How much dog boarding costs in London, from one night to ten

In short: Petme sitters in London typically charge £38 to £58 a night for home boarding, with a midpoint of £48. Every extra night adds that nightly rate, so ten nights come to between £380 and £580, and £480 at the midpoint. Over a long stay, small differences between sitters' rates add up fast. Platform data as of October 2026. Most London owners think about boarding as a price per night. The number on the invoice is a price per stay, and the gap between the two grows with every night you add. This guide takes the nightly band and shows what it does to a weekend, a week and a ten-night summer trip.

The London nightly band and how stay length compounds it

Each sitter sets their own nightly rate, and you see it on their profile before you book. Across London the range is £38 to £58. The table below is plain arithmetic of that band: the low end, the midpoint and the high end, multiplied by the number of nights.

Stay	At £38 a night	At £48 a night	At £58 a night
3 nights	£114	£144	£174
7 nights	£266	£336	£406
10 nights	£380	£480	£580

Look at the right-hand column. The £20 gap between the cheapest and dearest nightly rate is £60 over three nights and £200 over ten. If you are comparing two sitters, multiply by your real number of nights before you decide, because a £4 difference a night is £40 on a ten-night trip. For a quick look at the general UK picture, our UK dog boarding cost page covers the national bands.

A worked stay: ten nights over the August bank holiday

Say you are away for ten nights in August and the trip spans the bank holiday weekend. Notting Hill Carnival runs on that weekend and draws up to around two million people, so the weekend is a busy one in the city. You book home boarding at the midpoint rate of £48 a night.

• 10 nights at £48 comes to £480.
• Owners pay a 0% booking fee on Petme, so £480 is the whole bill.
• Cashback of £14.40 is credited after the completed booking.
• Typical platforms add a booking fee of about £50 on the same stay, which would bring that bill to roughly £530.

At the low end of the band the same ten nights cost £380, and at the high end £580. Where in that range you land usually depends on the sitter's home, the number of dogs they take at once, and how experienced they are.

Start with dog boarding in London, where each sitter's nightly rate sits on their profile. If you only need walks or visits while you are away, the London pet sitter cost page has those rates.

What to ask about longer stays

A week or more is where small details become real money. Before you confirm, ask each sitter:

• Whether the nightly rate stays the same across the whole stay, including the bank holiday weekend.
• How collection and drop-off days are counted, so you know whether you pay for the day you leave.
• Whether there is a different rate for a second dog from your household.
• How they will send updates, and how often, if you are abroad for ten days.

Put the answers in the chat with the sitter. It keeps the agreed total in writing and means there is no surprise at pick-up. If your dog has never stayed away from home for more than a night, a short trial stay at the sitter's nightly rate tells you far more than a meeting does. Our guide to what to do with your dog on holiday goes through the options besides boarding.

Licensing in London is by borough

In England, boarding dogs in kennels and providing home boarding as a business are licensable activities under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. In London the licence comes from the boroughs, not from one London-wide body, so the right council is the one where the business operates. As one example, Newham Council says a home boarding licence is needed to look after other people's dogs in your own home, and that the licence length and cost depend on the star rating from its inspection. That is one borough's page, so check the borough of the sitter you are considering. The PDSA says to check that a boarder is licensed by the council and, in England, to look at the star rating on the licence, where five stars is the highest. Asking to see it is normal. Petme also has the Protection Plan for eligible vet costs. Our guide to the home boarding licence explains the rules in more detail.

Dog boarding in London: FAQ

How much is dog boarding in London?

Home boarding with a Petme sitter in London typically costs £38 to £58 a night, with a midpoint of £48. A week at the midpoint is £336. Each sitter sets their own rate, shown on their profile before you book.

What is the average dog boarding cost in London?

The midpoint of the Petme London band is £48 a night, so three nights come to £144 and ten nights to £480. Your own total moves with the sitter you choose and the number of nights, not just the nightly figure.

Is there cheap dog boarding in London?

The low end of the Petme London band is £38 a night, which is £266 for seven nights. Compare the sitter's profile, their licence and what the rate covers before you look at the price alone.

Why do dog boarding prices in London vary so much?

Each sitter sets their own nightly rate, so the same week can cost £266 at £38 a night or £406 at £58. Extras such as medication, a second dog or a bank holiday can move the total, so ask for the full figure up front.

Do I pay a booking fee on top?

No. Owners pay a 0% booking fee on Petme, so the sitter's total is the whole bill. Typical platforms add a booking fee of about £50 on a ten-night stay, and Petme credits £14.40 cashback after a completed booking of that size.