Why not the best of both worlds?
It looks like some like and appreciate the guide, while others would like a downloadable .pdf/word.
Make the guide with a download .pdf button and everyone gets something.
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Hi @sacksyboy thank you for a great suggestion and for joining in the conversation … we look forward to hearing more from you.
Enjoy connecting with other members.
Angela & The Team
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I prefer welcome guide
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We ask the Owners to leave a printed copy which most do as a matter of course. You never know when the internet may go down particularly in an emergency. We always put emergency contact numbers in our phone too in case something happens and we can’t get back to the pets. Call us Doom & Gloom !!! 
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I dislike the online welcome guide and send my own list to houseowners by email. All my reasons have been stated by the first post and later ones. In case of emergency there must be a paper document to get at - it has happened to me that wifi broke and there was no access to the online thing.
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I have just joined THS as an owner and I’m working on my first listing. I would love to have your template as I want to give a potential sitter as much info as possible.
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We find that probably 90% of our housesits don’t fill in the welcome guide online and just provide their own documents.
We would actually prefer the homeowners to fill in one online (but perhaps with a printable version as suggested) but for some reason they hardly ever do. I also like @Kelownagurl’s suggestion of a place where HO’s can upload their own documentation.
Like others have said, we have a checklist with the important information that we know that we will need to know (e.g feeding routines, walks, any medication, bin days, contact info etc…)
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Could THS make it mandatory for the HO to provide a guide?
I undertook a long sit recently where the HO promised a guide but never provided it. There was a major problem with the power going off, luckily one of the doorman helped me out. Aside from the power board inside the apartment, their was another in the basement and that was the one that had tripped.
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@KathyG , make sure you know where the breaker box, the main water shutoff valve and the fire extinguisher(s) are. Either ask them ahead of time by phone or email, when they take you on the house tour or via text as soon as you arrive. Yes, there are people that will not complete the Welcome Guide despite being requested to do so several times.
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The host took me through all that when I arrived, without mentioning the second electricity board in the basement which could only be accessed by the portiere.
My preference is to receive the welcome guide before I arrive, go through it and ask questions when I’m being shown around, making sure I have a complete understanding of the house and pet(s).
TH should make it mandatory for HOs to provide a guide.
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What I discovered is that while the sitter can’t easily print the Welcome Guide, the homeowner can! So, I like to ask the HO to print a PDF of the Welcome Guide and email it to me so I have an easy to read version - especially if my access to the online version goes away if I can’t get online. The simple solution would be to allow sitters to EASILY print a PDF.
How about it THS?
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I 100% agree.
It’s familiar. I can go to a page quickly to find what I need to know.
The home owners know what information we need.
It’s easy to carry around - on phone or tablet.
It is environmental friendly. We use too much paper.
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Hi @Wetravel welcome to our community forum … thank you for joining in the conversation. The reason the Welcome Guide is only printable by owners is for security it often contains sensitive information such as internet login details, alarm details etc.,
I ask for a hard copy as in the event of a power/internet failure/low mobile signal I want to make certain I have access to the information I need and I can jot down anything I feel should be added so that the owner can digitally update ready to share with their next sitter, prior to the start.
Enjoy the conversation and connecting with our community.
Angela and the Team
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I completely agree. It’s great to have the information but, especially on a phone, the welcome guide is time-consuming and inconvenient to access. I often house-sit in low signal areas so I’d like to be able to download a pdf. Also, on the phone app, you can’t copy and paste from the text, so for example if I need to call an emergency contact, I can’t copy the number and paste it into the phone app. You can do this on a pc but not on the phone.
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Welcome to the forum @CarolineF
Being able to store a pdf of the guide on my phone would work nicely if that was available.
One thing that I am now in the habit of doing is taking screenshots with my phone of the most pertinent information such as the contact info, address, and emergency contacts. I will even take screenshots of the map with directions to the home in the event something happens while I am either away or unable to access wifi (power outage) while in the home.
It is an efficient process for me and since I prefer to travel light, I don’t need to carry any papers.
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Thanks for the welcome, Amparo 
I take screenshot too. I also paste all of the relevant information into a calendar entry before I arrive. That will do until we can access all of the information via a download .
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@Amparo I do exactly the same as you. I was faulted for this in a different post on this forum, with someone having concerns about privacy. However, if someone is carrying a print copy with them, it’s a greater security issue. If they’re only accessing it in the home, that may not be effective when it’s needed in an emergency away from the home. I also assure owners that I delete all photos, once the sit is completed.
@CarolineF As a general rule, I set up emergency phone numbers in my phone beforehand. I also add in the notes section any passcodes or additional information. However, I add them to my contacts under the pet’s name, rather than the owners, as an added safety/privacy measure. It works for me, so I thought I’d share that with you.
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Excellent. I have had owners actually ask me to take photos of the pertinent data “just in case” like passwords and access codes. Several HO have actually changed their passwords, codes even wifi specifically for my use while on the sit. When the sit is over they revert back or change it to something else so then it is no longer “out there”.
People are different, every sit is different. Some are very particular and some are very lax. I go with their vibe. I intend my experiences to go smoothly. The best way that happens in my experience is to meet them where they are.
I aim to accommodate them not for them to accomodate me.
That tends to grace me beyond words. 
PS I don’t mind what others think or do. If it works for the parties involved, then it works and that is all that matters.
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I actually like the ‘Welcome Guide’ as tends to give all the information you need in a very easy to read format. I do like it when owners print off a copy though, as much easier to just flick through to recap on anything, medication etc.
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I appreciate the information in the welcome guide, but the formatting is terrible for printing. I still have good eyes so I print it 2-up on a page before leaving home. But it then you have a page of footer information that is the same on every page. Can’t there be a process that takes the welcome guide to PDF that I can download and easily print?
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