That does seem a little odd. It almost seems like it’s the daughters’ dogs and mom/dad are daytime dog watchers. lol!
I wouldn’t totally turn me off from the sit, but it definitely is an odd circumstance.
If I was considering the sit I would have a good chat with the HO about the circumstances surrounding the arrangement.
If it was in a desirable area it would give me more free time to explore.
I would also want to know if the dogs are familiar with the routine.
It wouldn’t suit every sitter but as we know from the forum we all have different expectations. Again communication is the key.
Id be OK with that, but I’d want to know what the drop-off arrangements were - I really dont want to meet other humans at 8am 
Happy with just pets and a cup of coffee, without any human interaction.
1 Like
Yes I agree
I think they look after the daughter’s dog while she works.
I looked for the sit again but it appears to have gone
I am on my first international sit & this is the HOs first sitter experience with THS. Their friends popped in to say hi and have a coffee with me. It was the middle of the day, I was sat working and they were unannounced. Yes this could have been rather annoying for me and made me feel like they don’t trust me, but i’m not that bothered. It was nice to sit and chat and they helped me with a door handle that fell off. I understand that HOs want to be reassured their home is still standing and their pets are safe. They are new to the site and I understand their concerns.
The sit I’m on now has had several people just pop in. It’s been tiresome because it’s a gated entrance but there is no intercom. They buzz and you’re supposed to then open the gate so they can come to the house. But I’m not opening the gate to anyone I’m not expecting so I walk down and meanwhile they buzz 2398472938749812837492384 times for me to let them in only for me to tell them the HO is not here. People just randomly popping in without prearrangement are rude and inconsiderate of other people’s time.
3 Likes
I’m okay with a visitor if I know it is happening.
On my current sit, the HO let me know that her son who was on the vacation with them was returning earlier and needed to stop in, collect some things and head to school.
She let me know when he was coming and he rang the doorbell - didn’t just use his key.
I’m fine with that.
And on a sit last Xmas, I was introduced to the near neighbors who arranged to bring their dog for a playdate and brought me half a meatloaf. Again, they didn’t just show up, but texted me in advance to be sure the timing was right.
2 Likes
This might be the case for you, but not to everyone.
Maybe there are HOs, who enjoy surprise visits and maybe the visitors don’t know that they are not at home and someone else is staying at the house?
I have no objections at all if people I know, just pop by and if I have time I invite them in for a coffee, but it’s perfectly alright with them if I don’t.
If you don’t want anybody ringing the bell, can’t you put a sticker to it, which says it’s broken, or do not disturb, or, simply turn it off. In our house this would be possible to do by turning off the fuse. I would ask the HO how to turn it off and explain that you don’t want to be disturbed when you work.
Of course it’s just my opinion. I never said otherwise. But I’m allowed to express personal opinions, am I not?
can’t you put a sticker to it, which says it’s broken, or do not disturb, or, simply turn it off.
Turning it off is not an option. I have asked the HO to let people know he’s not at home and to not stop by but people will be people.
If I know someone is coming, that’s fine. I’ve encouraged the HO to give people my whatsapp number to coordinate with me rather than just stopping by unannounced. I don’t know if he’s not doing that or they just aren’t bothering.
1 Like
You certainly may 
I just wanted to point out that the HO might be completely different. Maybe they simply don’t understand that you prefer to be left alone 
There are people, who you can tell a thousand times, but they don’t get it. Something like this makes me furious , because it feels like talking to a wall. I completely understand you, even if I don’t share the wanting to be left alone 
2 Likes
For this reason, I don’t answer the doorbell.
Just because someone rings the bell, it does not mean I have to go and answer the door. And every time, after they walked away, I see a person retreating with a clipboard or a handful of flyers.
If they don’t know the homeowner, or they don’t know that the homeowner is not home, it’s not up to me to explain the situation!
If they DO know the homeowner, AND they know the homeowner is not home, then they should not be stopping by on an unannounced visit.
2 Likes
I just finished a sit for a family that had a teenage daughter and son. During the sit, the HO sent a text and asked if the son’s girlfriend could stop by and “visit” the dogs. I didn’t realize THS had a policy on third-parties, so I reluctantly said yes. So the high-school aged girl came in, spent a few minutes with the dogs–snapping lots of pictures, etc. I was working in the office and wasn’t paying a lot of attention. But after she left, it occurred to me that perhaps she was asked by the HO to stop by and snap a few pictures to make sure everything was going well and that the dogs were in good hands. It may have been that she really liked the dogs, but it left me very uncomfortable for lots of reasons. Why did she have to take pictures? Now I know I can refuse requests like that and point to the code of conduct.
3 Likes
I’ve seen several listings that violate the code of conduct. Everything from "my college aged son will be still living in the house in the basement, to several airbnb chores that needed to be done by the sitter, the HO’s coming and going throughout the sit, administrative duties required. I believe these are all violations but still they are listed and still sitters apply. I even reported one but nothing was done about it. I see posts on here stating report to membership services. Anytime i have, it didn’t seem like anything was done about it.
3 Likes
Hi @MikeT, Welcome to the forum we’re glad to see you here. I am sorry to hear about this situation as it absolutely shouldn’t have happened and you had every right to feel uncomfortable. Yes in the future do let homeowners that have such request know that it’s a violation of their agreement.
1 Like
I wouldn’t be ok with pop-in visitors. I work virtually and I think often that’s one of the reasons I’m selected for sits - they know I’ll be there most of the time. But that means I am actually working, I can’t drop what I’m doing to chat with a friend or family member who just pops by unannounced. Before a sit I schedule my time around the needs of the pet, the things I plan to do in the area, and the work I need to do. I have enormous flexibility in planning my schedule, but I typically can’t change things at the last minute. I have a lot of meetings and many of those are scheduled a few weeks out to find a time that everyone is available. If someone just stops by I can’t just cancel. If someone rings the doorbell I’m not going to answer it. Actually, I wouldn’t answer the door to a stranger anyway. If someone is coming over I need to be expecting them.
4 Likes
@IHeartAnimals Thank you for being diligent and reporting these. I’m sorry to hear they were not followed up with.
We do have an internal listing channel where we place these and if you DM me any you see (the listing link) I will place them there and make sure the members are contacted.
I found two recently and the owners were contacted. I agree these types of things should not be on the platform.
It’s a shame when members do not read the terms properly before editing their listings, so we really appreciate when anyone in the community spots them 
Regarding pop-ins when we were starting out we did a super rural sit and there were no keys as they never locked the house in over 20 years… my husband came down to the kitchen in his boxer shorts early one morning and there putting the kettle on was a relative that popped by to welcome us and bring us some fresh eggs! 
We were their first sitters so had to update them about how things worked, it also taught us a lesson as new sitters, we now ask more questions!
2 Likes
We had someone mention this on the video chat. Oh is it ok if our neighbour pops in to check on things.
We politely declined as to us it shows a clear lack of trust in what you are selecting us to be doing. Totally unnecessary and intrusive because we send a lot of pictures and videos everyday on our sits.
It demonstrated that already we were starting on the back foot and should any other little things come up that I have to tell them they already think the worst.
They were first timers and I didn’t want to risk a negative interaction or being falsely accused of something as they didn’t start with trust.
On the other hand it really depends how someone means it. We’ve had HO say how their friend lives nearby and if we need anything feel free to pop over and they have told them we are sitting. In the end on that sit we became really good friends with the neighbour and it was lovely to have someone nearby. They popped over to say hi and it went from there. The difference was they were not being sent over for the specific reason of reporting back if we wash the dishes 
1 Like
On one of my sits, the HOs introduced me to their neighbor and a friend later came over to introduce herself. They must’ve thought I might feel lonely. They invited me out to a lecture and afternoon tea, and checked on me when I caught a bug. Very kind and I appreciated such gestures.
By contrast, if I felt as if people were being sent over to check up on me, or just popping in whenever they liked, I’d be irked. Not only would that potentially feel distrustful or intrusive, it would also get in the way of my telecommuting. I’d address that with the HOs in a neutral way and let them know that I wouldn’t answer the door if I was tied up. I might even put a note on the door that said: Please do not disturb telecommuter.
1 Like
This happened to me last week. I didnt answer the doorbell. Then the owner’s son opened the back gate to come in the back door which was open and I was standing in the kitchen. I wonder if he would have just let himself in if he hadn’t seen me.