Petme sitter guide · London

Pet sitting in London can out-earn an entry-level office salary

London is a city of flats, commuters and frequent travellers, and plenty of its dogs and cats have no garden and no family nearby. On Petme you choose the boroughs you cover, set your rate per service and keep up to 90% of each booking.

London sitting is shaped by the city itself: a large share of homes are flats, many owners get around by Tube, bus and on foot, and Heathrow, Gatwick and the Eurostar are close to hand. Boarding here runs £38 to £58 a night. This guide covers what new London sitters need to know before signing up.

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Up to 90%

of every booking kept by the sitter

20,000

Protection Plan maximum for eligible vet costs

250K+

members on Petme

4.9 / 5

average sitter rating

Earnings snapshot

What Petme sitters actually earn in London

You keep up to 90% of every booking one of the strongest take-home rates in the industry. The numbers below are the live rate bands in London. Sitters set their own price within these bands, and most active sitters earn £516 to £1,118 per month, depending on the mix of services and how many overnight stays they take.

Service	Rate range	Per
Dog walking	£15 to £25	walk
Drop-in visit	£15 to £25	visit
Pet boarding (at sitter's home)	£38 to £58	night
House sitting (at owner's home)	£45 to £65	night
Doggy day care	£26 to £45	day

Top London cities for sitter demand right now:

CamdenHackneyShoreditchClaphamIslingtonGreenwich

Ready to set up a profile and pick your rates? Start your application.

The practical side

Everything sitters in London need to know before signing up

Earnings are only half the picture. Below are the tax, scheduling, protection, and payout realities of running a Petme sitter profile in London. We've written them out the way an experienced sitter would explain them to a friend.

Cashback for high performers

Beyond the up to 90% you keep on every booking, Petme pays cashback on top. The more you sit and the stronger your reviews, the larger the cashback tier you unlock. High-performing sitters with consistent 5-star reviews and steady booking volume earn the biggest bonus. Automatic, no claim paperwork, paid out alongside your normal weekly payouts.

Apply in London

Protection on every booking

The Petme Protection Plan provides up to 20,000 on every reservation. Automatic on every booking. No separate purchase required. The 24/7 support team is there for emergencies, so you are never alone with a problem at 3am.

Seasonal demand

London demand peaks during the summer holiday window (mid-July through August), the October half-term, the Christmas-to-New-Year stretch and Easter. These are the weeks London families most often travel. You set your own rate per service, bank holidays included.

Payouts within 2 days

Petme releases your payout automatically once a booking is marked complete. The money lands in your bank account within 2 business days. No invoicing, no chasing the owner. The platform takes care of it.

Set your own schedule

Accept only the bookings you want. Pause your profile any time. There are no minimum hours and no schedule lock-in. Most Petme sitters in London start while holding another job and only go full time once their calendar fills naturally.

FAQ

Your London sitter questions, answered straight

These are the questions Petme sitters in London actually ask before signing up, and the ones they wish they had asked sooner. Each answer is specific to London, not a generic template.

What do Petme sitters in London actually take home?

Earnings depend on the services you offer and the hours you put in. As a worked example at London rates, eight dog walks a week at the lowest walk rate come to about £516 a month, and four nights of house sitting a week at the top rate to about £1118. Overnight boarding and house sitting pay the most per booking, drop-ins and walks the least. You keep up to 90% of every booking: Petme's service fee is 10-20%.

What does a typical week look like for a London sitter?

You set the week yourself. One example: 4 dog walks during weekday lunchtimes, 2 drop-in visits in the evenings and one overnight stay at the weekend. At the lowest London rates that week comes to about £135. Taking more overnight stays is the quickest way to raise it, because they pay the most per booking.

What does a dog walk pay in London?

Dog walking pays £15–£25 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.

Is boarding the best-paid service in London?

Boarding at the sitter's home pays £38–£58 per night, and house sitting (you stay at the owner's home) pays £45–£65 per night. Overnight care pays more per booking than any other Petme service, so a few stays a month move your income the most.

How does Petme's service fee work?

Petme takes 10-20% from each completed booking and the sitter keeps up to 90%. The fee covers payment processing, customer support, and the Petme Protection Plan for eligible vet costs.

When do London sitters get paid?

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.

What cover comes with a London booking?

The Petme Protection Plan, which can contribute up to £20,000 toward eligible vet costs if something happens to the pet in your care. It is a discretionary fund, not insurance. Petme also offers 24/7 customer support so you're never left handling an emergency alone.

Do I need qualifications or licences to start?

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.

How long until my first London booking?

It depends on the services you offer, your rates and how many owners near you are looking, so there is no fixed wait. What you control is the profile owners choose from: at least 4 clear photos, a written bio, clear service descriptions and rates in line with London. Opening your calendar over school holidays and Christmas, when owners travel, puts you in front of more requests.

Can I fit London sitting around full-time work?

Yes. You set your own availability and accept only the bookings that fit, so sitting in London can run alongside a full-time job: dog walks fit lunchtime windows, drop-in visits fit evenings, and weekend boarding fits around a Monday-to-Friday week.

Which parts of London should a new sitter cover first?

Start with the borough you live in and the one next to it, because owners look for a sitter close to home and crossing London for one walk rarely makes sense. Hackney has London Fields, Clapham has the Common, Islington has Highbury Fields, Camden reaches up to Hampstead Heath and Greenwich has its own park, so each can be worked on foot.

Do I need a home boarding licence in London?

Yes if you board regularly. London boroughs each issue their own Home Boarding Licence under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018; apply through your borough council (Hackney, Camden, Islington, Lambeth all run separate schemes). Walking and drop-in visits do not need a licence. Plan 6 to 10 weeks for inspection so you are ready before Christmas bookings open.

How does pet sitting in London compare to other UK cities?

In London you can reach clients on foot and by public transport. Many owners live in flats without a garden, so walks happen on commons, heaths and parks. London walks on this page run £15 to £25 and boarding £38 to £58 a night, and you set your own rate.

Do I need a car to sit in London?

No. Buses reach every borough and the Tube covers much of the city, so you can pick areas where clients are a walk or a short ride away. A folding crate helps for occasional cross-borough collections but a car is not required.

When are the busiest seasons for London sitters?

Summer (mid-July through August), October half-term, Christmas and Easter are the peak windows. They track the school holidays, when London families leave the city and need someone for the pets. You set your own rate per service, including for bank holiday weekends.

How do I start sitting in London and how soon do bookings come in?

Apply at petme.social/uk/become-a-pet-sitter, then build a profile with photos of your space and a clear bio. Pass ID verification, choose the services and boroughs you cover and set a rate for each. Owners nearby send requests that you accept or decline, and how soon the first arrives depends on your area, services and prices.

Is pet sitting in London part time or full time work?

Either, and you choose which. Most London sitters start part time around a job or their studies, taking a walk or a drop-in visit a day, then add overnight boarding once regular clients build up. There are no set shifts and no minimum hours, so you accept the requests that fit your week and decline the rest.

Ready when you are

Apply to become a Petme pet sitter in London

The full apply page has the signup form, service-by-service rate setting, and ID verification flow.

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