I’ll keep this vague to respect confidentiality. Where do you think a sitter should sleep? Suppose they are provided with a bedroom. Suppose the bed is just too uncomfortable. Or suppose there is a noise from an aircon unit attached to the wall outside. And suppose they are happy to sleep on a couch (not a new one, one that pets sleep on and is relatively old) in another room? And suppose they are alternatively happy to sleep on the floor (imagine the carpet is soft enough) in this other room?
Can the sitter sleep wherever they like?
Or can the homeowner tell the sitter where to sleep?
How would they know if you sleep on the couch or floor? If you’re not sleeping in a specific bed(s) despite their having requested that you don’t, I wouldn’t bring it up.
I think that if an uncomfortable bed is in the guestroom with a noisy AC on the wall it could also be an option to ask the host, especially if there is another bedroom in the home. Many have not slept in their own guestroom and simply don’t know. This would depend somewhat on the host and the tone of your communication. But many hosts would be gutted if they knew their sitter couldn’t sleep well and that they didn’t get a chance to fix it.
Could it help to turn the mattress over? Sometimes mattresses have one softer and one harder side, or if it is worn on one side it could help to turn it. Is it an airmattress available - or a gym/ yogamat that could be helpful?
If it is only one bedroom I would just sleep on the couch as you suggest.
I agree with Maggie8k, unless it is said that you can’t use a room you can choose.
For the aircon - if it is in your home - could it be turned off during the night? We always do that. Make it go in the low 20°C in the evening and turn it off at bedtime. Then it is comfortable enough to sleep and no noise. Might not work in your climate - heat, humidity? so just an idea.
@housesitter421, we’ve come across this multiple times. Some beds are uncomfortable, small size, or have other undesirable features. One housesit had pet that slept with human and was problematic - my spouse & I gave up and slept in different rooms so that at least one of us slept. we learn and refine application criteria and video call questions.
Suggest use reasonable common sense. Sleeping on couch or floor seems wholly harmless - suggest don’t ask or fret, just do it.
Suggest consider duration of housesit. If extended duration then communicate with pet parent. Most people are reasonable.
Given that it is the owner’s home and the sitter is a guest, the owner can certainly tell the sitter what beds are available to them. In my home, for instance there is one bedroom. Per my listing the sitter can sleep there. If for some odd reason the sitter prefers to sleep on the pull out in the living room – or if there are two people not sharing the bed – that is also available.
As a sitter I’ve stayed at homes with more than one bedroom. Sometimes the homeowners have offered a choice of bedrooms, but if we’d agreed on one, or I was offered one, and then I found the bed to be uncomfortable, I’d ASK before moving beds.
I could easily imagine a host making up the guest bedroom for a sitter, and then coming back to find the sitter had decided to take the primary and that this either involved not changing the linens, or taking it upon themselves to wash the linens. Either way woud involve dealing with someone else’s personal stuff in a way that person didn’t consent to. If I were the host I’d be very creeped out by this behavior.
To me it’s no different than if I was invited to stay at someone’s home when they were going to be home. I might request a different room if i wasn’t comfortable with something, but I wouldn’t see it as my “right” to change rooms.
I would add that if you are going to be sleeping on the couch it probably makes sense to use a spare sheet or the sheet from the bed that you aren’t sleeping in so the couch doesn’t smell to much like you. My spouse actually wound up doing this once on a sit because the bed wasn’t very comfortable, But then we bought a compact inflatable matt for the bed and that solived the problem.
A lot of sets offer horrible choices of bedding. And I travel with my own pillow and a camping mattress that’s inflatable just in case. Sleep or you want but respect boundaries and off-limits rooms. When in Doubt contact the homeowner and be upfront especially if you have a bad back ask for options documented in writing and be respectful in case you need to pull in member support
Great question — and I appreciate your respectful approach in raising it.
In general, I think it comes down to mutual respect and communication. If a sitter is offered a dedicated bedroom, that’s usually the homeowner’s way of saying, “This is the space we’ve prepared for you.” However, if that space turns out to be genuinely uncomfortable — due to a bad mattress, noise issues, or other unexpected factors — then I believe the sitter has a right to adjust, within reason, for their own rest and well-being.
That said, it’s always best to communicate. A quick message to the homeowner along the lines of:
“Hey, just a heads-up — the bedroom’s a bit tricky for me due to the mattress/noise, so I’ve been sleeping on the couch/floor in the living room instead. It’s more comfortable, and I just wanted to let you know in case that’s an issue”
can go a long way in maintaining trust.
So no, a homeowner can’t dictate where someone must sleep, especially if their comfort or rest is compromised — but ideally, any change should be communicated out of respect for the space and the relationship.