Pet owner here. Heard whispers in the wind regarding “tipping” a sitter who’s done a good job on a sit. I had a “welcome basket” with small gifts and took our sitter out to dinner pre-sit, provided a paid-for shuttle to and from the sitter’s choice of airport and wrote a review describing excellent service. Is it the “norm” to provide a monetary tip at the end of a successful sit? We brought a gift from our travels, but would honestly like o know what is typical or expected?
Tipping culture is much more prevalent in the US than the rest of the world. In Australia, NZ, UK, Europe tipping is appreciated but not expected. Because Americans tip wherever they go, the rest of the world has has become more accustomed to it. Personally as a sitter I would feel uncomfortable to receive a cash tip through THS. A thoughtful gift is different. Just my opinion.
You can if you want to but TBH, taking them for dinner, a welcome basket and a gift is way more than 90% of hosts so you’re well ahead! #nicetouches
As a sitter. Please don’t do this. It increases the transactional nature of what should be a mutually beneficial arrangement. And sets precedents/expectations for some remuneration focused people. A small gift or bottle of wine is more than enough
Hi @jonnastar6
From a sitter’s perspective, I’d say you’ve already gone above and beyond. The welcome basket, dinner, airport shuttle, thoughtful review and gift from your travels all show genuine appreciation.
After over 14 years of full-time travel and hundreds of sits, we’ve never expected or looked for a cash tip. For us, the relationship works best when it remains a mutually beneficial exchange rather than a paid arrangement. A warm welcome, clear communication, a comfortable stay and a sincere review mean far more than money.
I’m sure your sitter felt very appreciated.
@jonnastar6, what you describe is above “norm”.
We find that voluntary gestures - either way - can be driven by personal values, specific situation, appreciation, perhaps duration, and appetite for repeat housesit.
A handful of our housesits (70+) have included some form of thank you gift, provided before or after the housesit. We certainly do not expect anything, but appreciate the gesture. Likewise, we typically leave staples (bread, milk, eggs) for pet parents and where we have enjoyed a housesit then we may leave a suitable gift.
No right or wrong here. Collection from airport, dinner and welcome basket seems very thoughtful.
I always appreciate a gift card left to a grocery store. I am in the US and that shows appreciation.
I have done about 23 sits, almost all of them in the US. I have received “thank you” gifts less than 5 times. I appreciate it, but never expect it. A tip would feel very weird. I think that if someone left a cash tip for me, I would thank them but not take it.
You have been very generous already with your sitters. Unless the sitters had to deal with some major emergency while you were gone, I wouldn’t do any more.
Well, so far there’s unanimous agreement. I do agree that
And even would reduce
to 98-99%
I don’t want to correct you, @Cuttlefish, my guess is already included in the scope you suggested, I just wanted to add my experience and help answer the question
I think you have gone over the top already. I rarely have gotten a tip. Once, a large tip with the gift when I got there, but it was a rural sit in MI in March and I think they were so glad to get someone. I was using it as a filler near a friend. So it worked both ways. If you have a primo sit and are doing all that, the sitter is lucky.
I’m with you, I was giving a bit of latitude but you’re way closer. We’ve only had one tip in over 5 years + and they weren’t THS. #betterstats
I’ve sat loads in the U.S. and tips are not typical, nor expected. I have had hosts who’ve been generous with welcome gifts, use of their car, thank-you gifts and such, though. That’s happened in the U.S. and abroad.
Tips are definitely not the norm. Especially not outside of the US. Once you bring money into the equation it changes the nature of the exchange imho. You have already shown exceptional generosity and appreciation towards your sitters. We have never received, nor expected, a tip. We have frequently received bottles of wine and other goodies on arrival, been taken out for dinner, or cooked for at home, and very occasionally received gifts from returning home owners. We’ve also on several occasions been loaned a car. One exceptionally generous family who we sat for over Christmas, for a long 2 month sit, gave us a large Christmas hamper on arrival, a present (to be opened on Christmas day) of a Restaurant Voucher and a bottle of Champagne, and an expensive bottle of wine on their return! Plus use of a car for two months.. The car was pre-arranged and was a condition of accepting the sit but everything else was completely unexpected and very generous. As it was such a long sit and they were very grateful first timers with 2 dogs and 4 cats to care for- several with issues- we accepted graciously. For a similar type of long, multi animal, sit, some years before, we received nothing at all, not even a Welcome drink, even after flying in especially for it! All we received from those mean spirited hosts was extreme stress, extra costs and no review! It was a steep and uncomfortable, learning curve. 
There really are tremendous extremes in housesitting experiences!
You seem like lovely, thoughtful hosts — how kind of you.
As others have unanimously noted, tipping isn’t the norm or expected with THS — in the US or elsewhere. Many other good suggestions for showing appreciation, but sounds like you have that covered.
I was offered a tip by one host, once, on a local-ish last-minute sit for someone who’d sent me an unsolicited invite. (Nice island that I’d wanted to visit for years, so I was happy to help out.) I tried adamantly to turn the tip down, but they were so insistent & earnest; I finally agreed when they pointed out that it would at least cover the cost of the car ferry I’d used to travel to/from the site.
As a dual member, I’d also lean towards no tips. This should be more mutual exchange and really it just doesn’t seem necessary.
we usually make dinner at the start and sometimes sitters offer to make dinner at the end for us.
As HS, we have gotten a bottle of wine for some vino hosts as a thank you, the took us grocery shopping and had stocked supplies when we arrived. other hosts have left us welcome baskets with a few local treats to get us started. I also baked a homemade apple cake once and made sure to leave a hefty share for hosts (which they loved…I read the room and assumed they would).
I love the examples above as neighbourly gestures of good will and they are more than enough., but yea, I would not encourage this to be transactional and tipping isn’t as big a thing outside of the US.
There’s no need, you’ve already gone above and beyond the norm.
We’ve never had a tip at the end for a ‘good job’ and a lot of our sits are return sits to the same places, but we’ve had plenty of gifts given at the start of a sit, and occasionally a gift from wherever the owners have been on vacation.
I’m from UK and only sit in UK. I obviously can only speak for myself but, personally, I would find being offered a tip patronising. It’s supposed to be an equal exchange, tipping to me suggests a power imbalance, not a simple thank you.
You’ve offered MORE than enough in my book as most HO’s don’t even provide 1/2 of what you have.
Further, any sitter who “expects” a gift, tip, $ for transportation, etc. should be looked at askance.
I love tips! My best tip was where the Home Owner recommended me to her son. I did two weeks in Switzerland, Geneva. In a house with a garden and a beautiful black Lab.
( the last time I’d been in Geneva was on interrail as a student with a £5.00 daily allowance so as soon as I was hungry I had to leave Geneva by train the same day!
Tips don’t have to be money although I did get 100 euros and told I couldn’t refuse. I bought some great hiking boots for future housesitting as I do get through footwear!
I also buy nice presents for Home Owners, even if they appear to have everything. One sit I bought some huge olives in a big jar. ( the Home Owner had tiny ones in her fridge) she later asked me where I’d bought them and sent a photo of her enjoying them!
Sometimes I think this was a nice experience so how can I leave a lasting impression?
With reviews to come I don’t want it to seem a bribe! Sometimes a Home Owner’s true colours appear in how they deal with a problem that arises during the sit, how supportive they are, how trusting. Like to reward the best with a gift. Sometimes I give the gift at the start. Usually unexpectedly at the end. It’s my choice my money. I’m good at choosing gifts and it brings me pleasure.
You do you and I’ll do me. Recommending me to friends or booking me again before I leave happen too. Those are tips I like best. We sitters aren’t in it for the money but yes I like appreciation and thoughtfulness. In charity shops I look out for cat and dog themed gifts and save them for the next appropriate sit. Who doesn’t like an unexpected show of thoughtfulness? Sometimes I bring things from Spain to UK to show I thought well before the sit started in UK. I like to give gifts that last - to be remembered by- ok the olives were an exception! Tips recognise good service so do other things,apart from money, is my point.
If they are really appreciative I even come back for a repeat lol
Well I agree with you about being invited back and recommended to friends, both of which I’m pleased to say have happened. I don’t regard those as tips as such, I was only thinking about a tip being money.