Pet, Plant & House Sitting - Do You Need To Be Bonded? And What Does Being Bonded Mean Anyhow?

When they want or have to go away, I care for several of my friends' homes and animals.  Every time I finish one of these favors, I think to myself that it would be great to get paid to do things that are actually so fun I do them for free! So today I decided to take a closer look and find the answer to "how would I protect myself if I got a bad client?", which is the main reason I have never tried to turn pet sitting and home sitting into a business.

But I didn't even know what that means so I researched it and this is what I found out:

• Being bonded is basically to protect you if you have employees working for you. When you have employees that you send out to do jobs, you can only hope that you chose the right people and that they won't steal. But if they do and your business is bonded, that bond will pay the client back for the theft.
• If you are the only one doing the sitting, you don't need to be bonded because you already know that you're not going to steal.
• From a marketing perspective you may want to become bonded simply for the client's peace of mind because he or she won't usually understand what it's for either. He or she just knows that it's "a good thing."
• If you want to get bonded, search "fidelity bond" and then do your homework to find the best provider for your situation. Or ask the insurance company you already have if they also sell bonding services.

This will not only protect you from whatever may happen during your time in a client's home, but also if you bring the animals into your home. Just make sure you read the fine print and ask all the questions you can think of that could pertain to your situation.

Whether or not you decide to become bonded, don't take a job with any client that you're not comfortable with. Better safe than sorry. And then have fun earning a living in a way you truly enjoy!