A house sitter instructions checklist for a calm handover

A house sitter instructions checklist should separate the home's normal rhythm from temporary exceptions. Record access, daily care, supplies, appointments, contacts, and the return handoff; give each open action an owner and a clear finish. The sitter should be able to continue without searching through messages or asking one household member to translate the plan.

The best sheet is selective. It describes the occupied house the sitter will encounter, not every system the household has built over the years.

What belongs on a house sitter information sheet?

Build the sheet around the moments when the sitter will need an answer:

• Arrival: the agreed way in, where borrowed keys stay, and which entrance to use.
• Morning round: curtains, ventilation, watering, or other actions tied to the start of the day.
• Evening round: lights, doors, outdoor items, and the final check before bed.
• Collection day: which bin or container goes where, and when it comes back.
• Known callers: an expected delivery, cleaner, contractor, or neighbor and the purpose of the visit.
• Household contact: one person for an immediate question and another route if that person is unavailable.
• Departure: what to restore, where to leave access items, and how to confirm the house is secured.

Use conditions that can be observed. “Water the fern when the top soil is dry” is more dependable than “water plants as needed.” “Bring the parcel inside and tell Rowan” is clearer than “watch for deliveries.” Leave specialist instructions exactly as the household received them rather than rewriting what they mean.

Sivella supports reminders for recurring rhythms and one-off nudges. A normal collection day can recur; a delivery during this stay should appear once and end. Tasks carry an owner, letting the household name who will answer the sitter's update without turning the sitter into the home's coordinator.

How do you turn the house into a simple route?

Order the instructions by movement through the home. Start at the entrance, continue through the rooms that need attention, and finish at the door again. A route is easier to follow than separate lists for appliances, plants, waste, and security because the sitter can see what belongs together in one pass.

For each stop, write three compact fields:

• Place: the room or fixed landmark.
• Cue: the time, date, weather, or visible condition that makes action necessary.
• Result: what should be true before the sitter moves on.

This structure also exposes gaps. If an instruction names an object but not its location, add the location. If it names a date but not the expected action, add the action. If completion cannot be recognized, sharpen the result.

Do one rehearsal before departure. Ask the sitter to begin at the door and point out the first round without prompting. Any pause shows where the route depends on household memory instead of the sheet.

Which changes need a message while you are away?

Set a reporting boundary so every small variation does not become an anxious conversation. Ask for a message when access fails, expected water or power is unavailable, visible damage appears, a known visitor cannot complete their purpose, or an agreed routine cannot be carried out. Ordinary completion can stay quiet unless the household specifically needs confirmation.

A useful update has four parts: where, what is visible, what has already been done, and when a reply is needed. “Utility cupboard: water beneath the left pipe; supply untouched; advice needed before this evening” gives the household something to decide. “Something is wrong” sends the thinking back to the sitter.

Some updates open a choice rather than a task. Sivella's decision area keeps options, constraints, and ownership together. The household can compare waiting, arranging a visit, or changing the plan while the sitter remains responsible only for the action everyone agrees is safe and appropriate.

What should be waiting when the household returns?

Use a short return note with three headings: completed, changed, and still open. Completed items need no diary. Changed items need the new state. Open items need the person who now owns the next move.

Close temporary reminders created for the stay and restore any routine that was deliberately paused. Return borrowed keys and moved supplies to the recorded places. If a new repair or appointment remains, transfer it to a household task rather than leaving it in the sitter's messages.

Sivella's Today plan is a single view of what needs attention and the next step. After the return, it can surface the few loose ends without preserving the whole sitting period as current work. The handover is finished when the sitter can leave cleanly and anybody at home can see what, if anything, still needs a person.