I have a sit scheduled and was just informed by the homeowners that they had a mechanical issue and the home flooded. They are in the process of getting it cleaned up and dehumidified. They said the guest room we were to stay in is not possible to stay in now, but they will arrange another room for us if we still want to stay there. They haven’t actually cancelled but based on the texts, they seem to be encouraging me to cancel. I’m not sure what to do. I have a lot of concerns since I don’t really know how bad it is and if it is even safe to stay there.
I would recommend you have a frank discussion, on the telephone or a video call preferably, with the owners and ask them outright if they still plan to go away as you’re concerned they might cancel.
The situation is that their house and underneath the house was flooded. It’s being cleaned but there will be large, loud dehumidifiers placed throughout the house that must be kept running throughout our stay. I’m concerned about the humidity, the noise, the possibility of mold and the fact that the room we were to stay in is now unhabitable and it’s not yet established where we will sleep, they are figuring that out. It does not really sound like an acceptable sit anymore.
If they want the sit cancelled and you want the sit cancelled due to this extraordinary circumstance I don’t think it matters who actually does the cancelling. There’s no consequences to cancelling in those cases (there’s not really consequences in any case.) So I’m not sure I understand the reluctance - are you not sure they want to cancel? It’s worth a phone / video discussion to tell them your concerns and ask them to cancel if for some reason you don’t want to.
Hi @systaran, you haven’t mentioned when the sit is actually to start - in a couple of days? a week? In any case, it can easily be a mutually agreed cancellation. As an owner, I would want to be at my home dealing with the damage and getting it sorted out as that’s more important than a holiday. As a sitter, you have voiced your legitimate concerns here. It would not be a healthy environment to undertake and it involves extra responsibility outside of what we do as sitters. Just communicate and say from both sides, cancellation would be the most appropriate thing to do.
I’m sorry you’re going through that, @systaran. It’s a hassle and disappointment for you, for sure. But it sounds like the HOs did the right thing by canceling. They’re not able to provide a healthy and habitable home for you right now. The potential for mold after flooding is a big deal.
Yes, it wasn’t their fault and they had to cancel. However, it’s going to be extremely expensive for me to replace 10 days in Switzerland with 4 days notice.
Hi @systaran we had exactly the same thing happen in the same country in November as we landed on the tarmac at Zurich . Our hosts lent us a car so we could drive into Germany for sits we managed to find for some nights. Could that happen?? FlixBus is also super cheap and has a good network if you can travel a bit into the countries bordering Switzerland. Working groups or voluntary WWOOFING options might also work for you to fill the gap. There are usually loads of Swiss sits but pretty sure you’re on the case with those already. Best of luck
Thanks for the suggestions. WWOOFING really isn’t an option because I work full-time. With the 5 limit it’s really difficult to find sits in Europe now. Right now the only sit showing for the dates I’m searching is for only 2 days and is really far away. It wouldn’t be worth the cost to get there for a 2 day sit.
You could try a Facebook group called Urlaub gegen Hand. It’s in German but I’m sure lots of people there understand English too. Lots of opportunity there including pet sitting.
Or hop on a Ryanair flight to a cheaper European country.
There is another Facebook group called Host a Sister actually, that might be an option if you’re female. I have found pet sits on there too or people who host travellers for free.
