I have a request of all hosts looking for sitters and I know I am not alone in wishing for this;
When describing your home, PLEASE include how many bedrooms you have and/or how many you are willing to make available to sitters. I am always so stunned at so many listings that say so little about the home - sitters are coming to “live” there during your absence- please describe what we can expect.
PLEASE state where the pets sleep!
THANK YOU!
And what friggin time these pets expect breakfast! It was 4:30 a.m. today, usually 6… the 20# cats are on a “diet” and starving… that’s not what I signed up for, dang it. Grrrrr….
As a sitter, it also really helps to know in a homeowner’s listing, what time they walk their dogs. I’m not an early riser so having to walk a dog at 0600-0700 in the morning would be a sit I wouldn’t apply on 
If you ask about a pet’s daily routine, the host should share walk times, meal times, medication times, etc.
Yes make it clear where I will be sleeping .if it’s a guest room please think about a table lamp I read to get to sleep then I have to cross the room to put out ceiling light.then I’m wide awake again
I’d solve this with a book light. They’re available for less than $10 in various cases. Better to have that in your control, if you actually can’t sleep if a host doesn’t have a bedside lamp.
Not sure if that would help me cross the room in the dark to go to the toilet though.i have started taking a powerful small torch with me. Maybe ho could try sleeping in that room for a night .
Definitely recommend HO tries sleeping in the guest room for at least 1-2 nights. I’m currently on a long 6-week sit with several bedrooms, however, the only clean one (the host picked for me) is one with two very small twin beds. Both the host and myself are middle aged (not college students or parents with kids). A few sits back, the mattress was cloaked in heavy plastic, like from the manufacturing plant (not a mattress cover/protector), that made loud crackling noises every time I moved in the slightest. The room should have basic comforts where the sitter can rest and sleep well, so that they can wake up at 4am to feed and walk Mr. Fluffy haha 
Book lights would work fine for that. Or just use your phone — that’s what I do.
We travel with a couple night lights now.
Excellent suggestion. People underestimate the importance of a good nights sleep. Sleep deprived sitters are not going to be at their best.
This is why I started out by stating that I wish HOs would be very specific in how many bedrooms will be available to choose from. We have also encountered very uncomfortable designated “room for sitter” and European sized beds are much smaller than US beds and we often keep each other from sleeping and need a second room.
As a couple we simply won’t apply to sits with only one bedroom so I wish this was always disclosed in the home description.
And even when I am a solo sitter, I feel funny sleeping in the hosts own bedroom.
I always travel with a headlamp - small, easy, portable, and good for so many things (reading, walking pets or self in the dark, finding objects under furniture, etc.)
On my listing I have the guest room with photos and the bathroom with photos. I don’t show my photos or mention the master bedroom. Since I don’t list the master as available, would you think you could use the master?
Sorry but no. I make it clear I want a solo or couple. There is one bedroom available for sitters, and that’s all they need to know.
The problem is when I did include the number of bedrooms I got a slew of family applications or people wanting to bring their friend/family/whatever.
We have 4 bedrooms. One is a guest room for sitters. One is our master and we prefer no one else stays there.
The other two bedrooms have been repurposed to lounge/office space and there are no beds for sleeping at all.
So no, I don’t and won’t put out bedrooms because I don’t want to host families and they will not stop applying if they see 4 bedrooms.
I also state the bed size and type of bed, including measure bed dimensions in my listing. If it’s not suitable, fine, but that’s what is on offer. I refuse to detail and show photos on my entire home on a public site so sitters can pick and choose what they like before even applying.
And again, the bedroom on offer is detailed and showed clearly in the listing. The other rooms are not locked off but they are also not on offer for families or friends to stay in.
Funny sitters complain that they have to show a full size photo of themselves but some cheeky sitters expect homeowners to show every inch of their home? So sitters can choose? Um, nope. I’m clear what’s on offer. Please move on if you need more than one bedroom.
And again, in my listing I state my dog is up early as we are morning people.
Fine if it doesn’t work but don’t apply well for a sitter but there are other listings that will. I’m certainly not changing my life to accommodate a sitter.
Also, while I understand it’s best if it’s on the listing…sitters can also ask either on the applications or video chats?
I’m guessing when you ask you get declined. So decide how important it is to you. But please stop with the heavy handed ‘HO should do’ posts.
Sitters can and should ask questions too. It shouldn’t be such an imposition to ask in your application - it’s not clear which bedrooms are available to us. We were hoping for a queen size bed or larger. Can you elaborate on this?’
I agree with you. On my listing I state my dog needs a morning walk and late afternoon walk (smaller time frame) and list times too. I had a video call with a potential sitter. She didn’t want to walk my dog in the morning because she has yoga and wanted to know if she could just do one walk in the early afternoon and combine both walks. 
. Needless to say we didn’t select that sitter.
I try to be very detailed on my listing, without it being too long, but I still get sitters who don’t read it all the way through.
But I do read every word the sitter writes and read every review they receive plus the reviews they write for the HO, before I even schedule a video call.
I do understand people miss things here or there so I don’t mind an Innocent overlook for sure.
But honestly the OP rubbed me wrong by suggesting that if you have multiple bedrooms you need to specify it so they can choose.
Um, no way no how. I do state 2 stories and total square footage but I was asked the question either in an application or video chat of how many bedrooms, I would counter with why they were asking. And then it would come out, well, my sister/friend/barber was going to come with us…
So frustrating!!!
Seems reasonable to do as the OP asks: However many rooms you’re willing to make available, show those. That way presumably you get the widest pool of possible sitters, be they singles, couples, families or whatever.
And if you want only singles, couples or whatever, best to say so in the listing and save everyone time.
Personally, I sit solo and have been offered choices of multiple guest rooms, the master bedroom or a self-contained guest suite.