I’ve been bringing it up unprompted, especially when applying for sits in Europe. I know heating costs have skyrocketed for people there and I of course want to be mindful of that.
I did apply to one winter sit where the HO had requested that the sitter pay for heating used during their stay. As it was a small apartment, I felt okay with it. However upon follow-up, the HO had “no idea” how much paying for heating would cost me, couldn’t even give me an estimate or range. If I can’t budget for it, then no way am I going to take that gamble!
Some people do better than others. I’ve been sitting with TH since December in the SE United States. I don’t know if some owners weren’t raised right or just very disrespectful. Two owners didn’t even clean the toilet. Nothing. One new owner refused to make a welcome book or read to learn how this is done. But then there are those owners that are very good. It evens out. I want to go to the UK in 2023. May, June and July. I hope they’ll all be good! Safe travels everyone!
I agree with this completely. I don’t know that standards are falling necessarily, but they can vary from person to person. When I arrived at the sit I am currently in, it was not clean. I won’t go into details, but it took me a while to get it to a standard I found acceptable (I don’t believe I’m a stickler for cleanliness either). The HO, while very nice, is also more demanding than others I have experienced, in the sense that she has asked me to carry out non-house sitting related tasks (picking things up for her). It is fine but honestly, I do feel there is a disconnect between arriving to an unclean environment and being asked to do these tasks.
I’m half Spanish. I want to see where my other half descended from, Scottish/English. Plus see where my favorite shows were filmed! Vera, Doc Martin, Sherlock, Gavin and Stacey. Lol.
This is impossible to manage for anyone. Firstly my idea of a clean, tidy house differs from everyone else’s idea. It is subjective. There are thousands of pet sitters on this site with all different ideas of what is acceptable and what is not.
Secondly. I see this as a mutual exchange where THS sets up the listings and it’s up to all of us to choose each other. How on earth can THS dictate to pet owners the level of cleanliness expected. A small modern apartment is far easier to clean than a century old rambling house. A one person home is far easier than a home with multiply generations living in it.
Well personally for a few of my sits I wouldn’t say are standards falling but they’ve remained the same and gone slightly downhill. I have one recurring sit and the owner has never made space in the fridge (but this could partially be because HO has said use whatever you want/need - which i usually don’t or just an extreme minimum so it means the first thing I always have to do is rearrange the fridge contents. But “my “ wardrobe is the. storage space for all the excess bagage, clothes bags etc etc etc so I always hang my things on hangers on the outside of the wardrobe but the house is always nice and clean)
Another recurring sit I am still trying to think how I am going to say something as the HO is also a friend. Recently sat for them again and actually didn’t clean as much as I would have normally partially because the vacuum was having tantrums (a so-called but not so Smart vacuum cleaner). But i got the flu from one of them who had just come back from a business trip ( their partner also got the flu. So we all spent our time away, me in their house and they “on holiday” with fever, coughs and general malaise. But what got me was that they had literally walked out of the house and left it totally not vacuumed, the hob was just eeugh and the dishwasher was nearly full and needed their leaving breakfast stuff putting in, to be turned on and then of course emptied. (I actually don’t mind emptying a machine out as many sits leave early for flights etc and it can’t be expected that they get up extra early to do the last dishwash cycle.
I had another “special” sit with a handicapped cat that peed & pooed throughout the house but excepting that the house was spotless. (and as long as you walked through the house with the mop at the ready it was easy to stay on top of the kitty’s problem which was something that is clearly stated in her viewing so no complaining in hindsight as she lets you know what is wrong & what to expect. before you even accept.
And i do have sits where i can just walk in and walk away leaving it cleaner than when i came. In my younger days I was shortly a prof. cleaner in a very high class hotel so know many cleaning tips and where to clean that many wouldn’t even think about
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I think the heating issue is going to be a big problem, the costs in many places have sky rocketed. It’s probably something we need to discuss in more details now than we have before. It’s not nice being cold though.
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As of this autumn I now go everywhere - to sits and when traveling and stopping at airbnbs - with my king size electric blanket. We have just been to Scotland near Loch Lomond with a friend foraging for (edible) mushrooms, and the blanket was my saviour - I had a cold to start with, but had to go anyway, as the trip was booked since spring, all paid for, I was the designated driver etc.
I am also looking to order an electric throw over or gown to take with me as well - heat the person, not the space. Although, when it does get cold in the winter, I will be looking to switch heating on.
@ElsieDownie
We have found exactly the same. Everyone doing everything they can to make our stay comfortable. Lots of extras and so much appreciation! We love our THS community!
I’ve been a full time nomadic sitter for almost 5 years now and didn’t notice standards change. Never knew floors had to be mopped, first meal provided, milk… I’ve only come across that maybe 25% of the time. I’ve had several sits where I spent half day cleaning, and quarter of the sits with no place to put clothes. And I’ve done over 60 sits.
I don’t mind trash not being emptied or pills left by bedside. But when there’s no place to unpack, dirty bathrooms, and smelly pillows and comforters… I try to discern the owners’ standards without offending them.
On a recent sit, I had to deal with strong cigarette smell indoors and insects (earwigs were inside my pants that were on a drying rack) - I’m highly sensitive (and my profile says non-smoking) and allergic to insect bites and feces - never thought I would be dealing with this and now I will be asking future owners before agreeing to a sit.
Perhaps because this community has grown so much, higher chances of encountering lower standards.
As a new HO on THS I’d love to know where that prep guide is (and that may be part of the problem). Btwn what’s on forum and what’s on website I find the overall communications underwhelming (but I did mop my floor before I left).
