If you have posted your dates such that the sitter and owner are going to spend the first or the last night in the house then this needs to be mentioned in the post. I understand the need for this - the owner is leaving early in the morning and coming back late in the night. Not all sitters are comfortable with having owners in the house while they are there. Many like their privacy. I was caught off-guard twice in the past month with this after I accepted the sit. I wish there was a check box that the owners could check while creating the posting.
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I’ve had this happen a few times. I now confirm the HO departure and return day/time during the video chat before confirming the sit so I can know upfront if there is an overlap. I feel like I’m in the way when I overlap with the HO.
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That is a good idea for allowing sitters who don’t want to do that to rule out the listing, which would save time on both sides if it is a true deal breaker.
And for hosts who aren’t including that initial overlap in their start date, they really should.
In my experience, the noted start date is often the actual date hosts are leaving --and the actual day the sitter needs to arrive-- and most will assume this when looking at the listings unless otherwise noted.
This means that they may get people applying who actually aren’t available, and can lead to wasted time on both sides. I am sure it is very disappointing for hosts especially to begin talking with a great potential sitter only to find out they actually can’t come when you need them.
And it could also mean missing out on more applicants. If interested sitters knew the hosts were not actually leaving on that date, and they could most likely arrive some time later in the day, those finishing up a sit earlier on, or are otherwise engaged, would want to apply.
I too think all this info is very important to include upfront, as well as having the start date reflect the actual day the sitter needs to be at the home.
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We have found that about 75% of the sits that we apply for in the western U.S states include the first day as the ‘meet and greet’ and the HO will leave the following morning. We actually prefer this because we travel house to house and try to line up sits back to back if we can. This also gives ample time to go over everything in the house, expectations, build a rapport, etc. We also always ask before the video chat or before we confirm when their departure time and arrival time back home will be. Have found this clears up a lot of issues down the line too.
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We are homeowners and sitters on THS.
When we advertise our sits, we do build in the date that we request the sitter to arrive. So if our listing shows a start date of August 10, for example, that is the day we hope the sitter can arrive for a late-day meal and brief home orientation.
We do it this way because we leave so crazy early the next morning that it’s comforting (for us) to have the sitter already under our roof, settled, fed, and when they arise, ready to rock and roll with our kitties.
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I agree this should be disclosed in advance. I was surprised by a lady not leaving till the following morning - I’d asked what time she wanted me to arrive but at that point hadn’t learned to ask what time they were leaving.
She was very nice but it was tiring as she chatted non-stop that evening after a long journey, and the next morning kept interrupting me while I was remote working (she had been informed I planned to do this but couldn’t grasp I was, you know, WORKING).
So now I ask their departure time too.
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I ask upfront about arrival and departure times and any overlap. I don’t know how anyone would accept a sit without doing that.
Across 17 sits, that’s never been an issue with my hosts, with the exception of two emergencies that couldn’t have been expected. Even then, no one surprised me — we communicated about when they’d return once the emergency had unfolded.
If a host were chatty while I telecommuted, I’d say something like, I’d love to chat, but I’ve got to get working and make myself scarce or put on some earbuds or AirPods. (The latter is the same sort of thing I’d do if a fellow passenger were too chatty on a plane.)
At one international sit, I had to jump into a Zoom mtg because of the time difference, so as soon as I arrived, I introduced myself and hurried to the guest room. They were kind enough to bring up tea and fixings while I did my mtg. We got acquainted later.
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Wow. Again newbie sitter here. This is a mess! Some say of course you need a meet & great or buffer day (what shall we call it? would be nice if we could all it the same thing) others say no way, I don’t want to overlap.
I guess different people have different preferences or needs but it definitely needs/would be very helpful for it to be clear in the posting when sitter is expected to arrive and when HO is leaving and the reverse on the return.
I have a guy that listed a posting on say July 31st. I was to be returning from a trip out of the country that day and all things perfect would be able to make that day but as air travel these days is rarely on time I asked if I could arrive on August 1st giving us a buffer in case my return was delayed a bit. He said yes. During this discussion I explained I would be making a 5 hour drive to get to his home. He said no problem, he had not booked flights and changed the start date to the 1st. He did not stay in touch with me so I reached out and asked if he had booked his flight and what time he would need to leave the house on the 1st. Yes he did book his flight and would be leaving the house at 7 am! Great! I am not going to drive at 1 am in the morning. How am I supposed to get into the house as well as the intro to the pet? The wife had shared that the dog is anxious and she would really like for me to get there ahead of time so they could make the intro so the dog would feel better.
Welcome any advice on all this.
Personally, I would drive to his area on July 31, stay in a hotel near his home, and arrive at his home very early on August 1.
Perhaps you should have thought this through a bit more? You could have stated that the earliest you could be there is August 1 at 1 pm (or something like that). Or asked if he could fly on August 2.
There are so many possibilities. We need to understand more about your particular situation. I assume you were flying in to your home town and could stay at your own home, but I could be wrong!
@Olive27 It sure seems like common sense to me!
Many Owners fail to fully think through the details of their exodus (and the Sitter’s arrival) until much closer to their day of departure.
It would be so nice if this was clear in every listing! Definitely a huge item to clarify during the video chat.
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I think this situation has to solved with a compromise from both sides. If they needed to introduce you to the pet in person then they need to make sure that they leave time for it.
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Thank you everyone for replying.
I have learned that I need to ask for their arrival-departure date/time before I confirm the sit! I had assumed that the start date is their departure date. Out of 15 sits that I have done so far in the western United States only twice was I caught by surprise. Thanks again.
We have done about 30 Sits (all of them in California) and have NEVER spent a night with the Owners. It has never even come up.
Maybe it is more of a southern thing? We have noticed in Texas and Arizona home owners invite us the night before for dinner and do a run-down of the household items. Then they leave early morning.
Something else to note is for more of the ‘remote’ homes or away from big cities, they have to leave early in the morning to get to the airport in time. Those typically have always invited us to stay the night before as well.
Not sure, but this seems to be prevalent at least in AZ/TX.
Sits where I’ve been invited at least a day ahead:
- Florida
- Washington state (two separate sits)
- Pennsylvania
- Scotland (arrived two days before the sit, at my host’s invitation)
- San Diego, California (arrived two days before the sit, at my hosts’ invitation)
- U.K.
- Separate U.K. sit (also invited to stay beyond my sit)
- San Francisco
In most cases, my hosts made dinner, ordered in or took me out. And I don’t do rural/remote sits.
For an upcoming sit, in Atlanta, Georgia, I’ve also been invited a day ahead, including dinner.
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@TracyRo
When we had a similar situation ( hosts departing at 6am on sit start date )
We advised them that we would not be able to get there until 1pm at the earliest because we had a four/five hour journey to the location . They suggested and arranged for a dog walker to walk the dogs in the morning.
Since we would not be having an in person handover , we requested a video tour/ of the home and handover chat with owners which was arranged for a couple of days before the sit start date .
You could do something similar
- advise ( don’t ask) the hosts of earliest time you can feasibly arrive on start date.
Allow them to come up with the solution for the handover - Maybe they have a trusted neighbour or family member who can greet you & introduce you to the dog .
-
Ask them for a virtual handover via video tour a couple of days before the sit start date to cover all the things that would be covered in an in person handover.
-
Arrange to pick up keys from a safe place ( key box / neighbour / hidden somewhere)
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It is different every time but it does not need to be a mess.
Once I took a hotel after I had met the HO and the pet, received the key etc. They would leave at 4 am or so, it was a family of four. Even if they would have had a spare bedroom I would not have wanted to be there that night. It was a four week stay, so that was worth it.
On several other occasions I had dinner with the HO, a walk with the dog, spent the night at their place, and they would leave in the morning.
Or I had a buffer by staying the last day of my travel in a town not too far away and then arriving around lunchtime or so.
So that requires some communication.
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I had HOs want me to come and stay for the entire weekend (arriving Friday) before their Sunday departure.
You are lucky. I am going to have to add this to the clarifications I need before I confirm the sit.
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Yes definitely a learning curve on my part. When I asked/explained if I could arrive on the 1st and would be making a 5 hr drive that pretty much to me means the earliest I could be there is Aug 1 at 1 pm (meaning a 7 am departure to drive and no stops or traffic) Clearly I should have called this out more specifically. No I am not arriving to my home town although I do have a place to stay that night. Part of the problem is the husband and wife do not seem to be on the same page. She wants the meet and greet, he could care less. I am learning a lot quickly 
A lot of people suggest grab a hotel. It was my intention when doing this to do sits back to back and not stay in hotels (due to cost). Maybe that is not realistic. I will just have to keep adjusting. Appreciate everyone’s input.
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