Had a guy here a few weeks ago. Found he’d eaten all my bread from the freezer the morning I got back. Then I discovered he’d been up in the loft for no reason and had left the light on this whole time. Tin of beans gone from a box and hidden so the missing can wasn’t visible. Now I have just discovered he’s eaten a whole unopened jar of peanut butter and hidden it back on the shelf behind the other already opened one which I’ve just finished. So weird!
This kind of person should not be allowed on the platform - so little respect.
What do people think? This is not acceptable behaviour is it?
(edited by Forum team to clarify post title and to remove a statement which was speculation)
One of our lovely members will be along soon, and will be able to share advice, and some validation.
I did just want to confirm that I noticed that you’d been in touch with Membership Services already, and I’ve let them know you want to escalate your concerns around the sitter for investigation.
What conversations did you have around using food and access to various parts of the house? Everyone has different ideas of what’s acceptable and we all learn lessons from every sit that’s completed that teach us what to specify for future sits to avoid any disappointment on either side.
It’s an unfortunate situation and I’m sorry you had a negative experience. Have you already reviewed the sitter? If not, I encourage you to be honest but non-emotional in your review and mention any concerns that you had about your experience.
Hi @Snick
It sounds odd but what food did you offer him to use? HO’s have different idea’s of what if any food a sitter may use.
He shouldn’t have been in the loft without good reason.
(edited by Forum team to remove reference to speculation which was removed from the OP’s initial post)
Our last sitters, a couple, ate everything in the freezer. They also ate items in the refrigerator and left the containers so it would seem there still was food in them. I did tell the sitters they could help themselves to condiments, spices, pantry items. Now I did not state freezer items they could have, however I did state help themselves. They literally took it to heart. I don’t expect sitters to come and have their own condiments (including milk, bread, eggs, etc) and pantry items as they are traveling. THS states sitters must provide own food. This is a lesson learned.
I don’t mind sitters using a bit of oil or vinegar or flour or tea, the sort of thing you only need a bit of and wouldn’t want to get a big quantity of. But I live in central London with a costcutter five minutes away and I’m not a hotel - I’ve a nice flat that a lot of people would like to stay in, and I don’t expect them to help themselves to my food. I wouldn’t dream of helping myself to people’s unopened jars of peanut butter and then sticking them behind other opened jars of the same so I don’t find out till it’s too late. Buy your own! This recent experience is why I can’t really be bothered with the site any more. I’m trying home exchange instead …
Sounds odd but a tin of beans, a jar of peanut butter and some frozen bread doesn’t read like the crime of the century, honestly, it sounds a bit harsh asking for his removal from the site.
The food totaled up seems inexpensive. The hiding sounds strange.
Personally, I’ve been invited to eat food and use condiments on sits and rarely do. If there are perishables that can be frozen, I do, because the hosts can use them in smoothies, soups, sauces or such, or they can toss them on return.
I prefer to buy my own food.
Going where he shouldn’t have — if he was told it was off limits — isn’t cool. My current hosts have a three-story home and I’ve never been on one of the floors. They didn’t show it to me, so I figure I have no need to be there. And there’s a room with a closed door I’ve never tried, because again no need.
Odd that he hid some jars. Less of a huge issue that he used a few things you thought he shouldn’t have but hey, all hosts are different. Did you explain the yes/no do touch/don’t touch before you left? Getting him thrown off the site on this basis? Hardly! And not using THS at all in the future simply because the PB is AWOL & the loft has been opened (ask him why) seems way over the top. Home exchange has as many risks as THS it’s simply a different mechanism. #tarredwiththesamebrush
It sounds like your just upset that someone could do this stuff. Especially hiding an empty jar of peanut butter put back behind another to hide. I would definitely not do that. I mean he ate it might as well through it away. Its sad some sitters are actually doing this in homes. I dont think sitters should be looking in hiding places or places that dont concern the sit. So if you hid some beans in your bedroom closet then yes thats just not right. I dont believe anyone should be kicked of the site for eating a few things that are replaceable. I also dont think HOs should have to leave any basics for sitters such as bread,milk and eggs. Its sitters responsibility to buy their own food. I think if we need to use some ingredients that we need for a recipes like 1/2 cup flour, sugar, a cup of tea or 2. But not eating everything a HO has. As a sitter when a HO says to me help yourself, I take that as a kind gesture of you may use some things i have if your in a pinch . The way i was raised was tells me in moderation. So maybe HOs can now say you may help yourself, but in moderation. That word right there should be enough for a grown adult to understand. Or if HOs have to start putting it in your welcome guide. Something tells me this was a younger person who may be in that entitlement age.
Was the sitter told not to access the loft?
If not, you can’t hold that against them. And the light left on in the loft, you’ve no way to know how long it was left on, it could have been from just before he left.
As for a tin of beans and PB and bread–I don’t see how that warrants the sitter being exiled from THS.
It’s the hiding of empties, the using up of stuff but not telling me so I don’t find out till I’m wanting to use it, the general carelessness, the fact he didn’t give a s—- enough to just go and buy replacements at the shop five minutes away, the leaving of the attic light on for five weeks till I went up there and actually come to that, every other cupboard had been opened and left ajar. I just don’t want this kind of person in my home. It’s all about respect. If you couldn’t care less about any of this, then fine. But I think it’s sloppy and yes I do feel like venting - and if I were a Housesitter I would not be so thankless.
I’d hope the majority of us sitters wouldn’t do the things your sitter did. I also believe the vast majority of us are mature, responsible, and reliable.
But again, I don’t think any of this sitters actions equals removal from the THS platform as a sitter.
That’s what your impartial and non-emotional review is for, to advise other HOs of what actions concerned you while the sitter was at your house.
The point is I left him an ok review but he left time bombs so I keep discovering new things - last week the attic light, today the peanut butter. The extent of the slobbery had not become apparent when I wrote it
I realise he’s given male sitters a bad name. I’ve had much better experience with women and if I come back to this site I’ll only use female sitters or couples. Sorry lads!
I think the bigger picture is why they were in the loft and where else did they look where they had no need to be?
The site is better off without people like that on it in my opinion, how could anybody really trust them?
I WOULD BE UPSET ABOUT THIS ALSO. IF A PERSON WOULD STEAL BREAD, PB. & BEANS, & THEN LET YOU KNOW BY PUTTING THE JAR BACK. HE IS REALLY SAYING TO YOU “I GOT AWAY WITH THIS & YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT NOW”. THE SAME AS FOR THE LIGHT. DON’T GO INTO THE LOFT, SO HE LEAVES THE LIGHT ON TO LET THE H.O. KNOW HE CAN DO AS HE PLEASES. THIS SITTER CAN’T BE TRUSTED BECAUSE HE WILL DO AS HE PLEASES IMO. WHAT ELSE WOULD HE TAKE THAT YOU MIGHT NOT NOTICE UNTIL SOMETIME LATER. IF HE WAS A HONEST PERSON HE WOULD HAVE REPLACED THE ITEMS OR PUT MONEY & A NOTE ON THE TABLE SAYING WHAT THE MONEY WAS FOR. DOES THS REALLY NEED PEOPLE LIKE THIS? DO OTHER PEOPLE WANT THIS PERSON IN THEIR HOME?
