herein.