A house sitter profile wins sits when it is specific, current and honest. A clear photo of your face, a bio written the way you actually speak, verification you have genuinely completed, dates a homeowner can rely on, and a plain statement of what you can and cannot do. Experience helps. Clarity decides.
Remember what the homeowner is weighing up: handing their keys, their home and an animal they love to someone they have never met.
- A clear, well-lit photo of your face outperforms any line of your bio.
- Verification is optional, but homeowners can filter sitters by ID verified and police check.
- Your reply rating is automatic, built on how fast and consistently you reply.
- Say plainly whether you have a car. Regionally it is often decisive.
- December and January are Australia's peak travel weeks.
- If you travel with your own pet, disclose it in your bio, not message five.
The photo is the first filter
Homeowners look at the photo before reading a word. It needs to be recent, well lit and unambiguous: your face, natural light, no sunglasses, no group shot. A pet in frame helps if you actually know the animal.
A quick test
Show your photo to three people who know you. Would they trust this person with their dog for a fortnight? If anyone hesitates, change it.
Write a bio that sounds like a person
The common mistake is writing a job application. Homeowners are not hiring staff, they are choosing someone to live in their home. Write the way you speak: pets you have cared for, how you settle a nervous animal, one memorable detail.
Openings that work
- "I have shared a home with cats since I was ten and looked after dogs of all sizes for friends, including a deaf border collie who taught me hand signals."
- "Remote worker in Brisbane, calm with anxious dogs, reliable about morning routines."
Openings that fall flat
- "I love animals and have always wanted to be a pet sitter." Everyone writes this.
- "I am responsible, trustworthy and hard-working." Telling instead of showing.
- "Available anywhere in Australia." That belongs in your location notes.
Verification is optional, and it shows either way
Email verification is automatic. Government ID and a national police check are optional, user-initiated, and reviewed by an administrator within a stated 5 business days. Homeowners can filter the sitter list by ID verified and police check, so without those badges you will not appear in those searches. A badge describes a document, not an endorsement: homeowners are still expected to get to know you. See what verification actually means.
Your reply rating rewards one habit
Your profile shows a reply rating: an automatic 1 to 5 score based on how quickly and consistently you answer messages. The badge reads roughly as replies in about an hour, about four hours, same day, within two days, or New.
A homeowner has a departure date they cannot move, and most contact several sitters rather than one. Whoever answers first, with a reply that reads like a person rather than a template, is the one who starts a conversation. That is reasoning about how the situation works, not a figure we have measured.
Keeping the rating healthy
Treat sit enquiries like work email. Answer within a few hours during the day. Even a short note promising a fuller reply that evening keeps things moving.
Write applications that fit one listing only
A generic "I would love to apply" gets skimmed. Mention something only that listing contains: the breed, the suburb, the medication routine. Then say briefly why you fit. Three sentences is fine, six is plenty. How homeowners are advised to write listings shows what they were asked to consider.
A template to adapt, not to copy
Hi [name], your listing for [breed] in [suburb] caught my eye. I have sat for a similar [breed, age or temperament] before and really enjoyed it. I am free for your dates, I work remotely, and would like to hear more about [specific detail]. Happy to do a video call first. Looking forward to hearing from you. [Your name]
Be specific about where in Australia you will go
"Available anywhere" reads as "has not thought about it". Name your home base, the areas you will realistically travel to, and how much notice an interstate trip needs. A homeowner in Hobart reading a Melbourne profile assumes no unless told otherwise. Travel is your own cost here, so what house sitting can and cannot save you is worth reading.
Capital city and regional sits differ
- Capital cities: more listings, more applicants per listing, shorter stays, public transport within reach.
- Regional and rural: fewer applicants, longer stays, a car usually essential, a long drive to the vet, sometimes chooks, livestock or tank water.
Neither is better. Regional sits can be easier to land because fewer sitters apply, which makes them a practical way to build a record. See our complete guide to house sitting in Australia.
Say plainly whether you have a car
One line, and it decides applications. In a capital city, no car is often fine. Regionally it can be the difference between a workable arrangement and an unsafe one, because the vet might be 40 minutes away. State whether you have a vehicle, whether you hold a full Australian driver licence, and whether you would drive the owner's car if their insurer allows a nominated driver.
Keep your availability accurate, especially over summer
To be accurate about how this works: there is no freshness ranking. Sitter profiles are ordered by profile creation date, so editing your bio does not move you up a list. Current availability matters for a practical reason instead. It avoids wasting homeowners' time, avoids applications being declined for dates you can no longer do, and means the profile someone reads reflects who you are now.
Demand follows the Australian holiday calendar. Christmas falls in summer, the long school break runs from about mid-December to late January, and dates differ by state: Victorian government schools finish Term 4 on 18 December 2026 (Victorian term dates). Reasoning from the calendar rather than platform data, that is when most people travel. If you want summer sits, have those dates visible by around August.
Summer sits carry summer conditions, so show that you understand hot weather care: walking early or late, shade and fresh water, never a dog in a parked car. The RSPCA on heatstroke in dogs is a useful refresher.
If you travel with your own pet, say so up front
Some sitters travel with a dog or a cat. Some homeowners will say no immediately, and that is their call. Raising it in the fifth message, once they already like you, is the worst version. Put it in your bio and your first message.
Give enough for a decision, not enough to worry about: species, breed and size, desexing, vaccinations, flea, tick and worming treatment, how the animal is with other pets and children, and whether it can be kept separately. A meet between the pets beforehand does more than any reassurance you can type.
What to include beyond the bio
- Pet types: dogs, cats, birds, small animals, reptiles, chooks. Specific beats "all animals".
- Special needs: medication routines, injections, anxious dogs, senior pets, multi-pet homes.
- Practical capabilities: car and licence, comfortable rurally, able to handle a large strong dog.
- Beyond the pets: garden watering, bins, mail, pool checks. Only what you will genuinely do.
- Your working pattern: at home, on site, or out for hours at a time.
- What you will not do: honest limits build more trust than claiming anything goes.
Common mistakes
- An availability calendar showing dates you can no longer do.
- A bio of adjectives instead of things you have actually done.
- Copy and paste applications. They read as though any home would do.
- Starting a police check the week you want a sit, then meeting the 5 business day review.
- Hiding a deal breaker until it is awkward: your own pet, a ten hour workday, a fear of large dogs.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a police check to get sits?
No. Verification is optional and you start it yourself. The catch is that homeowners can filter by ID verified and police check, so without those badges you will not appear in filtered searches. The check is applied for through the AFP or an accredited body.
I have no reviews yet. Will that stop me getting sits?
It should not, and on a new platform it is normal. Reviews only unlock once a booking reaches completed status, and both sides can leave one, so volume is low. A complete profile, a healthy reply rating and a specific application carry the weight meanwhile.
Does a sitter profile cost anything?
Sitter profiles are free during the current growth phase, homeowners list free permanently, and there is no per-booking commission. A flat-fee sitter subscription is planned, and the current position is on the pricing page.
None of this requires experience you do not have. It requires you to be legible: a real face, a real voice, real dates, a straight answer on the car, clear limits. Sitterly supports the connection. Deciding whether you and a homeowner suit each other is still work you both do.
Twenty minutes will fix most of a half-finished profile. Create or update your sitter profile, then work back through the points above. If you are newer to this, our guide to becoming a pet sitter in Australia covers the ground before the profile.
Platform features described here reflect Sitterly's product as at July 2026 and may change. Police check eligibility and processing are matters for the AFP or an accredited body. Animal health information here is general only: for anything specific to the animal in your care, speak to a veterinarian.
