We did pet/house sitting for a couple of years. Mostly it was good pets and good houses, but there were a couple of bad houses (off grid or not well maintained) and some pets that were a problem (little dog and to many cats) After a while you learn what questions to ask and what standards to set. We registered with https://www.housesittersamerica.com/ and https://theinternationalhousesitters.com/ There are others and they are all pretty much the same. As a sitter you pay a fee to be vetted and then can communicate with people that want a sitter. If you want a sitter it is generally free and only the vetted sitters can contact you--in theory. After a few sits you may get invited back without going through the web site and you may make some friends worth keeping.