How can I prepare a useful trip handoff for the person looking after my home?

Keep it to the information this particular sitter needs for the agreed dates. Start with your departure and return dates, how to reach you, and a short list of responsibilities. For example: bring in mail, water the named plants on the agreed days, and contact you if something seems wrong. Avoid vague instructions such as “keep an eye on everything.”

Then add practical references: where ordinary supplies are kept, which areas or belongings are off-limits, and who to contact for a specific concern. A concise handoff is easier to use than a full inventory of your home.

Describe the arrangement, not a reusable secret. For instance, write “The key will be handed to you in person on [date]” or “We’ll go over the entry process together before I leave.” Don’t put passwords, alarm codes, or a precise hiding place in a document that could be misplaced or forwarded. Agree on a suitable way to share any necessary access detail separately, and decide how and when access will be returned or ended.

If the sitter needs help getting in, include your preferred way to reach you and a backup contact, if you have one. Use placeholders in a draft you might share with others, such as [your number] or [backup contact].

Give them a simple response path rather than a long list of worst-case scenarios. Name the person to contact first, a backup if appropriate, and your preference for when they should contact you. You can also identify a relevant service contact if you already have one, using a placeholder until you fill in the real details privately.

Include only household information that helps with an agreed task or a likely decision, such as where the first-aid kit is kept if you want the sitter to know. Don’t include personal records, financial details, or information about other people unless it is necessary and they have agreed. For safety-critical problems, tell the sitter to contact an appropriate qualified professional or emergency service rather than attempt a repair.

Use headings so the sitter can scan the page. Here is a fill-in template; replace the brackets and remove anything that does not apply:

Home-sitting handoff — [dates]

• Reach me: [preferred contact method and time to use it]
• Backup contact: [name and contact method, shared privately]
• Access: [agreed handover arrangement; do not write codes here]
• Must do: [task, place, and agreed timing]
• Optional: [task, only if convenient]
• Supplies and useful locations: [item and location]
• If something goes wrong: [who to contact first; when to contact me]
• Not included: [areas, tasks, or decisions outside the agreement]
• Return access: [agreed key return or access-ending plan]

Worked example, with invented details: “Must do: bring in mail from the front box on Tuesday and Friday. Optional: water the two plants by the living-room window if the soil looks dry. If a task is unclear, message me before improvising.” Keep the example specific to what you actually agree with the sitter.

Send the handoff early enough for questions, then review the essentials together: dates, tasks, access, contact order, and what is outside the sitter’s responsibility. Ask them to explain back the key steps in their own words—not as a test, but to uncover unclear wording. Update the document if you agree on a change, and make sure both of you have the same final version and know how to reach each other.

Quick check before departure: Confirm the sitter has the current handoff, knows how access will be handled, and understands what to do when a task or situation falls outside the agreement.