I’m new here. I’m wondering how far in advance you can ask for a sitter and for how long?
I usually post 6 months in advance but I’ve also been successful posting a few weeks ahead because of an emergency.
It will depend on your location, dates and responsibilities.
Sitters are in great demand especially during holiday periods such as Xmas.
The sooner the better is my suggestion and if you don’t get any applications come back to the forum and link your profile. There are lots of very experienced members here and they can help you with your listing (if needed).
Good Luck and Welcome
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I only sit about three or four times a year and could never be available for a sit with less than 6 weeks notice. I prefer booking three months out or my personal retirement schedule gets full.
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@Pjainet, welcome to THS Forum.
In addition to advice from @Twitcher, we’d add that it depends on specifics of your intended housesit. Is duration for a long weekend or several months? Is your listing likely to have high or low demand from housesitter applicants? Do you have a specific housesitter (e.g. repeat) in mind? Is your related trip committed (i.e. booked)? What is motivation to book housesitter early?
We housesit full-time. We are usually booked a few months out. Recently we’ve been approached by two pet parents in regards housesits in Spring 2026. Each is in a highly desirable location and duration exceeds one month. No listings, just exploratory conversation. We have confirmed a few sits over six months before start date, but it takes a compelling situation.
One challenge of distant date bookings is commitment. If Pet Parent has not booked their trip then we are very unlikely to commit to a sit. If dates are distant then cancellation risk is much higher - THS Sit Cancellation Insurance only covers cancellations 14 days before sit start date.
There’s no harm in you listing a distant date. But be ready to receive reasonable questions from applicants.
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Welcome @Pjainet 
This really is, a “how long is a piece of string” type question. There are currently a number of “new” listings for sits in 2027, and plenty of “new” listings for “last minute” sits too.
If you have your dates, post your profile. If you’d like help with your profile, link it in and ask for feedback from the many experienced members on this forum.
Like @GotYourBack, we are full time sitters, have been for coming on 14 years, and currently fully booked for 2026.
Good luck 
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@The_Sollys, wow. Multiple parts here are incredible. Kudos to you. Fully booked for 2026 
. Repeat housesits?
When we consider distant housesits then it is often to a known pet parent. This increases comfort and reduces risk. Two examples noted above are a repeat pet parent and a direct referral from a past pet parent.
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Sits must be for at least one night. However a one night sit won’t attract many sitters . Many would want a sit of at least a week . Theres no limit the duration of a sit . They can be several weeks, months or even years long .
Excellent points from @GotYourBack to consider @Pjainet as well as from @Twitcher.
Hey @GotYourBack Thanks for the kudos and right back at you! No, none are repeats 
but totally get where you’re coming from!
Happy travels
Your question has been asked many times before on the forum. Before posting a question it’s a good idea to search the forum.
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We’ve got a sit booked in for early December 2026, a repeat sit, and we’ve had it booked in since last autumn, so that’s 2 years in advance.
But we typically look ahead about 8-9 months for the places we really want, and then fill in any gaps nearer the time 
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I don’t have an answer but I wish THS would publish some metrics to cover questions like this (and others)
There are greater priorities. Fix glitches, add visible amenities (for example hosts select how many hours pets can be left alone yet sitters don’t see the answer. Properly address the border control issues. Fix the problems that are oftain raised by members on this platform.
Why does someone need metrics as to how far advance a sit can be posted? Metrics don’t tell the whole story, every situation is different. And so what if it’s for 2 years out. Post it and see what happens. What have you got to lose?