Hi everyon
I am a new member of THS, and had my first house/pet sit last week. It was also a first for our house sitter - both newbies!
I am pleased to say everything went well, the young lady was very nice, respectful, courteous and we had absolutely no complaints.
I have joined this forum and read great advice form both sitters and homeowners, and taken heart that this was a good decision to join THS.
We live in Florida, 10 mins from Disney World theme park and many other attractions. Our sitter did not have car access, as we used our car on vacation. She said she was ok hanging out on the patio etc, or working from our home.
I did leave her “food” which I am now glad I did, when she told me she never left home.
Next time I will ask in advance, if the sitters want me to do this - is this common or should I not worry about how the sitter will provide for themselves.
Our two senior dogs were cared for and that was important to us.
Thank you all for your great questions and answers, it help me and I suppose other newbies. Thank you
It’s not part of the deal to provide food. Access to basics like oil, spices, milk and a loaf of bread always much appreciated and normal, but anything over that is fairly unusual in my experience. You can if you wish (I have had a couple of very generous hosts) but sitters understand they need to feed themselves.
Your first sit must have been fairly short (less than a week)? You don’t need to provide any food, but it is nice to be able to use oils, spices, condiments, and some dry pantry items like rice, flour, bread crumbs.
Grocery delivery must be available in your area. You might want to research so that you can avail future sitters of this resource. We sometimes use Instacart for grocery delivery. Very easy and efficient.
Some people have meals delivered through Uber Eats, etc.
Yes, it was 4 days only, so I didn’t mind leaving food
One of the items sitters are rated on is self-sufficiency. I would always expect to research and arrange my own transportation, food or any other necessities. It is nice if the homeowner provides extra accommodations, but I would not expect or depend on it. Situations can vary; If you arrange for a sitter to come in late at night or early morning, making it challenging to access resources, you could ask if they need anything to get them through until stores are open
Agreed with previous posters! It’s very nice when there’s a little something to help get by, especially on the first night of arrival – but it certainly isn’t necessary/expected.
Once, I did a very rural sit. I did not have a car, and the owner and I had a pretty extensive conversation about the situation, where we slept on the decision for a few days before moving forward. Aside from the transportation difficulty, the sit was a very good match for both of us, and there was a nearby bus running on a limited schedule. But it would be a small project for me to get groceries on my own. So, before committing to the sit, the HO offered to help out by taking me on a grocery run at the start of the sit, where I would purchase all of the items needed for the sit duration. Her offer helped seal the deal. She really wanted me to do the sit, so this was the arrangement we came up with to make the sit a success for both of us.
All in all, it depends on what you’d like to do for your sitter. But there’s certainly no obligation to provide anything more than the basics!