I have posted my first 2 week sit for my cat and home, and received quite a few interested sitters who don’t have their own car, and have used the HO car as part of previous sits. My home is walkable to town, but for grocery shopping, it is easier with a car, and also if there were to be an emergency with the cat, I would feel more comfortable that they could drive her to the vet. I’d welcome any input here- will I limit applicants if I state the need to have their own vehicle? I want to be as welcoming as possible! Thank you in advance
Short answer Yes .
If this is a necessity it would be best to offer use of your car to sitters who don’t have one .
If you are in a very popular location ( you get 5 applications as soon as you post your dates ) you could state that sitters having a car is a requirement and decline any applicants that don’t. This strategy could work if you are usually inundated with great applicants.
Yes the short answer is that you will. If the shops are walkable and the car is really back up for an emergency vet trip then much easier (& more flexible) to simply leave the sitter cash for a taxi should it be needed. We wouldn’t take a sit where the hosts think our car is in case of vet visits. As the pet’s owner, that’s your potential issue to manage not the sitter. #thinkingahead
Hi @Catservant 
I think there’s a difference between requiring a sitter to have their own car and needing them to have access to a car during the sit.
If the house is walkable to town, I’d be inclined to explain the practicalities in the listing rather than make owning a car an absolute requirement. That gives sitters the opportunity to decide whether the location works for them.
The vet issue is probably the more important consideration. If you’re uncomfortable with a sitter using your car, perhaps make sure there’s a realistic alternative for an emergency, such as a taxi service that accepts pets or a local pet taxi.
I’d also be very clear about expectations if your car is made available. Who can drive it, what use is permitted and what happens in the event of an accident are all worth agreeing beforehand.
Personally, I think being upfront about the practicalities gives you a much better chance of finding the right sitter than simply saying “own car required.”
I offer use of my car because although we have a nice bus system to get around town to the shops, and the train station for longer outings, it is more convenient to have a car for grocery shopping. Primarily though it is to transport my pets in case of emergency. Taxis and ubers near us won’t take pets at all (and yes there is an Uber pets but it’s basically useless with too few cars), and our public transit doesn’t allow pets either. I don’t want my pets suffering if they become ill because the sitter has no way to transport them. I actually note in my listing that sitters should be willing and able to transport the pets in our car in case of emergency (we’ve had applicants who don’t drive at all, which doesn’t work for us for the reasons already stated).
In the US most car insurance has a permitted use clause (ours allows us to lend a car for you to 30 days, but obviously check your own insurance). We’ve never had a problem and the sitters we’ve lent to have always been extra careful drivers. As a bonus, they’ve also offered to drive us to/from the airport.
I would recommend noting that sitters should have a valid driver’s license (check your state laws but in CA it is fine to drive with an international license as long as it’s current) and get a copy of it in case there is an insurance matter.
Yes it does increase your pool of applicants, significantly.
I would put in your profile that your home is walkable to town and list what is there. Are there restaurants, movie theater, etc. Then list the miles to the nearest grocery store. If there is public transportation as in a bus, you can mention that. Say a car would be needed for grocery shopping or the sitter can have home delivery if that is available. I would mention your car is not available. Post and see the response. You may get less applicants but they will be exactly the ones who meet your criteria. Also if you provides bikes, that might solve the grocery store run.
The OP wants a sitter with their own car to take the pets to the vets .