Hi! I’m a new pet owner to trusted housesitters. I’m going to be away for 2 weeks this summer but my husband may be at home for some / all of time I’m gone (depending on his work situation). Even if he is there, we’d need someone to walk the dog. So my question is, could a sitter(s) be in the flat the same time he is? We’ve got 2 double bedrooms, so the pet sitter would have their own double bed room. Thanks for advice! If it helps, we live in Edinburgh, Scotland.
No, that is against the THS regulations. Honestly, that would be an incredibly uncomfortable situation for most sitters also.
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This would violate the THS third party policy.
You should probably look into using a paid service in this instance as that will give you the freedoms needed.
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Welcome to the forum @Lottiemillar . It’s a great place to get answers to your questions.
The situation you describe is NOT suitable for a THS sit. There is a strict policy that no third party can stay in the home whilst the sitter is house-sitting. This includes family members , tenants or employees.
A paid dog walker would be an option to consider if your husband is unable to walk the dog.
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As others have said, this violates T&Cs. At most, you’d be allowed to have a bit of overlap at start/end of sits for a fully covered handover but third parties during course of an sit are a clear no. X
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Just to add to what others have said, yes it violates THS rules & regs, but it also has to be a win-win scenario. The sitter needs to get something out of it too given it is free, and they would be treading on toes if they were sharing the flat, so they wouldn’t be able to properly relax with your dog.
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Um, no. In addition to being a violation of the rules and regs, I can’t think of a situation that would more make me feel like uncompensated “hired help”. Not appropriate for THS.
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You should go to other sites like workaway or Facebook groups called “holidays against help”.
There you will find people who will help you 3 to 5 hours a day while you are there or not and they will love to help you for free accommodation.
With THS it’s different, it’s violating the rules if your husband would be there.
Edited to comply with Community Rules
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I applied for a sit and the pet owner said that their partner would also be at the apartment every night for dinner and sleep there. They wanted a sitter because the partner was away all day at work and couldn’t mind the dog. Against policy as well, but according to their reviews other sitters stayed and they weren’t the only ones in the apartment. There are rules and then there is reality… however, I politely declined…
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I think that was extremely cheeky tbh!
Hello @Lottiemillar and welcome.
@Silversitters and others are giving you a good perspective.
The senario you describe is not how THS works.
I will add that if you do have THsitters apply for dates, be VERY CLEAR about the arrangement.
More than likely you will not find a sitter BUT if you do, I would be very skeptical of that sitter, as THsitters should also abide by the T&C’S, and this arrangement with your husband is a hard no.
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I’ve seen a few of these and for me it’s a hard pass. Some people might go for it, especially if it’s in a good location. I saw one in London like this which seems to get a constant stream of sitters to help the guy out. There’s a risk you’d be reported but I think support would just tell you that you can’t have someone else in the house, not kick you off the site or anything. Your call if you want to give it a go! I wouldn’t report a sit like this unless they hadn’t been clear about it and I was actually doing the sit.
@Lottiemillar Welcome. THS does allow a slight overlap when the owners are present with the sitters for the handover and/return. For example, many owners prefer the sitter to arrive the day or night before they leave to do the handover, share a meal and they often offer to have the sitters stay over. They also sometimes want the sitter to stay over one night when they return, especially if they are returning late and have dogs. Even this should be discussed in advance. Good luck in finding a suitable option for your situation.
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@Southernsitter That is different. Then the HO does the sitter a favour, so that they do not need to pay for a hotel room.
I like to be invited for that. Some other sitters don’t and prefer their own accommodation between the handover and the beginning or the end of the sit.
@Lottiemillar To be honest, this is a need best served by a paid dog walker who comes and goes.
I’d be incredibly uncomfortable if a man I didn’t know was sleeping in the master bedroom while I was there. Even for an overlap night.
It’s also against THS TOS. We stay in your home with your pets when it’s otherwise unoccupied.
@pietkuip Yes. There is a difference, but since this person is brand new, I was just pointing out that the third party policy does have a few exceptions, but certainly not enough for the husband to be there other times than the handover /return. I actually enjoy staying over one night with my hosts to get to know them and the animals while they are there. For me, it makes it less transactional and more like friends. But I never take sits in one bedroom homes. Most of my hosts prefer us to leave prior to their arrival home, so that they can go back to their routine. But we mostly sit for cats, so it has not been a problem.
You could get a walker service, I’m sure there’ll be one….or a neighbour/friend?
You could try this request on other platforms, where they don’t restrict these types of overlaps.
FWIW, on Nomador, I heard from a host in NYC that if I ended up doing the sit, I could stay after their return, if I liked, and could bring a guest. They volunteered that and highlighted their CouchSurfing bio as their track record, since they’re new to Nomador as a host. Such sites can offer more flexibility, though they can be more iffy at the same time. A trade-off.
Everyone has their own comfort level and such, whether on THS or other sites. I’ve stayed before and after sits at hosts’ invitation, and I sit solo. That’s included overlapping for a night with a male host. I use my judgment about people, no matter their gender. YMMV.
Thanks everyone - that is very clear. As I said, am new here, so getting up to speed with how it works. Cheers
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When searching for sits there have been a couple listings that say a family member will be in the house during the sit… that’s a hard no for me. One of the sits looked great and it wasn’t until I read a sitters review that there was mention of a roommate being in the apartment for the whole stay yet there was no mention of a roommate in the listing.