Just wondering if there is a way to know if Owners smoke or not? By the same token, is there a way to know if Sitters smoke or not? I state that we are non-smokers in our profile, and I would not want to Sit in a home where the Owners smoke.
8 Likes
Good question. We are sitters and my husband smokes but never inside and when we go on a sit, he walks away from the home to smoke. We donāt make any mention of him smoking in our profile but we would never apply on a listing which indicated ānon smokersā. We had it happen once on a video chat where the homeowners asked if we smoked and I said my husband was a light smoker only outside but we were declined that sit for that reason. The homeowners had made no mention of non smokers only to apply in their listing.
No way to filter but it would be a good suggestion for this thread https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/what-features-would-you-like-to-see-on-ths
4 Likes
That would be a good ācheck boxā item for the listing. My listing (HO) expressly states āno smokingā.
3 Likes
Hi @PVGemini thank you for raising this.
As an experienced sitter it WAS a question I never asked. Iām a āreformedā smoker of many, non smoking, years and assumed (wrongly) that most everyone was until I agreed a 3 month sit and on the pre sit visit found myself walking into the home of a smoker. Health wise for me itās a deal breaker I was in the home for 30 minutes and had to leave.
Fortunately we were able to discuss and manage the situation, the owners were brilliant about it and went to enormous lengths, in fact above and beyond to solve the problem ā¦
The smoker in the family even gave up.
Had we not been able to find a solution I would have had to cancel the sit (something I have never done) Now I ask the question and also have it clearly stated on my profile that we are non smokers and will only sit non smoking homes.
Needless to say lesson learned.
5 Likes
Angela, Great story and enough evidence that there needs to be a checkbox! I feel like an experienced sitter with 2 years under my belt and at least 15 Sits (not just on this platform). It just occurred to me, that I need to think about this and ASK. Perhaps we could prevent a lot of heartache by being proactive and having checkboxes for both Sitters and Owners. No more mysteries, awkward conversations, and disasters!
5 Likes
So far Iāve only sat in one home of smokers. Iāve never smoked and can smell a smoker from miles away. It was never mentioned by the owners but I instantly noticed as soon as I walked into the house, which had nicotine-stained walls. I did stay and got used to it. This was also the house that had a semi trained puppy that caused problemsā¦.I donāt think Iāll ask owners if they smoke as so few do these days or, if they do, rarely smoke in their homes.
I wish there was a checkbox. My application clearly states Iām only looking for non smoking sits a d if there are smokers in the house, to decline my application. My profile also states Iām only looking for non smoking listings
4 Likes
I also ask this question on my pre-sit interview/video call and in my profile state that I request a smoke-free home.
3 Likes
This is a deal breaker for us. We now include a phrase about āyour non-smoking homeā in our application letter and always ask during our video chat. We have suggested to many HOs that they include non-smoking in their profile. When you are a non-smoker itās easy to assume everyone is and forget that it should be addressed explicitly. Needless to say, we would love a checkbox as well.
8 Likes
Like many others, I ask in the video call if anyone has ever smoked in the home. And I assure the PPs that weāre not smokers. My in-laws are outdoor-only smokers, but their house has years of smoke residue in it. My husband and I limit our visits to just a few days for this reason. We stay in a local hotel, and hand wash whatever we wore over there each night. The smell gets everywhere, and our sinuses are shot after just a day or two. Itās for this reason that I ensure I always ask about smoking, current or past, before accepting a sit.
2 Likes
I have it mentioned in my profile listing that I am a life long no smoker. I believe most people I have sat for have been non smokers, as canāt really recall smelling a smokey home. Maybe I have been chosen for that reason, or have recieved invites from home owners, as I have being a non-smoker mentioned?
I hate to say it, but even not smoking in the home, and smoking away from the door, does not keep the smell of smoke away. My in-laws smoke, not in our house but on the back patio at the table (which is quite a way from the doors/windows, but when they come back in you can smell the smoke and the closet where they hang their clothes ALWAYS smells like smoke after they leave.
I can understand why some folks are definite on their requirement against smokers. I feel it should be in the listing, though, so there is no confusion. I believe smokers will be less likely to apply for a sit where the HO states absolutely no smokers in/around the home.
6 Likes
@Debbie-L totally agree . I think that a filter that applied to pet parents as well as sitters as suggested by @PVGemini would solve this .
A homeowner can request non smokers - in their listing . However there is no way for a sitter to know if a homeowner is a smoker/ non smoker unless they apply and then ask .
2 Likes
OMG! 
i never even thought about this. And lucky for me Iāve never showed up in a smoky home. I think I would die!
2 Likes
I didnāt think of this either! Iāve just updated my listing to say we donāt smoke and would like non smoking sitters. So far no one has smoked anyhow which is lucky as I didnāt check or even think about it, as hardly anyone I know actually smokes. I will going forward. Thanks
1 Like
We had a call with a HO last night and I had 2 pages of A4 questions to ask but the first question was ādo you smoke?ā . If the answer had been yes, we would have needed to withdraw as I do not think I could have lived for 3 weeks in a smokers environment. Happily both parties are looking forward to the house/pet sit!
I would like to know it is a non smoking household before applying to sits as this would save everyone time. Asking the question on the initial application somehow seems a bit rude.
2 Likes
Wow! How did you ask that question without appearing to be judgmental? Thankfully the answer was āno.ā If they had said āyes, but we only smoke outside,ā you still would not want to do the Sit (I assume), and you would have had to tell them that the conversation is over! How awkward for everyone!
We belong to HomeExchange as well, and on that platform, there is a box to check āSmokers welcomeā and it is right next to other boxes āPets welcomeā and āChildren welcome.ā
I wonder if Smoking Owners think that Smoking Sitters are okay?
We donāt ask in the initial application, we tell them how well weāll take care of their non-smoking home. If a smoker HO is reading apps carefully we wonāt hear from them. 
2 Likes
I state it in our application that I smoke effects me and if they smoke in their house, or allow smoking in their house, we wouldnāt be able to do the sit.
4 Likes