Hi, Just coming to the end of our latest sit and been reviewing sits over the winter period. We thought we had picked sits that would be relatively warm but failed miserably. How have others done and anyone have tips on what to look for?
As someone who really hates being cold indoors, I love this question! I think the answer really depends on if you want warm weather or a warm house. 
In my experience, most homes in Germany are really nice and warm even when the weather is horrible, like December through April. This is in contrast to homes in UK, Ireland, Spain, and coastal Italy, where the majority of homes are freezing when itās even moderately cold outside!
Perhaps the trick is to look for listings with modern homes? Maybe even some that describe their heating as underfloor or āupdatedā? In my experience, homes that show pets gathered around a stove or fireplace are absolutely frigid inside, and the only warm spot is either directly in front of the fire or tucked under 10 blankets.
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I ask the hosts directly what heating they have and if there are any limitations on putting it on. If they talk about limitations, I donāt take the sit. If I travel within Ireland, I bring a small electric heater with me for backup. So far Iāve only had to use it once or twice. If you travel to Ireland or the UK, you can buy these heaters in any DIY store and they donāt cost that much. (They do use lots of electricity though, so I would only use them if I felt seriously cold.)
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I am uncomfortable in homes that are too warm, especially at night. When I look at stays during warmer months, I check to see if A/C is listed as an amenity, and because it is expensive to run, I check with the homeowner to see if they are comfortable with me running it as needed for my comfort. I let them know I am happy to do whatever I can to manage the environment to minimize the use of A/C, but ultimately, I will need A/C. They all seemed appreciative that I was upfront from the beginning, and only one said they were not comfortable with the potential for high usage, but that allowed us to avoid an uncomfortable situation for both of us. This could apply to cold climates/homes as well.
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Research needed.
About five years ago we spent a winter in Spain. It was fantastic, beautiful weather. This year we decided to repeat the process. I can count the number of times Iāve worn a pair of shorts on one hand. I donāt know if five years ago was exceptional weather and this year itās the norm or if this year is colder than usual and five years ago was the norm.
We have escaped to Tenerife for a couple of weeks for some sunshine. If you find a way of predicting weather accurately please let us know.
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@ElsieDownie Were you in the same part of Spain both times? We live in SW France and often go to Spain in winter and early spring and find temps can be radically different depending where you are. Spain was drought-stricken for many years but the past year has been rainier, which is good except for when it floods catastrophically like in Valencia recently.
We tried to escape to Crete for 2 weeks. The first week was fantastic with sunshine. The second was cold, windy and rainy. Itās a gamble!
I agree with @Haubigut ās observation.
Almost same place, about 20 miles apart.
Itās a mystery. I know there is a difference between the coast and the hills for obvious reasons but 20 miles?
Yes, Valencia and the surrounding area was devastated with the flooding. We didnāt go into the city this year.
Underfloor heating doesnāt always deliver the heat one hopes for.
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We live in Michigan-USA and have traveled south to the coast of North Carolina every winter since 2020 for a few repeat sits. Itās not tropical but itās certainly warmer and I never bring my winter coat.
This year they had snow, I could have used that coat, that lasted for days and closed most everything down. Luckily the house was cozy, we had cats that didnāt require walks and there was Netflix for binging. The best thing was watching all the children experiencing snow for the first time.
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I donāt rule out sitting in places that are cold / have snow, but am selective. The place has to have enough amenities to risk snow and cold. For example, whatās within walking distance? Can I get food deliveries if Iām snowed in? Do the hosts skimp on heat or want to control the heat via an app? (Iād avoid all such sits during winter.) Are the furnishings comfortable enough to hang out on? (A recent listing showed a home so spartan it looked depressing to spend time in, especially if snowed in.)
Iād avoid any rural sit where it might snow. Thatās because you might be on your own without plowed roads, with trouble getting food, with problems getting medical help when youāre snowed in, with problems getting repair folks out if something goes wrong with heating or plumbing or such. Plus, what happens if the pets get sick or hurt and you have to get them to care with snow adding to your troubles? For me, no thanks to such sits.
I have walked dogs in cold and snow ā my own, as well as sit dogs ā but nowadays Iām more selective with sits during winter. I avoid dog sits where it snows. That doesnāt mean there canāt be freakish snow in some places, but I minimize my exposure.
Some dogs resist going out and doing their business in the snow, too, so you might get stuck repeatedly trying to coax a dog(s) out in snow where it sticks for a long stretch or keeps falling. Plus, in hilly places, you have to worry about walking a dog on icy stretches and maybe falling, especially if youāre sitting a dog that pulls.
Iām currently doing a cat sit where it snows sometimes. The home is warm and cozy. All I have to do is clear a path on the sidewalk if the snow sticks. Itās a narrow, historical house. I wouldnāt sit a home with a large amount of shoveling to do if it snows.
If it snows a lot where Iām sitting, the city will clear the main roadways, so food, human medical care and vet care would be accessible. And in worst case if I needed to evacuate to a hotel with the cats, I could do that reasonably vs. being stuck on a rural sit say if the heating, plumbing or roof failed and we were snowed in.
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Look for it in reviews, and say something about it in your own reviews.
And turn up the thermostat!
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Iāve decided, once and for all, that Iām done with cold winters! As per the title of this thread āAvoiding cold housesits in winterā the best way to avoid them is to go and sit somewhere hot!! 
Last year we spent the whole winter housesitting around the UK- it was the first time in 20 years we had spent the winter in a cold country andā¦never again!! It was a stark reminder of why we usually spend our winters in the tropics!! So right now weāre in Malaysia, on a long cat sit, and weāve been out this way since November and not returning to Europe till end of March. 3 months in Malaysia with a month in India both before and after. Perfect. Hot sun and flip flops every day! Yay!! 
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haha! Love the desert plants covered in snow! That is awesome!
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We had a month in Panama this past Nov/Dec and it was easily 85 degrees F every day - some days it was more like 90 and we only went out early in the morning or late in the afternoon - otherwise we were in the pool or at the beach! We had fans blowing on us at all times (AC only in bedrooms) and wore swimsuits from morning til night!
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Whether with sweltering heat or freezing cold, comfort can be hard to tell with certain homes. Itās best to ask the host specifically about how warm or cold their home is and what heating or cooling they can offer sitters.
Even in the same city or block, anywhere in the world, you can encounter a well-built home vs. a poorly built home, or maybe an older home that leaks heating or cooling, or one thatās been upgraded for comfort. Or hosts who are mean with heating or cooling vs. ones who are considerate. (My current host and others previously have all been thoughtful even with snowy conditions. And an upcoming host specifically warned of extreme heat and we discussed how air conditioning is a must.)
I once owned a vacation home in Las Vegas and it was always comfortable, whether in the worst of desert heat (easily 100+ Fahrenheit during summer) or even when it was biting cold (winter temps can drop and winds can be sharp and cutting, and thereās rare snow). Thatās because many homes there are newer and well built, with robust insulation and ceramic tile roofs ā that was how builders learned to build them over decades to provide comfortable living and keep utility costs reasonable. But nearby, we occasionally saw older homes that didnāt seem well built or kept up, and they probably werenāt that comfortable most times of the year.
Iāve had a lot of them, for more than a year, I could travel only within the UK and almost all the places are usually cold. You would see very fancy houses with lots of cool amenities and owners having layers over layers because they donāt want to increase the thermostat. Definitely, the first reply is super valid, also now I try to tell the owners in advance that I have problems with cold. There were times I couldnāt leave bed because it was very cold and humid at home. Most of the locals wouldnāt really understand this, as they have been living in a similar temperature for years. But if the owner comes from a warmer country, theyād usually understand this. Couple of times I offered that I can pay extra, Iām very very cold, but the owners were usually nice and told me how to increase the temperature and said that itās not a problem. For extreme times I always have a list of places to go with the dog, like pubs or coffeeshops, and thatās been a great help.
Many old buildings have this problem in the UK that sometimes it wouldnāt get any warmer even if you increase the thermostat. I think we actually should add it somewhere in our profiles
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Before I gave up my flat altogether to housesit and live in my van, I used to housesit locally in the UK in my area during the winter so I didnāt have to heat my poorly insulated, electric radiator only flat, because it was so expensive! One lady I housesit for eventually took pity on me, and just offered me use her spare room during cold snaps when she worked out what I was doing 
I would (and still do when possible) go and visit the housesit first and see what they had to say on the matter! One sit very specifically had a catastrophic flood after a water pipe froze and burst a couple of years earlier whilst he was away, and he was more interested in someone keeping an eye on the house, and the dogs not having to go into kennels was an added bonus! So he said "Iāll just leave the heating on 21celsius if thatās okay with you? Yep, perfect.
Maybe itās luck, but Iāve never had a chilly winter housesit? In fact Iāve never had to adjust thermostats, other than to turn them down because it was starting to feel like a botanical garden!
All the HOās have wanted me to be comfortable (I have a selection of sits in my local area, and they usually want me to come back since itās so much easier just having the same sitter)! Iāve only had one ask me not to touch the heating and if I was too cold to please use the log burner instead - but it was 2celsius outside and I was wandering around in shorts inside so she had set the heating up very high anyway!
The only āissueā I suppose is that because I work odd hours and donāt keep to the same schedule as the HO I will often arrive home just as the heating goes off, or leave as it comes on etc, but I just hop under a blanket!
Going and visiting first is a must though, you can tell when a house isnāt heated regularly just by standing in it, and itās an easy conversation to have face to face with someone.
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My plan was to sit now & then over the winter to help reduce my utility bills - oh and to enjoy pets too of course. But in the 6 winter sits that Iāve had only one was toasty warm (absolute decadent luxury!), and one other was around how warm (cold, really) have my own home. The others were really, really cold (thankfully for 5 days max).
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