How much is a dog/house sitter?

[Twinklewonderkins]

Hi, my friend has asked me to house/dog/cat sit for her for a week and says she’ll pay the “going rate “.
can anyone advise me how much that is?
She has 5 dogs that go to a dog field as well as going for walks and two cats.
I’m happy to do it but the money would be really helpful and just wondering how much I should agree to do it for.
I’d have to live there and hybrid work.

It's £80/£100 a day for 2 dogs around here. 5 dogs plus 2 cats would probably be nearer £130/£150 per day.

Wow! I'm just sitting here in the office fantasising about a simpler life and less stress, maybe I should take up dog sitting. Are those prices London/southern prices?

No I'm up in Scotland, I dread to think how much London would be.

5 dogs and 3 cats I’d expect to pay £150 a day minimum.

Currently on holiday, my dog is with a sitter in their house and she has charged us £280 for ten nights.

A local dog walker / pet sitter (doesn’t do boarding) is coming round twice a day to feed our cat and let him in/out, she has charged us £200.

The prices above are insane! That’s more than my holiday cost!!!

I’d really ask your friend to clarify how much she means- I’m in the SE and pay only £30 a night for two dogs but have always used friend’s teenagers who are happy to have a new place to stay in! I know someone else who charges £60 so that’s very different to the numbers suggested by pp. I am very aware I pay well below what a professional dog walker would charge but just thought I’d give you the balance in case your friend is thinking nearer to those rates.

We have 1 dog (West Midlands) and are lucky enough to mainly do reciprocal dog care with family. We do have a couple of professional house/dog sitters that we also use 'just in case' and one charges £40 per night, one £55 per night.

Honestly with 5 dogs and 2 cats if you're charging under £100 per day (for example) she's getting an absolute bargain

Thanks everyone.

I work as a dog sitter and I would be charging a minimum of £120 a night for five dogs and three cats.

But if you're not insured or qualified and are just doing this as a favour then I don't think you should be charging market rates.

@sunsetsandboardwalks I’m definitely doing mates rates and happy to do so, totally agree just didn’t want to do it for nothing or be massively overpaid. She’s offered me a fair amount and I’m glad to help her.
thinking about a career change though! (May re consider after week with 5 dogs)

It's not as easy as people think!

No idea how you would go about it but could you get some insurance for the period you are there?

Get her to check on rover.com and offer a rate she feels is fair.