Basingstoke pet sitting runs on Hampshire's steady commuter demand

Your first booking typically lands within 1–2 weeks if your profile has at least 4 good photos, a written bio, clear service descriptions, and a competitive rate for your city. Sitters who add availability over a major holiday (Christmas, summer break) often book their first stay within days.

Yes: most Petme sitters in Basingstoke start while working full-time elsewhere. Dog walking fits into lunchtime windows; drop-in visits work around evenings; weekend boarding stacks on top of a Monday-to-Friday office job. You set your own availability and accept only the bookings that fit your schedule.

Earnings depend on the mix of services and the hours you put in. Active Petme sitters in Basingstoke typically earn £413–£946 per month. Sitters who lean into overnight boarding and house sitting reach the top of that range, while drop-in and dog-walking-only sitters sit in the lower half. You keep up to 90% of every booking: Petme's service fee is 10-15%.

A common pattern: 3–5 dog walks during weekday lunchtimes, 1–2 drop-in visits in the evenings, and one overnight stay across the weekend. That's roughly 12–15 hours of actual paid time per week and clears £107+ before factoring in repeat clients. Sitters who go full-time stack multiple boarding stays back-to-back.

Dog walking pays £12–£19 per walk on Petme. A 30-minute neighbourhood walk is typically priced near the lower end; longer walks, multi-dog walks, or walks in busy city centres command the upper end. You set your own rate when you build your profile.

Boarding at the sitter's home pays £28–£45 per night, and house sitting (you stay at the owner's home) pays £35–£55 per night. Boarding is where most full-time Petme sitters concentrate their income because the per-booking value is the highest.

Petme takes 10-15% from each completed booking and the sitter keeps up to 90%. The fee covers payment processing, customer support, and the Petme Protection Plan that covers every booking automatically.

Payouts are released automatically once a booking is marked complete in the Petme app. The money lands in your bank account within 2 business days. You don't need to invoice the owner or chase payment: the platform handles it end-to-end.

Every booking is covered by the Petme Protection Plan, which includes up to 20,000 in veterinary expenses if something happens to the pet in your care. It's automatic on every reservation: no separate purchase, no claim paperwork upfront. Petme also offers 24/7 customer support so you're never left handling an emergency alone.

No formal qualifications are required to apply as a Petme sitter. You need to be 18 or older, own a smartphone capable of running the app, complete ID verification, and demonstrate genuine experience around animals during your profile review. Some local rules apply for commercial-scale boarding: see the country-specific question below.

The steadiest sitter demand comes from Chineham, Hatch Warren and Kempshott, which are large family estates full of working households who need daytime cover and holiday care. Old Basing adds regular demand from established dog-owning families.

If you plan to board dogs in your home regularly or as a business, you need a Home Boarding Licence under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018, applied for through Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, and you should allow several weeks for the inspection. Dog walking, drop-in visits and occasional day care usually do not require this licence.

Pet-care rates in Basingstoke tend to sit a little below London, often in the region of 10 to 20% lower for comparable boarding or walking, while staying broadly in line with other Hampshire towns. Owners here still expect professional cover, so price sensibly rather than cutting corners.

You can cover the town centre and nearby estates like Brighton Hill and South Ham on foot, but a car helps a lot for the spread-out suburbs and outlying areas such as Chineham, Hatch Warren and Old Basing. Many owners in those areas prefer a sitter who can reach them quickly.

The busiest booking windows are the summer school holidays and the Christmas and New Year period, with lighter peaks at Easter and October half term.

Apply at petme.social/uk/become-a-pet-sitter, then build a profile with clear photos and a short, honest bio about your experience and the areas you cover. In a busy commuter town like Basingstoke, a complete profile with good availability often brings a first enquiry within the first week or two.