We just joined TH and have our first sitters coming to stay in a few weeks. How do you all typically go about exchanging keys? Not sure the best approach.
Is it best to be around/set up a meeting time to exchange the keys, or is there an easier way we should try?
Thanks!
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With all but one of my sits, the pet owners have been there to greet me and introduce me to the pets. Also it is very helpful to be shown around the home. If there is anything that needs explaining or showing how it works etc, that is the time to get it done.
I’ve only once gone in to a home using keys in a lock box, a cat sit. The lady has the most comprehensive welcome guide ever on that sit. I like to meet my pet owners.
If for any reason you can not greet yours, maybe do a lock box, or arrange for someone else to see them in and pass over keys. All the best.
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If we’re in the area, we like to visit the home beforehand to meet the pets while their people are there. We would pick up the keys then. Otherwise it’s a door code or instructions as to where the keys are hidden.
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@kayla.myhre2 you will need some sort of handover with the sitters -
Ideally have a handover in person to welcome the sitters to your home, show them around , introduce them to the dog(s)and hand over the keys .
If it’s not going to be in person then you can have a video call handover / tour of the house / showing them all important areas - their bedroom / where the pets sleep / where pets food is kept and all rooms that sitter can use .
You could then leave keys in a key box giving the sitters the code . Or leave them in another safe place for the sitters to collect .
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I have cats, and usually sit for cats. I’ve done about 15 sits and only met the HOs 3 times. Others have had a keypad at the door, or left the kets somewhere for me to get (with a concierge in an apartment building, a neighbor, under a doormat, etc).
I haven’t met most of the sitters I’ve had at my house. I leave a key hidden by my front door, or ask them to enter via the garage, using the keypad to open the garage door.
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So, I live in a city and I have apartment door that doesn’t have codes, so I’ve got to get the keys to the sitter. We have cats. While their feeding and meds are a little complicated, we have videos and a good guide, so in a pinch we don’t need to meet with the sitter. If the sitter is getting to our location after we leave, we leave keys with a neighbor and the sitter can arrange key pick up with them.
That’s not preferred, so I look for sitters who may be able to arrive before we leave or are going to be in our city some time before the sit. My preference would be someone on another sit, or local, or staying with friends or at a hotel/airbnb before the sit who can stop by to go over any questions, meet the kitties, and pick up keys maybe a day or two or three before the sit starts.
I also sit. Several sits have involved getting a code to open the door on arrival after the pet parents have left. Dogsits are different as usually hosts want to meet with sitters to go over the routine.
I’ve done over 20 sits and only one felt they needed to hand off a key. About 75% have had keypad systems, so the HO can provide a passcode for the Sitter/Guest, then reset to their own secured code when they return. Really seems like the best option. If a physical key, they have left it in a specified spot or with a neighbor. Only sat at one apartment building and they had a key lock box on the door handle.
As you have a dog, it might be best to actually to meet the sitter in person before you go @kayla.myhre2 .
At least, that’s what we prefer with our dog. I don’t know your dog, but ours wouldn’t be too happy to have unknown people walking into the house when we are not there. We invite the sitter to our home a day before we go (we have a guest room). That way the dog has time to get to know the new people while we’re still around.
Also, we have time to show everything in the house, take the dog out for a walk together and eat dinner together. We usually also take the sitter to do some grocery shopping on the first night, too, so they’ll have a peaceful start of the sit when we’re gone.
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I only do in-person handovers, so I give them the keys in person. No keypads in my building. If the sitter is already in my town and wants to do this a few days beforehand, that’s fine with me. I do leave instructions for leaving keys while locking the door on departure, though, as only one of my sitters has still been there when I return.
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I’ve done 17 sit to date, dogs and cats. All delightful. I don’t mind meeting the hosts if that’s their preference and our schedules mesh but I have no need to. I think I’ve met the owners in person for less than half of my sits.
With the others, all of the following have worked fine for easy access:
- keypad (in one case, three different codes for garage, building gate, and flat entrance)
- key left under front door mat
- Key left under potted plant
- Key left under garden statue
- Key left in one of those hide-a-key fake rocks
- Back door left unlocked
- Picked up key from host’s friend at the lobby of a hotel where he had a work meeting (my least favorite method because it involved an extra Uber expense for me)
- Code for building entrance and lockbox for key to apartment
- Code provided for garage door, and door from garage into house left unlocked
I’m flexible. It’s all good.
People sometimes call these “blind handovers” but I always get a welcome guide or other detailed instructions document well in advance. And I almost always have a lengthy video call with the host (and often a video tour). So I’ve never felt like i was walking into a sit “blind.”
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For us it’s the other way around. In 35 sits, only once did we let ourselves in with a key being hidden somewhere. For the other 34 sits, we had warm handovers, often, but not always, spending the night with the owners.
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I found keylock boxes very convenient, some of them you can permanently mount to the wall
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A glue lock is another option, it unlocks and locks with a mobile app. However, it may not be very popular with sitters since the host will know each time the sitter enters or exits the property.
I had to use one of those in an AirB&B and it was a fiasco. On the second day of our stay the app stopped working and we got the message that our authorization code had expired in spite of being well within the period initially established. We couldn’t leave the apartment unlocked and it took quite a while to get in touch with the owner and eventually desactĂvate the system and get a key hidden inside the lock. After that, I never take an apartment if I know that is the method of access. And now that I think of it, I must include this question in my chat with the owner.
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I’m the same as you @botvot as I can only remember two times when I have not met the owners and let myself in. Both were for cats as I do not meet dogs without their owner being present.
In saying this, it may depend on the type of accommodation and location. I don’t do city or apartment sits as other sitters do so, leaving keys somewhere, could be the done thing. I’ve usually built up a good relationship with owners prior to the sit so we enjoy meeting each other, having a meal, and getting familiar with the home and pets.
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We do whatever works.
- Although, we are not a fan of blind handovers and we always do overlaps at the start of our sits so we can orient the sitters, so we physically handover keys in person.
- If it were a repeat sit, we would just do whatever works…key nest, meet up to pass keys, key code on a door/box, collect from a friend or family member, hidden keys on the property.
There’s not right or wrong way, just do what works for both parties.
@temba I had a bit of a think: I think it may also depend on the length of the sit? We usually do long sits (3+ weeks) and then it’s more common to do a warm handover and walkthrough. Whereas, if it’s just a short sit, it may not be necessary for a detailed walk-through. Just a feeling, not sure if I am correct. Even for our shorter sits (never less than 7 days) we do detailed handovers with the owners.
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