What is background check?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
A background check is what a pet care service verifies about a sitter before they care for your pet and enter your home. It can cover identity, police verification, references, training and the sitter's home. Services differ widely, so ask what was checked. Petym verifies identity with PAN; police verification is not one of its stated checks.
Also called sitter verification, pet sitter background check, ID verification, vetted sitter.
Key facts
- The RSPCA suggests meeting a pet sitter before hiring, asking to see their criminal record (DBS) certificate, checking references and confirming their insurance. RSPCA
- The Income Tax Department's Verify Your PAN service lets a user confirm a PAN's status online, using the PAN, full name, date of birth and an OTP. Income Tax Department, Government of India (e-Filing portal)
- Delhi Police offers Domestic Help/Tenant Registration, a police clearance certificate and a character verification report as separate citizen services. Delhi Police
- England requires licensed home boarders to keep a register and a written emergency plan, and to be registered with a vet. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (UK)
What does "background-checked" usually mean?
There is no single standard. The phrase can mean anything from a phone number check to a full criminal record check, so the useful question is: which checks, exactly?
In the UK, the RSPCA tells owners to ask a sitter for their DBS certificate, the government's criminal record check. In India, verification of domestic help, tenants and employees is handled by state and city police; Delhi Police, for example, lists Domestic Help/Tenant Registration alongside a police clearance certificate and a character verification report.
Pet care platforms in India describe their checks in different ways: "verified", "vetted", "background-checked". Some check identity documents only; others add interviews, references or police verification. None of these words tells you what was checked unless the platform lists the checks. Look for a list, not a badge.
Which checks does Petym run before a sitter is listed?
Petym's stated checks, set before launch. A city opens only when its sitters have passed them. Police verification is not one of them.
| All sitters | Sitters who host pets at home | |
|---|---|---|
| Identity verified with PAN Income Tax Department, Government of India (e-Filing portal) | Yes | Yes |
| Pet first-aid training before the first booking RECOVER Initiative (Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 2026)study | Yes | Yes |
| A named 24-hour vet within reach | Yes | Yes |
| Video walk-through of the home by Petym | Not applicable | Yes |
| Housing society's permission for paid pet sitting | Not applicable | Yes |
| A pet limit for the home | Not applicable | Yes |
| Police verification Delhi Police | Not part of Petym's stated checks | Not part of Petym's stated checks |
PAN verification confirms who the sitter is; it is not a criminal record check.
What can you check yourself before booking any sitter?
Whatever a platform has checked, these steps are yours to take, and the RSPCA recommends most of them.
- Meet the sitter first, with your pet, before any booking. RSPCA
- Ask for references from other pet owners, and call them. RSPCA
- Ask what insurance or cover applies if something happens to your pet. RSPCA
- If police verification matters to you, ask the sitter whether they hold one, or ask your city police about their registration service. Delhi Police
- Ask about pet first-aid training and which 24-hour vet they would use. RECOVER Initiative (Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 2026)study
- Trust your instincts: if something feels wrong, do not book.
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Questions owners ask
Does Petym do police verification of sitters?
- No. Police verification is not part of Petym's stated checks. Petym verifies each sitter's identity with PAN and requires pet first-aid training and a named 24-hour vet; sitters who host pets also need a video walk-through of their home, housing society permission and a pet limit.
What does PAN verification prove?
- It confirms that a sitter's Permanent Account Number is valid and matches their name and date of birth, so you know who they are. The Income Tax Department runs an online Verify Your PAN service. It is an identity check, not a criminal record or police check.
How can I get a pet sitter police-verified in India?
- Police verification is run by state and city police. Delhi Police, for example, offers Domestic Help/Tenant Registration and a separate character verification report as citizen services. Check your own city police's website, and ask the sitter at the meet and greet whether they already hold one.
What should I ask a pet sitting service about its checks?
- Ask for the list: what was checked, how, and when. Words like verified or vetted mean little on their own. Ask whether identity, references, training, the sitter's home and police verification are included, and meet the sitter yourself before booking.
Keep reading
Related terms
More in services and booking
- Care sheetA care sheet is the written plan you leave for whoever looks after your pet: what and when it eats, walks and toilet routine, medicines and how to give them, habits and fears, and who to call, including your vet. Welfare bodies list these as the essentials. On Petym, the sitter follows your plan as written and logs each task.
- Daily photo updateA daily photo update is a photo of your pet, with a short note, that the sitter sends each day of a booking, so you can see your pet is fed, well and settled. The best updates are specific: food, walks, toilet, medicines and mood. On Petym, a daily photo update is sent every day of every booking.
- Doggy day careDoggy day care is daytime care for your dog while you work: you drop it off in the morning and collect it in the evening, with no overnight stay. The dog gets company, play, walks and rest instead of a long day alone. Good day care screens each dog first and keeps groups small.
- Drop-in visitA drop-in visit is when a pet sitter comes to your home, once or more a day, to feed your pet, refresh water, clean the litter tray or take the dog out, give medicines and spend time with it, then leaves. It suits cats and independent pets that are happier at home. On Petym, drop-in visits are paid per visit.
- Group dog walkA group dog walk is when one walker takes several dogs from different homes out together, instead of a solo walk with one dog. It can give sociable dogs company and exercise, but more dogs means less control near traffic and street dogs. As a benchmark, England's licensing guidance caps a day care walker at 6 dogs at once.
- Home boardingHome boarding means your pet stays in a sitter's own home while you are away, living as part of the household rather than in a kennel run. It suits sociable dogs that settle well in new places. Good sitters take few pets, meet each one first and keep its records. On Petym, every sitter's home is checked by video first.
- House sittingHouse sitting means someone lives in your home while you are away, looking after the house and often the pets. The arrangement is built around the home: security, plants, post. Pet sitting is built around the animal: its meals, walks, medicines and company. Many pet owners want both, which is what an overnight pet sitter staying in your home provides.
- Key handoverA key handover is the agreed way a pet sitter gets into your home: a key handed over, one left with a trusted neighbour or the society office, or a digital lock code. In a flat it also means telling the watchman the sitter is expected. Done well, it is planned, written down and reversed when the booking ends.
- Meet and greetA meet and greet is a short visit before any booking where the owner, the pet and the sitter meet. You see how the sitter handles your pet and ask questions; your pet learns the sitter's face and smell. Welfare bodies advise meeting a sitter before hiring. On Petym, the meet and greet is free, before the first booking.
- Overnight pet sittingOvernight pet sitting means a sitter stays in your home, including overnight, while you are away, so your pet keeps its own home, routine and company. It suits dogs that cannot be left alone, senior pets, pets on medicine and anxious animals. It is Petym's main service: the sitter follows your pet's plan and is paid by the day.
Keep exploring
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- RSPCA: Exploring pet sitting options (opens in a new tab)
- Income Tax Department, Government of India (e-Filing portal): Verify your PAN: user manual (opens in a new tab)
- Delhi Police: Citizen services: domestic help and tenant registration, police clearance certificate, character verification report (opens in a new tab)
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (UK): Home boarding for dogs licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities (updated 1 June 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- RECOVER Initiative (Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 2026): RECOVER guidelines: first aid for dogs and cats, clinical guidelines (opens in a new tab)