Berlin & major cities
Apartment sits with cats and increasingly dogs. Berlin's flat culture means most sits are in zones 2-4 with strong public transport. Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt all have similar patterns.
Germany
House sitting in Germany
Berlin apartments, Bavarian villages, Hamburg flats, the Black Forest — Germany has high pet ownership and a growing housesitting culture. Free to list and apply.
Germany is one of Europe's most pet-loving countries — high dog ownership rates, well-organized pet care infrastructure, and a host culture that takes responsibilities seriously. The housesitting market is smaller than the UK or France but is growing fast, particularly among younger urban professionals and digital nomads.
German sits skew structured. Hosts typically provide thorough handover documents, clear expectations, and well-organised handovers. The trade-off: less casual flexibility than Mediterranean sits, but high reliability and clear communication.
Where the sits are
Bavaria & rural Germany
Country house and farm sits with multiple dogs, sometimes chickens or smallholding responsibilities. Stays of 1-3 weeks. Spring and autumn are peak. German rural sits often involve walking dogs in forests — bring boots.
Coastal Germany & islands
Sylt, Rügen, and the Baltic coast have summer-heavy housesit demand. Coastal homes with dogs that love long beach walks.
Mostly bilingual
Most German hosts speak English well, particularly in cities. Rural listings are occasionally German-only — a translator app covers the gap, and applying in clear, simple English works fine.
How house sitting in Germany works
- 01
Sign up free
Email or Google. Free to browse, apply and list.
- 02
Set a destination or list your home
Sitters mark Germany as a preferred destination on their profile. Hosts list their home with the dates they're away.
- 03
Sitters apply, hosts choose
Sitters see listings on a map with a rough 1 km circle for privacy, filter by dates and pets, and apply with a short intro. Hosts read the applications — profile, references, reviews — and can also browse sitter profiles and invite someone.
- 04
Chat, then match
Talk in-app before anyone commits. The exact address is shared only after the host accepts.
Common questions
Is it free?
Yes, for both sides. Listing your home, browsing, applying, messaging and matching never cost anything. A few extras are paid — a verified badge, more visibility — but you never need them to find a sit or a sitter.
Are German sits more structured than Mediterranean ones?
Yes, in our experience. German hosts tend to provide thorough handover documents, clear schedules, and explicit expectations. The trade-off is less casual flexibility — but you know exactly what you're committing to.
Do most hosts speak English?
In cities and among younger hosts, almost always. Rural Germany and older hosts may be German-only — a translator app handles listings and chat fine.
Year-round availability?
Yes, with seasonal patterns. Summer is busiest — when Berlin and Hamburg residents head off to the coast or countryside, their city homes need sitters, so city sits peak. Winter brings another wave as Germans escape the cold for warmer destinations. Spring and autumn are steady.
Do I need a visa to house sit in Germany?
The Schengen 90/180 rule applies for non-EU passports, and an unpaid house-sitting exchange counts as tourism, not work. Germany also has favourable digital nomad and freelance visas if you want longer stays — those are separate from housesitting. Confirm against current official guidance.
I have a home in Germany. How do I find a sitter?
List it free with the dates you're away, and sitters apply. You can also browse sitter profiles and invite someone yourself. Read their profile, references and reviews, chat in-app, and choose — nobody is assigned to you.
Germany values reliability — bring yours
If reliability and clear expectations matter to you, German housesits are exceptional. Browse what's open, or list your German home for free.