Someone’s post made me think of this button I bought for a friend 
. I saw past posts on red flags from a Sitter POV towards HOs. I’m interested in the other way around. As a HO, what are some Bad Habits & Red Flags you have seen/experienced from a sitter/applicant? Thankfully I only have only seen bad habits from renters in my casita (free standing in my yard) so I will share that. I call them the “Dirty Sailors”. They are lovely, kind people, respectfully quiet and stay to themselves, do so much volunteer work for animals (remote free veterinary care to less fortunate communites), are are reliable payers BUT they are soooo dirty!!! They live by “boaters rules” as they are sailors part-time, as evidenced by the REALLY yellow ring in the toilet that indicated they dont flush pee each time, after only 11 nights I was astonished how dirty the toilet was The stove top was crusty with food, crumbs all over the floor, fridge with condiments spewed. This occurs every.single.time they stay. They pay the cleaning fee so I continue to rent to them, at a discount I might add since I am an animal lover and appreciate their efforts to help the helpless.
Bad habits? The only one I see consistently is leaving the screen door open to the backyard. I do cover this is the house rules but sitters seem to just leave it open and go in and out. Only issue is it lets flies into the house and I spend a couple of days swatting them dead after we return 
Red flags that I’ve learned to look for in prior reviews, especially reviews they have left for other homeowners: mentions of luxury bedding/towels, toiletries “…and they had the most amazing million thread count luxury brand bedding, so ah-may-zing”…any mention of that and I decline. I will never please them with my Costco bedding and towels. Also sitters who only take sits in urban, upscale areas, or only have cat sits in their reviews…and then apply to mine … not a decline but a red flag and I do ask why they applied as it doesn’t fit their pattern.
Red flags are tricky because they can be subtle. I usually pay close attention to how quickly someone responds and how detailed their instructions are. If things feel vague from the start, it’s often better to just move on.
Aren’t red flags the warning signs BEFORE a sitting, rather than stuff that happens during a sitting.m? Red flags to me when I was previously a HO with equines were mostly around knowledge gaps or general lack of organisational or communication skills. Vagueness and lack of commitment are surely the big red flags for any HO apart from poor Reviews or no Reviews (Amber flag).
For me, red flags include listings that focus on the host and their pet and home care needs, without written signs of reciprocity, hospitality, thoughtfulness and such for sitters. You can tell by content and tone, as well as in how they’re reviewed or not.
I’ve also avoided listings that sound like job ads.
Plus, I look for signs of cleanliness, not only in the listing and photos, but I also want to see specific written references to the home’s cleanliness by past sitters. Star ratings aren’t enough, because some sitters gloss things over with those. But they’re much less likely to lie in writing about cleanliness.
Personally, I won’t bother with such listings/hosts to begin with.
I also consider it a red flag if hosts can’t or won’t provide specific departure and return times for their travel. Likewise, if they can’t or won’t provide welcome guide info (doesn’t matter in which format or platform). I let them know during our video chat that I will make travel arrangements after they send me both. That’s to incentivize them to share such promptly.
I’ve had only one dirty sit home, and that was only in the kitchen and dining area. It was tidy, but grimy from years of buildup. That immediately taught me to look for cleanliness references in written reviews when choosing other sits. I’ve encountered no such problems since with dirty homes.
I also tend to do in-person handoffs, so if I end up at a dirty home or am otherwise significantly unpleasantly surprised, I can leave before the host does. That way, they can’t bait and switch me into sitting, and because they’ve not left yet, I’m not abandoning their pets without care.
Red flags are different for everyone!
If someone mentiones cleanliness or being house proud more than once in their listing, we are out. I dont want to stress about it- ill probably leave your house cleaner than when we arrived but anyone who mentions it loads is probably going to be looking for missed crumbs.
Pets that cant be left for 2 hrs unless there is a specific reason given.
And most importantly , the vibe i get from the call. Luckily i have never had this in relation to housesitting but if i felt no connection that would be the end of it.
Oh and the eternal first photo is a toilet issue- Its not hard to check it on your profile.
Further down the line, if ppl dont send the welcome guide or dont respond to messages it makes me twitxhy. even if a sit is agreed months in advance its simple to say lets check in a month before etc.
I’ve been staring at a sit for days. All the previous sitters have raved about it. But one docked a star for cleanliness. No mention of the reason in her blurb and the house looks fine. But that star-shaped hole is giving me pause and I probably won’t apply..
I would apply and then ask the HO about that missing star. It could be something inconsequential. I recall one sitter getting docked because they hadn’t correctly placed sofa cushions or some such nonsense.
this is a gem!! thanks for the idea for my future Sit endeavors.
I just received an application from a sitter who had great reviews but one had a star deducted for clean and tidy, then the HO said in the review it was actually their fault but deducted the star anyway. WTH. Needless to say, I ignored it.
Please send me a list of those HOs 
As a sitter I’ve stayed in mansions with private guest suites and on homeowners worn out mattresses and much-washed sheets. I’m going to mention unique and fun facts about sits in reviews which means I might mention the luxury settings if they existed, or the mass transit options if they existed, or whatever other "positives’ that might not be apparent from the listing which I think other sitters should know. It does NOT mean that I’m only interested in sits that have those features.
I would think that if you are honest in your home description, have great reviews, and non-photoshopped images, then sitters who apply are applying because they want your sit, not because they are expecting to be in the lap of luxury.
If a sitter had great reviews on pet care, cleanliness, reliability etc, and applied to my sit, I wouldn’t turn them down because I was afraid I didn’t meet their standard.
That said, I try to e as clear as I can about my modest home and always discuss specifics on chats. There are a few sitters who have declined my sit after applying because the neighborhood or amenities weren’t going to work for them. Sometimes I can suss that out there could be an issue, but if the sitter sounds good, I might try to see if there is an issue before setting up a chat.
It’s good to be cautious. Despite the raving multiple 5 star reviews, that 1 docked star on cleanliness could be the tip of the iceberg, and a sitter may be stuck with a host that doesn’t keep the place spotless.
One of the problems is, some sitters and hosts lie or misrepresent in their reviews. So while only one review is missing a star, maybe multiple five-star reviews were inaccurate.
Personally, I’d rather not risk an unclean sit. Everyone has their own priorities and preferences, of course.
That’s all fine but still a hard pass for me.