Do you do a one night overlap of owner and sitter?

What is a 7 day hand over? That seems long please elaborate. TIA

They owners decided to leave a few days later than planned & we had already booked our flights (we sit internationally), so they let us stay at their place as originally foreseen + introduced us to family & friends so we had a support network. We got along really well & they were occasionally working so it didn’t really feel like 7 days.

1 Like

We’ve had all types of experiences- from overlapping the night before and /or the night after, a visit prior to the Sit and then meeting/not meeting for handover, no meeting at all just a video chat before. Mostly we leave before the owners return- either their wish or ours (if they arrive late or we need to move on elsewhere) In all these different scenarios it all worked out well as we made sure to have clear communication with the hosts before & during the Sit. If we leave before the owner return its always our priority that arrangements for the unnattended pets are very clear.
Each Sit arrangement is very individual &
It’s different every time!

4 Likes

But how do you bring that up? How do you know which to do?

1 Like

@Libby2019 I ask for specifics of date and time they will be leaving and when would they prefer that I arrive. I explain that I like to be out of their way as quickly as possible when they’re returning but the care of the pet comes first. Much will depend on the circumstances as to how things progress from there. I just keep discussing it until we’re all happy with our plan. As always it’s all about communication.

4 Likes

I’ve just posted my first listing, looking for a sitter. Do most HOs have the sitter(s) stay overnight before they leave on their trip?

I’ll respond as a sitter. We’ve done a few sits where we’ve stayed at the homeowner’s home either the night before the homeowner departs or the night they return. It’s usually been on international sits but sometimes with local sits if early morning or late night flight returns. We’ve had no problem with this and it’s been an opportunity to get to know the homeowners and their home and pet(s) routines.

As a sitter, I strongly prefer to arrive the day before and spend the night. I find that it relaxes both the HO and the pets to spend some time with me as a group. The HO will get to see how I interact with their pet and the pet gets to see that the HO trusts me. Plus it gives us time to really go over the routine and I generally do the night and morning routines while I’m there to make sure I’m doing it how the owner likes.

I also frequently stay the night the day they return. I really dislike leaving before the HO is back as things go wrong with travel all the time and I wouldn’t want the pet to be stranded. If they’re back early in the AM, I will probably make plans to leave. but if they arrive back in the evening, I usually stay. Some HOs prefer to arrive back to an empty house though (which is completely understandable) so I always talk it through with them.

2 Likes

As a HO, we always want the HS to arrive and stay the night before and factor that into our advertised dates. By this time we have usually had good communication for a while and have realistic expectations of each other. We have quite a lot of animals, and it is good for both sides to know that the routine is understood, and for HS to have time to ask questions and be comfortable. I also like to give time for our dogs to be completely comfortable with the Sitters before we leave. We do understand where the potential ‘uncomfortable’ points are and try to manage them well. If the sitters are happy to then we love to share a meal and some wine in the evening and get to know each other more, but we also make it clear they are welcome to go and do their own thing or have an early night if they would like to. We have found that sitters are more comfortable with the ability to have hands on experience with our routine rather than just leave them with a long list! It also breaks the ice for the communication when we are away. When we get back we are happy with whatever the sitter prefers, and this also depends on how far away they live and what time we get back.

I have had two applicants who said they found it very strange to be asked to arrive the day before we left.

It varies `sit to sit depending mainly on two things = The departure time of the home hosts and the size of the home.
Personally, we like to arrive a couple of hours before the hosts leave. If they are leaving very early in the morning then we like to arrive the evening before if that is possible.

1 Like

Hi @Avaggio welcome to our community forum and to TrustedHousesitters, we’re so happy to have you here.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have, like this one and you’ll find our community helpful and knowledgeable. You’ve had some great feedback already.

Every member manages their sitting arrangements according to what suits them and feels the most comfortable, the most important aspect of all is having good communication between everyone concerned. I have stayed with owners the night before I’ve also arranged presit visits to go through everything, and picked up the keys to arrive after the owners have left, staying in a hotel close by the night before.

I have also left before the owners arrive home, with the caveat that I confirm there are no travel delays, they are en route home, that I still have access to the home if necessary (it never has been) and that they text/call me when they are in their home. All of this is pre-arranged, agreed and confirmed … again it’s all about communication.

Enjoy the support of the community and don’t forget we are here to help.

Angela and the Team

1 Like

Hi folks… newbie here…
I have a Wheaten Terrier that cannot deal with a boarding environment, so I typically have someone come over that she knows to feed her and walk her a couple times a day while I’m traveling.
I just found this site and wanted to know if those that use this service are able to come in the night before (my flights typically leave in the early hours of the morning) so we can have good “introductions session.” She is 100% good with everyone, but just needs this at first.
Will folks that use this service be able to accommodate that kind of process?
Thanks so much, everyone!

Hi @GregS. Welcome to our wonderful community. I’m glad you found us.

You raise a great question, one that’s been asked before but not in a while. I moved your question here, so you can see how some sitters replied to a similar question in the past.

As a sitter with over 50 sits under my belt over the past 10 years, I love arriving in the late afternoon the day before the pet parent is leaving. That gives both of us a chance to get to know each other and walk through the daily routine and home. More importantly, it gives the pets a chance to see that their humans are comfortable with me as a sitter. That extra time is a great help to lots of pets, especially those facing their first time with someone they’ve never met.

I’m sure you’ll find there are many sitters like me who prefer this approach.

2 Likes

EDIT: I am open to one-night overlaps without a preference for it. I at least don’t mind the idea that much, but I have yet to do it. If the owners and I have meaningful connections, then one-night overlaps would be something I enjoy.

I’d very much prefer it to coming on a day well in advance just for the tour and orientation before having to go away again until the sit officially starts.
I dislike that just because I am local, it’s been requested that I come over just for the tour and orientation. My schedule may be flexible, but I also like to save time and resources whenever I can instead of making extra trips when one trip will do.

Also, the way it’s been with homeowners who meet me in person is that they have me come the day of the beginning of the sit for the tour and orientation, earlier than when they leave.

One homeowner didn’t even meet me at all in person and we just communicated by texting. And it worked out perfectly!

Thank you so much for your fast response. :slight_smile:

I would be leaving at 0’dark 30 (that is, super early in the morning). So, just would need some intros to my “pup” (and a short orientation to the site would be helpful, but not imperative) the day before (whatever is convenient for the sitter).

Do you think it would be difficult to link up with such a person in this Service? I live in an apartment community with AWESOME amenities and only 30-40 min from some awesome beaches (although, red tide has rolled into the Florida coastlines in places right now, so it’s a little less appealing at the beach right now).

Thanks so much for your guidance! :slight_smile:
Greg

Hi, @GregS

If you’re leaving that early in the morning and would like to meet the sitter the day before as an overlap, it should be okay to find… not difficult. I would mention that for the particular sit somewhere in the listing and/or in your communication as early as you can.

1 Like

Hi Greg. I’m a fulltime sitter and I always prefer to arrive the day before, especially if I’m going to sit for a dog. This gives me a day to observe how the owner cares for their pets, learn the walking trails, which other neighborhood dogs to avoid, and pet interactions if there is more than one pet to sit. Yes, the homeowner can tell me what to do but honestly there is no better teacher for me than observation. You are also correct that I become part of the pack when the dog sees me with the homeowner.

3 Likes

Wow… what a great forum community this is!! I have been hesitant to sign up, but based on these responses (not to mention how quickly ya’ll answered), I am definitely going to sign up and get my posting out there. I have pictures of my own as well as the “stock photos” from the apartment web site showing the terrific (full access to) amenities. :slight_smile:

Thank you so much!!
Greg

6 Likes

As a sitter I sometimes prefer an overlap especially at the beginning to become familiarized. On my current sit that didn’t happen as the owners had to leave before my arrival, however there’s an overlap at the end as their flight gets in very late and they have a 3 hour drive home and my train isn’t until the next day. I generally think overlaps are a good idea so you can get familiar with the ropes.

1 Like