Become a Guildford pet sitter for owners who travel for work and pay a premium

Earnings depend on the mix of services and the hours you put in. Active Petme sitters in Guildford typically earn £447–£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 £116+ before factoring in repeat clients. Sitters who go full-time stack multiple boarding stays back-to-back.

Dog walking pays £13–£20 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 £30–£48 per night, and house sitting (you stay at the owner's home) pays £38–£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.

Yes: most Petme sitters in Guildford 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.

Merrow, Burpham and Onslow Village carry the strongest sitter demand, thanks to their high share of dog-owning families and commuters who need regular weekday cover. Charlotteville adds steady drop-in work given its proximity to the Royal Surrey and the professionals living nearby.

If you plan to board dogs in your home regularly as a business, you’ll need a Home Boarding Licence under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018, applied for through Guildford Borough Council, which inspects the property before granting it. Dog walking, drop-in visits and occasional day care usually fall outside licensing, but allow several weeks for the inspection if boarding is your plan.

Pet-care rates in Guildford sit below central London, often in the region of 10 to 20% lower than what owners pay in the capital, though they hold up well against most of Surrey given the town’s affluence. Expect them to run a little above smaller nearby towns like Aldershot or Farnborough.

The town centre and close-in areas such as Charlotteville, Guildford Park and Onslow Village are walkable, so you can build a round on foot there. A car helps a lot for the more spread-out suburbs like Merrow and Burpham, especially for back-to-back visits across town.

Bookings peak over the summer holidays and at Christmas, with smaller rises at Easter and October half-term.

Apply at petme.social/uk/become-a-pet-sitter and build a profile with clear photos and a short bio covering the areas and services you offer. In a town with demand like Guildford’s, an active profile with a few genuine details tends to see a first booking within the first week or two.