Weekend household handoff

House sitter instructions for a weekend away

Agree on the visits, explain each task, and leave a clear next step if access fails or your plans change.

By Ben, Founder of DearFile
Published October 12, 2026 · Updated October 18, 2026

Download the blank weekend checklist (.txt)

Free to use. No signup. Complete your own private copy.

A useful house-sitter note answers four questions: What did I agree to do? Can I get in? What happens if the plan changes? When is my part finished?

This guide covers short visits. Agree separately on overnight stays, guests, use of the home, and payment. Pets need their own care instructions and agreed caregiver.

The quick version before you leave

Agree on visit windows, tasks, and what is outside the arrangement.
Try entry, locking up, and each task together.
Confirm a backup's role and a fallback if neither contact answers.
Decide how to report completion, confirm your return, and hand back keys.

Use the blank checklist below. Resolve any unanswered question that affects required care before relying on the plan.

See a weekend handover

Fictional example. The people, address, trip, and plant routine are invented. The phone numbers are reserved, non-working examples. Replace every detail.

WEEKEND HANDOVER · OCTOBER 23 TO 25, 2026

Home and dates: 18 Example Lane, Unit 2, Exampletown, New York. Street-facing door marked 2. Riley leaves Friday at 3 p.m.; expected home Sunday at 6 p.m. All times are local to the home.
People: Riley, owner: 202-555-0141. Jordan, helper: 202-555-0142. Casey, backup: 202-555-0143. Casey accepts Saturday questions, one replacement visit before 5 p.m., and a Sunday return check. Everyone agrees to share these numbers for this trip.
Agreed visit and access: Jordan visits Saturday between 10 a.m. and noon. This is an unpaid favor; no purchases, repairs, extra visits, or other chores are included. No pets are staying home. Jordan and Casey each hold a key and tested entry and locking with Riley on Thursday.
Packages: Put ordinary porch packages on the hallway bench, unopened. No special deliveries are expected. Leave anything too heavy to move comfortably and text Riley.
Plants: Water only the two kitchen windowsill pots marked “Saturday,” using one matching prepared water portion per pot. Portions and a cloth are beside the sink. If a label or portion is missing, leave that pot and report it. Other plants can wait.

If the plan changes

Cannot enter: Call Riley, then Casey. Casey may bring the tested spare. If neither answers after one call each, leave and text both “Visit incomplete.” Casey checks messages at noon and confirms by 12:30 whether they will cover. No locksmith or other entry method is authorized.
Cannot visit by noon: Tell both contacts. Casey takes over only after accepting a time before 5 p.m. Otherwise the tasks wait and Riley arranges the next step; no Sunday visit is assumed.
Riley unreachable: Call Casey for ordinary task questions. If neither answers, finish only the clear, agreed tasks and report anything left. Casey may clarify this sheet, not authorize spending or new work.
Trip extended: Riley sends a return update Sunday at noon and reports later delays when known. Extra visits need explicit agreement; Riley arranges another helper if necessary.

Close the visit: Check the kitchen window is closed. Shut, lock, and check the entrance door. Text both: “Visit done at [time]. Packages: [result]. Plants: [result]. Door locked. Anything left: [detail].”

Confirm home: Riley texts both on arrival. If no message arrives by Sunday at 7 p.m., Jordan calls Riley, then Casey. Casey follows up with Riley; further visits still need agreement.

Return keys: Both helpers hand keys to Riley on Monday at 6 p.m.; Riley confirms receipt. If that meeting changes, keep the keys until another handoff is agreed.

These chores can wait. A required care visit needs a confirmed replacement who can meet that need; “leave it until later” would not be a suitable fallback.

Adapt the decisions to your home

For each task, give a time, action, exact location, and limit. “Put the bins out” needs your collection day, the right cart, and the agreed spot. Write “none this trip” for jobs a helper might otherwise assume are included.

Choose the latest useful visit time, how long to wait over an access problem, which tasks can pause, and what the backup may decide or spend. Confirm that the backup accepts the role and has the access and supplies it requires. A fuller contact sheet can sit alongside the instructions.

Copy your blank weekend checklist

Copy this into a private note, or download the plain-text file. Keep the agreed tasks short enough to use during the visit.

YOUR WEEKEND HANDOVER

Home address / unit / entrance:
Away dates / expected return / time zone:
Owner / number / expected unavailable periods:
Helper / number / agreed visits and time windows:
Backup / number / role and availability confirmed:
Payment or expenses agreed, if any:
Private access arrangement tested by each helper / date:

TASKS: WHEN / ACTION / EXACT LOCATION / AMOUNT OR LIMIT
1.
2.
3.
Supplies and exact locations:
Not included / no action needed:

IF THE PLAN CHANGES
Cannot enter: contact order / wait limit / next step:
Late or missed visit: latest useful time / who covers:
No reply from owner or backup: what can wait / who follows up:
Backup may decide or spend:
Trip extended: owner arranges cover / helper accepts new dates:
Unresolved need before leaving / owner / due date:

FINISH EACH VISIT
Doors or windows to check / locking steps:
Report to / by when:
Visit time / completed tasks / anything left / locked:

CLOSE THE HANDOFF
Owner confirms home to / by when:
If return confirmation is missing, contact / next step:
Key return: person / place / time / receipt confirmed:
If key return changes, agreed next step:
Last updated / current copy held by:

Download the blank weekend checklist (.txt)

Keep access private and emergencies separate

Share the sheet only with those involved. Arrange access privately; leave passwords and door or alarm codes off it. Keep tasks within what you demonstrated and agreed. In the U.S., an immediate need for police, fire, or medical help takes priority over calling the owner: call 911, give the location, and follow the call-taker's instructions. See the National 911 Program's guidance.

Close the loop

Before departure, ask the helper to explain the failed-entry and unanswered-call plan. Correct any missing step. On returning, confirm that visits are finished, collect keys as agreed, and ask which instruction needs improving.

Sources and scope

The National 911 Program supports the U.S. emergency advice; NANPA confirms the fictional telephone range. Checked October 18, 2026. Use local emergency guidance elsewhere. This planning sheet is not a professional house-sitting agreement.