House Sitting In New Zealand - The Ultimate Guide

Last Updated on 12th July 2023

This post about house sitting in New Zealand contains affiliate links.

If you’ve been following my blog for over a year now, you’ll know that Matt and I began our trip around New Zealand, Australia and Southeast Asia with house sitting in North Island NZ.

If you’ve followed my blog for even longer, you’ll know that I actually used to live in New Zealand in 2011/2012 with my family. So, when we were planning the beginning of our trip in November 2018 and my old next-door neighbours from New Zealand said they were looking for a house sitter for 6 weeks, we couldn’t have timed the start of our trip more perfectly.

The time we spent house sitting in New Zealand was undoubtedly some of my favourite memories from our entire trip and it’s an experience that taught me so much and made me fall in love with NZ even more. House sitting, regardless of where in the world you do it, will be an entirely fulfilling and probably life-changing experience.

After our time house sitting in New Zealand, I’ve had a fair few messages from people looking for advice on how to do it, what exactly they can expect from the whole experience and how to find house sitting jobs in New Zealand, so that’s what today’s post is about!

I hope you find it useful and I hope it gives you some inspiration to pursue a house sitting experience in New Zealand!

House sitting NZ

There are many ways house sitting can work and oftentimes it will depend on the arrangement you agree to with the homeowners, but typically speaking house sitting in New Zealand involves obtaining free accommodation in exchange for looking after somebody’s home.

You will agree to a certain amount of time that you’ll “live” in the house and look after it and you’ll be able to stay there rent free, providing that you take care of the house and keep it safe.

As New Zealand is so far away from the rest of the world, Kiwi home owners often want to take longer vacations so they can visit new places and spend some proper quality time in Europe, America and Australia, for example. Instead of leaving their house unattended for potentially weeks on end, they “hire” house sitters or pet sitters to take care of everything while they’re away.

As a home owner, it’s a great way to save money that they would have spent putting their pets into kennels and it’s also an ideal way for travellers to live rent free for a short period of time in New Zealand, so it’s a win-win for everyone!

My experience with house sitting in New Zealand

My experience with house sitting in New Zealand was somewhat unorthodox and slightly different to what you’ll probably experience yourself.

As we already knew the people we would be house sitting for, it meant that we could talk to them on a regular basis and our arrangement was agreed upon on our own terms, rather than going through a house sitting agency (more on that below).

I’d already been to their house numerous times back when I lived in NZ in 2011/2012 so I was already very familiar with its layout, the whole house and the entire property. Matt on the other hand, had never been, so we arrived a couple of days before the family were due to fly back to the UK for a long holiday (they’re UK expats) so that they could show us everything we needed to know.

In exchange for free accommodation for the duration of our stay, plus free access to their car (which was incredibly thoughtful and considerate of them), we were in charge of looking after the house and the many acres of land they owned.

We also had to take care of the many animals they owned including 1 dog, 4 cats, 5 sheep, 1 goat, over a dozen chickens and three ducks. Some of our responsibilities included looking after all the animals, keeping them fed and safe, mowing the grass and tending to the gardens and generally ensuring that the property was in good shape.

This arrangement worked well for us as it meant we had the luxury of having a base in North Island New Zealand which we stayed at every night and almost every day, but then we could also do day trips to places that we wanted to see while we were there. It also gave us the chance to see what it would be like to look after a property of that magnitude and gave us great responsibility with looking after so many animals.

Your experience may differ somewhat depending on the arrangements you agree to; I’ve included more information on what you can expect in the section below with regards to the best house sitting companies in New Zealand.

Pet sitting

Pet sitting in New Zealand differs somewhat from house sitting, but only slightly.

Depending on the job posting and what the homeowner expects of you, your main “job” and responsibility will be to look after any pets they have. You’ll probably still be expected to look after the house, but your main priority will simply be being there for the animals.

If you’re a huge animal lover, pet sitting in New Zealand can be a great way to obtain free accommodation and spend time with furry friends.

Our experience with house sitting in New Zealand involved plenty of pet sitting too, so you may find yourself dabbling in both, depending on what the homeowner wants you to do.

The best house sitting companies in New Zealand

There are multiple reputable house sitting and pet sitting companies to choose from in New Zealand, but how do you know which one to go for?

As I mentioned above, we didn’t actually use a house sitting company as we already knew the owners so we just made all the arrangements ourselves, but the people that we house sat for recommended a couple of companies to us, and I also carried out my own research to bring you the best house sitting companies in New Zealand.

Kiwi House Sitters

Kiwi House Sitters are arguably the most reputable and well-known house and pet sitting service in NZ.

You do have to pay a registration fee of $84NZD (£41) for 12 months in order to apply for house and pet sitting jobs which does seem a little steep at first, but if you plan on obtaining multiple house sitting gigs over the year, by the time you’ve enjoyed all the free accommodation, your membership fee will have more than paid for itself.

Trusted Housesitters NZ

Trusted Housesitters are another great company to use when finding house and pet sitting assignments in New Zealand.

They also have house and pet sitting jobs in dozens of countries all over the world including the UK, US, Australia, Canada, plus many other European, African, Asian and Middle Eastern destinations too.

The annual membership fee is a bit steeper than Kiwi House Sitters at £99 per year, but then it does give you access to unlimited house sits in many different countries across the globe, not just in New Zealand.

Other house and pet sitting companies in New Zealand

There are a few other companies that offer house sitting services in New Zealand which I’ve included below. I’d advise conducting your own thorough research to decide which company is best for you, but I’d always recommend looking into Kiwi House Sitters and Trusted Housesitters as these are the most reputable in NZ.

FAQs about house sitting jobs in New Zealand

Some people can often have doubts about house sitting and are sometimes unsure whether it’s the right option for them when travelling New Zealand. I took to Instagram and asked people what they wanted to know about house sitting so I’ve included a brief FAQ section below that should hopefully answer any questions you might have.

If you’re still a bit unsure about everything, or just want to know a bit more, please feel free to email me or leave a comment below!

1. How safe is house and pet sitting in NZ?

Of course, with any kind of travelling or new experience, there’s always going to be a certain degree of uncertainty, especially if it’s your first time.

However, obtaining a house sitting job through a reputable company provides you with a great level of security and safety as the homeowners (and sitters) have to fill in all their information and some companies may even conduct a background check on each party. Providing that you’re safe and sensible, I see no reason why house sitting isn’t safe.

2. Who can be a house sitter?

House sitting or pet sitting is literally for everyone. Retired couples, professionals, single people, young couples; as long as you’re caring, responsible and thoughtful, house sitting is for you.

3. How does house sitting work in NZ?

As I said above, it usually depends on the arrangement you agree upon with the homeowner but typically you’ll be responsible for the day-to-day running of the house, looking after the garden and taking care of the pets if you’re pet sitting too. House/pet sitting has to be a mutual agreement between both parties so make sure you’re clear on your expected duties before committing.

4. I’ve never house sat before, am I at a disadvantage?

Honestly? No, you’re not. Everyone has to start somewhere with everything so while it’s usually best to have some kind of experience, it’s 100% not expected of you. Providing that you can prove you’ll be a good candidate for the house sitting role and you can demonstrate that you have the necessary skills required, you shouldn’t have any issues obtaining a house sitting job.

Some New Zealand house sitting websites may require you to provide references from previous employers or reputable sources and some may even carry out a police check on you to see that you’re a suitable candidate.

5. Will I get paid for house sitting?

If you’re wondering can you get paid for house sitting in New Zealand, you’ll be interested to know that this is actually quite a grey area when it comes to house sitting as technically if you’re being paid to do any kind of work in New Zealand, you should have a working holiday visa, as opposed to a standard tourist visa.

However, some homeowners may wish to “gift” you money or give you “pocket money” as a thank you for everything you’ve done, so it’s really up to the discretion of both parties. Typically speaking though, you won’t be paid for house sitting, the “reward” is just free accommodation.

How much house sitters get paid is very dependent on individual circumstances and the agreement that you decide upon with the person that you’re house sitting for, but it can often range anywhere between $20NZD to $100NZD an hour.

6. How old do you have to be to house sit in New Zealand?

You have to be at least 18 years old to house sit in New Zealand.

I hope you’ve found this post useful and that it’s given you some insight into how house sitting in New Zealand works. Please feel free to get in touch if you still have any other questions!

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