Become a Crawley pet sitter where Gatwick keeps owners travelling and boarding busy

Yes: most Petme sitters in Crawley 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 Crawley typically earn £482–£1032 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 £124+ before factoring in repeat clients. Sitters who go full-time stack multiple boarding stays back-to-back.

Dog walking pays £14–£22 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 £32–£50 per night, and house sitting (you stay at the owner's home) pays £40–£60 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.

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.

The strongest sitter demand tends to come from Maidenbower, Pound Hill and Three Bridges, driven by their family housing, higher owner turnover and easy rail links for commuters heading into London or towards Gatwick.

If you plan to offer home boarding regularly as a business, you need a Home Boarding Licence under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018, applied for through Crawley Borough Council, whereas dog walking, drop-in visits and occasional day care usually do not require one. Allow several weeks for the application and inspection before you start.

Pet-care rates in Crawley tend to sit a little below central London and closer to what owners pay across Sussex, often in the region of 10 to 20% lower than inner-London prices. They can edge up near Gatwick and the busier commuter estates where availability is tighter.

A car helps in Crawley because the neighbourhoods are spread out and separated by green buffers, so reaching Bewbush or Maidenbower from the centre on foot takes a while. Within a single estate or around the town centre and Three Bridges, walking and cycling are perfectly workable.

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

To get started, apply at petme.social/uk/become-a-pet-sitter and build a profile with clear photos and a short bio covering your local area and the services you offer. In a town with steady Gatwick and commuter demand, a well-completed profile in a busy estate like Maidenbower or Three Bridges can bring a first booking within the first week or two.