Recently, the total rate shown for my house sitting requests for multiple pets has been for my normal rate times the number of pets. I also can no longer seem to find the section where you can adjust the rates for holidays, rate per additional dog, etc. Is this option no longer available?

I've raised my rate by $5 since starting on Rover and thus far it has had no effect on my business with repeat clients. I even had one client take note of it and praise me for doing so, as my services were "well worth it." If you've proven yourself to be dependable and meet or exceed client's expectations, most of them will not be concerned over an increase of a few dollars. After all, it is a small price to pay in order to know they're leaving their companion(s) with someone they know they can trust. Generally speaking, those who are concerned about every additional cent you are charging them are likely to be the most high maintenance clients of all and you may or may not want their business anyway.

As others have mentioned, the rate for house sitting is understood to be for one 24-hour period. Based on that, it would be perfectly reasonable to discuss this with the client and modify the booking rate accordingly. I will say, that I tend to be pretty flexible about this, especially if it's a repeat client and/or a longer stay. However, for one or two night stays, it would make more sense to enforce a 24-hour policy and add a fee for any additional time.

Great, thanks for the response!

As Deb A. noted, not all archived messages are equal. The key seems to be keeping your calendar up-to-date, as well as the number of spots for each service that you have opened for each day. I've found that it's better to err on the conservative side when marking availability on your calendar, as you will often get requests or inquiries regardless of what the availability shown on your calendar is.

There were a couple options that seemed like the best bet for avoiding penalty, but I can't recall exactly which they were. I'm guessing 'duplicate message' would be one of them, as that has nothing to do with your availability, but will still archive the message.

I don't offer boarding, so all of my requests have been for house sitting. With that being said, I have been booked every single day this summer... so, the demand is certainly there!

I have found that the majority of my clients opt to use Rover, assuming their dog(s) would be more comfortable staying in their own home rather than going away to a boarding facility. I'm sure those who opt to use boarding services on Rover are probably doing it because it's significantly less expensive than a traditional boarding facility.

As Cari C. said, I'm sure it will also be largely dependent upon the area and the type of clients.

I have been fortunate enough to be booked all summer, which is presumably the busiest time of year for all sitters. With summer nearing an end, I was wondering how frequently sitters tend to get house sitting requests during the rest of the year?

I will typically leave a handwritten "thank you" note at the end of the clients first stay, but once they become a repeat client I usually don't. I usually am texting/messaging with them at the end of the stay anyway - confirming their return time and arrival back home, so leaving a note is usually feels just a little redundant. As Stella R. said, it doesn't really seem to make a huge difference either way. Ultimately, they usually just care about coming home to their pets and house well cared for.

I would agree with Karen R., in that house sitting would entail staying overnight. In any context, Rover or otherwise, when one "house sits" they generally stay and watch the house in place of the owners, which would arguably be most important at night when there is greater risk of mishaps (e.g. robbery, fire, etc.). You are essentially being paid to act in place of the owner while they're away, so that their house isn't sitting empty and unwatched.

If you don't want to stay overnight, then I would think that, that is where a "drop-in visit" comes in, serving as something in-between a walk and full-on house/pet sitting.

I can understand that many potential clients may want more than a walk, so they may automatically hire for "house sitting" when in reality, a "drop-in" visit would suffice, but they're simply unfamiliar with what that even entails. In this case, it would make sense that you'd receive fewer requests.

I think it would be fine to offer house sitting, as long as you fully disclaim that you do not intend on staying in the house overnight and you make sure that the client is fully aware and okay with that. It would be one thing if you offered the service and they hired you with the expectation that you would be staying overnight and you did not, but as long as you are upfront and communicate what your interpretation of the service is, then that is fair and they can choose to hire you or look into hiring someone else, based on that.