@temba What’s a doona?
Tis what I call a warm bed covering to keep me cozy in winter 
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@Colin You may call it a duvet but thanks to @TheMapleKiwi who has given a link to duvet, doona or quilt.
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I have a sit which has become an annual repeat sit of a month, which I originally took because it is close to a very dear friend who is now too disabled to visit me. (I live 1200 miles away). The lovely HO said that it was fine for my friend and her husband to visit, and now my friends and the HO are friends!
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As an owner I would welcome the sitter bringing someone over for a visit or even overnight(s) provided we’d discussed it beforehand and I agreed. My pets are friendly with all humans and wouldn’t mind the additional interaction, though some pets are less tolerant.
As a sitter I’ve been pleased when an owner has agreed to allow a friend of family member to visit (for the day or overnight). I’m often traveling to a location where family or friends reside and I enjoy the chance to visit with them while attending to my responsibilities as a house/pet sitter.
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I have had 2 houses sitters who have had people stay over, one didn’t say anything but a baby bottle was found under xmas tree, I didn’t mind and said so as she was able to tell me our girls were fine with the baby, something we wasn’t sure about. Another couple who did say snd I was again fine with it both times the house was left as we left it and it caused no problems.
I am just wondering if other owners have had applicants ask to have other guests stay during their proposed sit. I have sometimes agreed for the odd day, but recently I posted for a 3 week sit and got chatting to the applicant and was about to invite when the question came up. The applicant was asking if her daughter could also stay for the full duration. This would mean extra bedding etc. I asked if her daughter was a member of THS and so covered by the insurance and the applicant then just withdrew her application with no further communication, which was rather rude I felt. I have read between the lines of some reviews where the Owners say that they were told about visitors stay, we’re they not asked beforehand. This was for the same sitter by the way.
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Hello @Debjm59 and I’m sure you’ll get some good feedback from other other members on this topic so I’ll keep my response brief.
At the end of the day it’s a personal choice for both owners and sitters to discuss before confirming a sit. As sitters ourselves, we personally prefer not to have others stay with us because for me it’s another level of responsibility, but you’ll find other sitters who successfully do this with approval and acceptance of owners. But it should always be discussed and the sitters should ask before, and not as you mention invite guests without the approval of the owners.
There is another thread on this topic which provides some good reading and different perspectives.
All the best, Vanessa
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Hi Vanessa. I don’t usually allow sitters to invite guests to say overnight. I have agreed once provided that the guest had insurance. I am always happy for sitters to invite a few guests over for tea etc, but I really don’t feel comfortable with other guests that I know nothing about also staying over. If it is a family then they should make that clear from the start I feel. I am not sure how other sitters feel.
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That’s the most we’ve ever done… a tea in the garden or lunch with approval but rarely - I prefer to meet in a cafe or restaurant 
Hope you get some other feedback
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Hi @Debjm59 I have never asked for anyone to stay over, or even stay for any length of time. I once had friends come into the home, but merely when they were picking me up and we went to a restaurant.
I do think it’s reasonable to ask if someone can visit for a social visit for a couple of hours for a chat, especially if it’s a long sit, and even more so for those of us who sit solo. Even then, I would only do so with the permission of the homeowner. Overall though, I’d just feel more comfortable and respectful visiting outside of the home.
I would not ask for anyone to stay overnight. Again, out of respect as I don’t want to put a homeowner in any uncomfortable position.
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We sit in a town about 45 minutes from my son. We asked the homeowner if we could invite him over for cookouts/dinner a couple of times while they were gone. We didn’t ask for him to stay the night - just to come over for a few hours. Usually we would meet him for a hike and take the dog with us, or meet at a restaurant, but he missed Mom’s home cooking and doesn’t have a grill.
They agreed, but did mention that they usually don’t like others visiting. They live in a desirable area where sitters seems to know someone who lives nearby, so they could have visitors over all the time. We are a mature couple with an adult son, so they assessed the situation and felt it was ok. No unruly parties or neglecting the duties of caring for the animal.
I recently signed up as a homeowner, and expect to have a policy of no visitors. However, I would consider it on a case-by-case basis, assessing the individual situation and then deciding.
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We’ve never asked to have anyone stay over. We have had a repeat sit in a community where my daughter and her family live and the homeowners, who also have grandchildren, have mentioned that we could have the kids spend the night but I don’t feel comfortable with that. We did get an additional sit in the area as well, this time for a young family. They also told me that the kids were welcome to spend the night. We decided that they could come over for a few afternoons to play and have lunch but no sleepovers. I’m very cautious when it comes to other people’s pets and property. It’s enough that I have to keep an eye on my husband, let alone my grandkids!!!
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Thank you for all of your replies and it s heartening that you would not ask or expect to have additional guests joining you overnight during your house sit. I have not yet heard from any owners yet to hear if they might have been asked.
I sometimes have my 9year old cousin join me on local sits. I help my uncle as much as I can so he can work weekends. However its discussed with the HO at the start or even in my application details If I know i’ve committed to having Lily over the dates listed. There is a pic of her on my profile and I would never just have her or anyone else join me without checking with the HO first.
I was on a 3 months local sit & had relatives come for lunch, I messaged the HO checking they were ok with it.
Its a good question to ask at the qualifying stage.
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As a older woman on my own I sometimes ask sometimes don’t just depends.I would never be offended if they said no.I had one ho suggest it for me as I was away for two months she said I don’t want my sitters to be lonely which was so nice of her.
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@Genevere
I too as a single sitter and a mature woman have on occasion asked the HO if a friend could do an overnight stay and after full discussion have been granted permission to do so. It is usually 1 of the 2 same friends who I have known for 30+ yrs.
If I have friends in an area or close to the sit I ask if they can come for lunch or dinner only this would be no more than 2 and again they have been friends for many years.
If the answer is no then I abide by that and its not a problem.
Sometimes its just nice to see a friend while you are away pet sitting and have the company of someone you know. 
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I, too, fall into this category @fyfie and @Genevere, and owners have been very agreeable when I have asked if a close friend can visit for lunch or a cuppa.
We’re new to this site, but homeowners hosting sitters for 5+years. My wife travels for work frequently and I’m retired so I like to join her, so we use sitters 1-2 times a year for 2-3 months each sit. This has become more and more of a problem for us. At first it was just a request to allow a boyfriend to visit for a few days, then wanting to have adult children with their spouses or boyfriends/girlfriends visit for mini-family reunions, and most recently a request for several family members to come and go over the course of 2 months. We don’t like it, but sometimes we feel cornered between turning away the best applicant for a sit we really need and allowing something we really don’t want. I mean, we’ve talked to the sitters, read their reviews, qualifications, skyped etc, but we really don’t know anything about these other people other than what we’re told. The worst though was when I was asked about all the visitors when we were literally carrying our luggage out the door to leave. If we’re asked when the sit is first discussed, then we can decide and make our peace with it if we need them badly enough to accept the risk. But we were very uncomfortable with the last second request. We’ve given in and allowed it so far, because our gut told us it was ok and we’re just trusting and accommodating type of people, and we’ve not had any issues arise from it. But now we’ve started asking applicants up front about any potential plans for visitors while we’re screening, and if we have good ones that don’t plan on visitors we give them priority.
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Hi @Pharmster77 welcome to our community forum. I’m sorry that you have been placed in, not only an unexpected situation but and unacceptable one with requests for accommodating friends and family of sitters.
If a discussion is had prior to a sit being confirmed and both parties agree on a protocol then that is one thing, any other “way” is completely unacceptable.
Owners engage the sitter who apply and are on the profile, not any another unknown individuals. Should this happen again please forward to the Membership Services Team for their attention.
Thank you and once again I’m sorry that this has been your experience.
Angela and the Team
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