Trust is built at the meet-and-greet, not by a badge.

Before the sit — owners

• Meet at your place, with the pets there. Watch how your animal actually reacts to them.
• Ask for two references you can ring — from outside this site is fine, especially for new members.
• Put it in writing: dates, times, rate, who pays for what, and what happens if plans change.
• Vet details on the fridge. Clinic name, phone, after-hours number, your pet's conditions and meds.
• Set a spend limit for emergency vet care and say who authorises it if you're unreachable.
• Agree how you'll keep in touch — a photo a day beats radio silence for a fortnight.
• Do a key handover in person and know exactly how many keys exist.

Before the sit — sitters

• Go and meet the animal first, and don't take a sit you're not confident with. Reactive dogs and diabetic cats are real jobs.
• Get the full picture in writing: how many animals, medications, feeding, walk requirements, and any bite history.
• Agree the rate and payment day before you start. Half up front is normal and reasonable.
• Consider your own insurance. Pet sitting cover in Australia is inexpensive and it's yours, not tied to any platform.
• Check what the house actually is if you're staying over — fences, other tenants, wifi, distance to a vet.
• Tell someone where you're going. Basic, but worth saying.
• Keep a record of feeds, meds and walks. It protects you if anything is ever questioned.

What we do

We verify email addresses, show how long each member has been here, display response times we measure ourselves, and let both sides review each other with a right of reply. Members can add a police check or pet first aid certificate to their profile — we mark those as self-declared unless we've sighted them, and we say which is which.

What we don't do

We don't employ sitters, supervise sits, handle payments, or insure your animals or your home. We're an introduction service — a noticeboard with a good search. Any agreement is between you and the other member, and any money changes hands directly between you.

If something goes wrong, tell us. We'll investigate and remove members who behave badly — but we can't compensate you for a loss, and we'd rather say that plainly than bury it in terms you won't read.

About "cover" on the big platforms

You'll see other Australian sites advertise accident cover or a guarantee. Read the terms before you rely on it. Mad Paws' Guarantee terms state, in capitals, that it is not insurance and is not an offer to insure; it names no underwriter, payment is at the company's sole discretion, and it carries a $350 minimum contribution — meaning any claim that doesn't exceed $350 triggers no reimbursement at all. Their own terms of service recommend users obtain their own insurance.

Source: Mad Paws Accident Cover terms, read July 2026. We're pointing this out because we don't offer cover either — and we'd rather you knew that up front than discovered it at claim time. Get your own insurance; it's yours, and it follows you between platforms.

Boarding pets at your own place? Check your council first

If you take dogs or cats into your home for a fee, you may be running what the law calls a boarding establishment. In Victoria that means registering as a Domestic Animal Business with your council — even for small-scale "home boarding", which the Code of Practice defines as a maximum of two animals from one household. The Code is mandatory, not advisory, and operating unregistered is an offence under s 45 of the Domestic Animals Act 1994.

This does not apply to house sitting or drop-in visits at the owner's home — only to pets staying at your place. Other states have their own rules; check your council before you list boarding.

Agriculture Victoria — boarding establishments. This is general information, not legal advice.

Report a problem

Email hello@petsitmates.com.au with the member's name and what happened. We read everything ourselves — there are two of us.