I’m wondering how common this is? First sit, everything seemed ok online. Very good reviews, photos looked ok, but then when I arrived, the house was pretty grubby and messy. No space in fridge for any of my stuff, dirty bathroom, messy cupboards, scabby bed linen(thankfully I brought my own in case of this problem). I’ve spent my first couple of days cleaning and sorting out cupboards……. I know everyone has different standards, but the reviews gave it 5 stars for cleanliness! Wondering if sitters are too scared to be honest? I’ve got another 11 days to go and really regretting my decision to explore house sitting. Doubt I’ll do it again because of this. Has anyone else done one sit, and then never again?
6 Likes
Hi @mediumbird. I am very sorry that you are having this less-than-satisfactory experience. You may get replies from some who also had rough starts. However, I think those who quit after a single sit are unlikely to be on this forum. I hope you decide to persevere. It can be great.
13 Likes
You sorted out someone else’s cupboards!
That’s a definite no. It doesn’t matter how messy they are that’s the way the householder has their cupboards and sitters don’t reorganise. Yes, scrub the work tops, floor, fridge, freezer, cooker, microwave. Vacuum the chairs, sofas and carpets. Get the shower and toilet up to your own standards but don’t touch the cupboards.
Being disappointed at the cleanliness of a sit is a downer. I always study the pictures on the listing, zooming in. If the house holder can’t be bothered to tidy or clean for public pictures you’re going to be staying in a **** hole. If a sitter is in any doubt maybe ask for a show round on the video call.
We all have different standards on almost everything. I may think somewhere is ok. Another sitter may call it immaculate. And a third thinks it’s filthy. The reviews can only reflect how that sitter sees it.
Hopefully your second sit will be far better. Good luck.
9 Likes
I’m so sorry, as hosts and fellow sitters, that is not the norm. I’d photograph everything and submit the images of how the place is along with what they put in their listing to THS.
I suggest reaching out with said images to THS asap and if it’s that bad, I’d look at my options.
-
I went back and read that you cleaned… be very honest in your review and for the sake of them not lying in retaliation, I would send images of before and after to THS.
Most sits are actually phenomenal. I hope you can experience that. For the future (if you choose to give it another go) always vet reviews for the place, the sitters, and how pet parents have responded to sitters, etc.., as you’ll get a better Pic of what you’re heading into.
7 Likes
I only sorted out the cupboard that had the cleaning products in, as they were all thrown in, and piled up, so I couldn’t actually see what was there!! I also had to sort out a freezer drawer so there was space for me to fit in a couple of things….Was I wrong to do both things? Weird if that’s the case. Are sitters just supposed to accept that sort of thing?
10 Likes
When I was young and naive I thought I was doing the householder a good turn by sorting out their freezer ( I couldn’t get my stuff in, a bag of chips and frozen peas). I also sorted out their spice, oil and cooking ingredients. You would have thought I’d redecorated! Now, I ask for freezer and refrigerator space and leave the rest. Lesson learnt.
6 Likes
Hi @mediumbird
I’m so sorry to hear that your first sit hasn’t been the experience you were hoping for.
I thought I’d mention that our Code of Conduct states the following for owners:
I’d always recommend reaching out to Membership Services if you have any concerns about a home you stay in.
I really hope that this was a one-off and that you have the chance to experience some lovely sits in the future.
Jenny
9 Likes
No. You needed to do those things to see what cleaning supplies were available and to make freezer space for yourself. Perfectly fine IMHO. Also according to THS, they were to make space available for your groceries.
11 Likes
Hi @mediumbird, I’m sorry your first sit has turned out like this .
Cleaning standards do vary a lot though. On one of our recent sits the owner told us they’d spent days cleaning for our arrival, but it still didn’t feel clean enough to us, so we’ve done extra cleaning as well. The cupboard handles felt sticky, the stove top had burnt food residue, the cutlery drawer was full of crumbs etc.
The good news, as frustrating as it is, is that you really only have to do that deep clean once: once the house is at a standard you’re happy with, you don’t need to clean again at the end beyond leaving it in that same condition.
When the sit ends, leaving a calm but honest review about the cleanliness and the extra work you did will really help future sitters and might encourage the owner to raise their standards. Please do not leave 5 stars for cleaninines, that will be a disservice to the community.
Many long‑term sitters had at least one disappointing early sit but then went on to have lots of great ones, so if you have the energy, it might still be worth trying again with a carefully vetted listing and clearer questions about cleanliness next time.
7 Likes
I have had a couple of sits where I was tempted to reorganise the entire kitchen. Just too much stuff! I usually move a few things to make a shelf or drawer for our stuff and put theirs back when we leave. Now that I am home I reorganised my own kitchen and am keeping the food stock much leaner. All my hosts have been lovely people but all had very full kitchens.
3 Likes
Hi @mediumbird
We’re sorry your first sit has been such a disappointment — that’s a rough way to start.
For what it’s worth, we’ve been full-time house and pet sitting for 14 years (155+ sits), and this hasn’t been our experience overall. We’ve had one truly awful sit in all that time.
Our personal approach has always been:
• We always clean on the way out
• Occasionally (not often) we need to do some cleaning on the way in
• If it’s manageable, we do it and get on with the sit
• If it’s not, we’d raise it politely with the owner
Reviews can be subjective, and sometimes standards don’t align — especially early on when you’re still learning what questions to ask before accepting a sit.
This may not be the right fit for you, but one bad sit doesn’t necessarily reflect house sitting as a whole.
3 Likes
I am sorry to hear your first experience did not go well…I know that can be very discouraging. Like someone else said, anyone who stopped sitting after a bad first experience probably wouldn’t be around the forum.
I started housesitting in 2014 and I can honestly say that I think these sorts of situations are not the norm. From my own experience, I find that pictures are fairly accurate in assessing the cleanliness of a home, though of course, it is possible for a place to not look as clean as it may.
I have had some experiences where the house didn’t look as clean as in the pictures, but they were not truly dirty by any means. The vast majority of houses we stay in are extremely clean so this is my basis of comparison. I like a really clean space so in these instances, I would do whatever I felt I needed to do to get it to my comfort level, which was never anything too involved.
Anytime I see something in photos that I believe would increase the likelihood of the house not being super clean I pass on applying. I may or may not be accurate in my assessment, but with all the sits available, I am comfortable with the possibility of being wrong sometimes. And even if the house was clean, there are usually other elements of the house that aren’t appealing to me anyway, and would negatively affect my comfort in the home, such as having a lot of clutter
You might also feel more confident, at least for now, in only opting for sits where reviews explicitly mention the cleanliness of the home. When it comes to sitter reviews, as life in general, I find that while people may blatantly omit certain information, they would be less inclined to outright say something that wasn’t true.
So when sitters explicitly mention a positive attribute of the sit, such as the house being really clean, I am inclined to think those statements are true. I always make a point to specifically mention the cleanliness of the house in my reviews. Of course there are no guarantees, but again, I think this can be a helpful strategy for the most part.
Again, sorry this happened but I would say don’t let it discourage you from continuing on.
6 Likes
My 1st sit was pretty disappointing/off putting. It made me think twice. However I used it to tighten up my own profile- I added a sentence about not doing homes that made me think ‘yuk!’ and included a photo of our home to indicate our own style of living (meticulously clean, fastidious). If this puts off some or even many HOs then GOOD! It means only HOs confident in their home and habits consider us.
5 Likes
That sounds like a plan! I’m a a very tidy and clean person, so this state of clutter and uncleanliness is not for me! Not helped by having to wipe the condensation of the windows this morning as the house is damp. Ho hum
2 Likes
Often I think the Home Owners Home and pets are an upgrade ! I honestly like being away from home! It’s very interesting to see the differences and learn from these about managing my own place and future pet care should I go down that path.
I do several repeat sits because I also like my time with the owners..
Vibes of “ The Talented Mr Ripley” ? No I don’t envy people’s places pets or professions. I like trying things on in the sense of taking the reins for a while. I always like handing back too.
I enjoy the novelty of new situations and the pleasure of happy returns to sits I’ve enjoyed. It’s a very rich mix.
I also find it enhances my own return home, to appreciate what I have and why I choose to make the choices I do.
I’ve made mistakes and chosen not to return to some places but there is always something positive to garner from every sit.
Some people struggle to manage and being able to help and offer suggestions for strategies to try is also something that I enjoy offering. It’s easy to judge. I have had pets and certain cleaning standards may drop as a result.. maybe why hairless dogs and cats are becoming more popular lol!
I feel privileged to be chosen and enjoy an exchange of ideas, experiences and values.
For me the welfare of the pets come first.
As I age, and my vision deteriorates , I probably have become a little more tolerant of dust and dirt , without consciously realizing it. I’ve never had the experience that a house was so dire it spoilt my stay.. perhaps that’s why.
I do choose “carefully” but a super clean place isn’t number one on my list. The opportunity of caring for certain pets in certain places for certain periods of time mean much more to me. I will also travel far and at my expense to stay somewhere with lovely friendly welcoming and appreciative hosts! Win win!
2 Likes
Vision and cleanliness is a big thing. I always used to clean madly before my mother in law came to stay. She would take cutlery out of the drawer and wash before use. Then I started to discover dirty cutlery in the drawer and realised she could no longer see as well as she thought. I stopped madly cleaning after that safe in the knowledge she could no longer see dusty skirting boards 
8 Likes
Yes, reviews can be charitable. And first sits are not the best. I have about 40 sits now and have a holiday sit in a 6 bed, 7 bath house, near the ocean in southern Cal. And there are cleaners that come every week. the dogs are pretty easy, doggie door and one is pretty old so he doesn’t walk far. Worst thing that happened, is that we were bbq chicken, made cornbread and left it not far enough back on the counter and the younger of the two old dogs was able to grab it and eat it as an appetizer. Then I had to clean the crumbs and mess she made.
And I was more charitable on cleaniness on past houses. Mostly because I was more inexperienced and was not truthful enough. I think that happens alot with inexperienced sitters. Feeling sorry for the pets if you lower the stars too much and they can’t get sitters.
2 Likes
My adult daughter and I have had this conversation about what’s “too much/weird” to clean in these cases. Her cutoff point is much more restrictive than mine. Like you, if I have to get into or use that space or those items pretty regularly, I clean & sort it such that it’s useable.
That said, it can be a tricky situation. All my hosts have seemed happy with what I’ve done & how I left the house, comments in reviews regularly note the home was cleaner than they left it…but some things are a tough call. I stay away from cleaning personal spaces, closets & drawers I’m not storing things in, & try to clean such that it doesn’t seem like a rebuke of the homeowner while still ensuring I’m comfortable during the sit.
As to whether this situation is common: not necessarily, and everyone’s standards & tolerance is different. I do try to stick with more “mature” homeowners or empty nesters; it’s not iron-clad by any means, but the standards have proven to be higher in those homes, in my own personal experience.
If I do have to clean at the start of a sit, I think of it as giving the busy homeowner a gift in exchange for their hospitality — and so far it seems like they take it as such, as well.
1 Like
The unfortunate side effect of giving false positive reviews for sitters is that hosts like me, who join a platform like this, until they realize that reviews must not be taken at face value, may end up with a poor sitter (as we did) despite a stellar 5 star review record from hosts who either feel as you do, or for other reasons that are more self serving in nature.
1 Like
You learn to be really, really picky about the photos in the listing. You have to zoom in. Big red flags for me are not enough photos, not clear and bright photos, ANY clutter in the photos, anything that feels like this is THEIR definition of “neat and tidy” but is not mine. For example, if there are things on the bathroom vanity, a towel hung up on the shower rod, stuff on the bedroom floor, bed not really well made, etc. If it doesn’t basically look like they are expecting company, then it’s a red flag.
One of my first sits was a small apartment where the freezer was SO packed I could not put even one item in it of my own. Fridge had not been cleaned in months and little space for my stuff as well. After this I learned to be much more discerning as I looked at listings. Obviously you aren’t going to see photos of the inside of a fridge or freezer but there are other things you can learn to look for. I always imagine that people take photos of their home looking what THEY think is the absolute best condition. This tells me a lot.
And yes, sadly, sitters are often less than honest in their reviews. It is very frustrating for those of us who rely on those reviews to make our decisions.
I would say MOST homes match the photos. But you have to really look at the photos and if there are not enough photos you have to ask for more or take a pass. It makes me nuts when listings are missing photos.
3 Likes