If it is possible, offering a vehicle for your house sitter to use while you are away is definitely a perk that makes your house sitting assignment more attractive to sitters – and can be very useful to serve your pets’ needs.

Lending your car allows house sitters to explore the area, shop for groceries, and take your pet to a vet in an emergency. If you live up a steep hill or in a location that is distant from stores or transportation options, offering use of your car will make your house sit much more attractive. It may help you get a better group of applicants to choose from.

We have never had any issues with our house sitter using our car. You can set down whatever “ground rules” you wish directly with your sitter. Such ground rules could include driving only locally, and returning the car with a full tank, for example. I also make a copy of the sitter’s driver license.

We created a contract that our sitters sign that includes the make, model, and VIN of the car, the owner’s full name, insurance information, the location of the card indicating ownership, and the extent of the liability the driver may incur. We print it in both English and Spanish should the house sitter be stopped for any reason by local police.

Below you can download the form I have used. If you wish to use it, you should still check with your insurance agent and let him know you are doing this. If you want to be sure of any legal question whatsoever, you should consult an attorney.

In well over a decade of using HouseSitMexico, our sitters have never had a problem — and neither have we.

Note from HouseSitMexico: We appreciate Helena sharing her experience about lending her car to her sitters. Obviously it is one hundred percent YOUR decision as to whether lending YOUR car is something you want to consider. It is your decision, in which we have no part.