Hi,
I have my first sitting coming up and the owners were very good with communications and have address confirmed.
The only thing is that they don’t have any reviews yet and they may be present the 1st night I get there as they leave the morning after. They said it doesn’t matter if I arrive in the morning they leave but they wanted to show me around etc…
I am taking my two children with me and I am a bit hesitant now.
Do owners get ID checked? Should I ask for facetime? I requested a welcome pack but they haven’t completed yet.
What would be your suggestions for 1st sit please? Should I be asking for any agreements?
On behalf of the forum team, a warm welcome to the TrustedHousesitter’s community. Congratulations on getting your first sit with your children!
As you cannot share a link to your listing in this post, do share a link to your listing on your forum profile for a bit of extra exposure. But the main website is where ALL our members will see your opportunity and be able to apply and message with you.
If at any time you need any help don’t hesitate to reach out to our community here which is full of helpful members who have been through the process themselves and will happily give advice and guidance. And don’t forget our membership support team are always on hand to give assistance.
Hello @Esther-London and welcome to both TrustedHousesitters and the forum. It’s great to hear that you have your first sit coming up and natural to have some questions. @Kelly has given you some very good reading material, that has hopefully allayed some of your concerns.
In terms of handovers it is quite normal to arrive earlier as this gives time to familiarize yourselves with the pet routines while pet owners are around to answer questions, show you the ropes etc. It’s often a way to connect more with the homeowners and you’ll read on the forum that some great friendships have formed. However, equally you’ll see lots of people who arrive closer to the owner’s departure, and even after they’ve left. It’s about working this out between you and working out what you are both comfortable with. There is no written agreement provided by THS but many of us have our own questions, and even email confirmations to confirm and agree sit arrangements and anything we feel is relevant to the sit.
This is where facetime or another form of video chat can be very effective. There’s nothing (for us anyway) like meeting the owners, even virtually, to get a better feel for each other and start to build the trust that is so important in the TrustedHousesitters value exchange. The Welcome Pack is also a key part in answering many of the questions you might have, so it would be a great time to give them reasons why this is important for you. If you do decide to arrive on the morning of the sit, having all this information ahead of the sit makes sure you have any unanswered questions dealt with prior to, not during the sit.
So, my advice would be, get in touch and suggest a video chat. I would be honest and say as it’s your first sit you’ve got some questions about the handover and welcome guide and it would also be a great way to get to know each other a little more. Before talking to the owners, have a read through the blogs Kelly has suggested and see if this prompts any questions. Write down your questions, and before the end of the call ask for a moment to check your list to make sure you have everything answered.
Hopefully this will all help but if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to come back to the community … we are all here to help !
I understand (as a sitter only) that the welcome guide can be a pain to fill out, so I usually message when I request one ‘apologising that I have done so as I know it will take them a bit of time to fill out, but once it’s done it’s there for the next time.’ This hopefully gives them a bit of a kick to get on with it, and let’s them know that they won’t be able to do it in 5 minutes.
If it’s dogs you are sitting it really is very useful to go the night before to see the bedtime anf morning routines.
We find arriving a day early to spend a night with the owners slightly awkward…BUT at the same time we really like it as it takes away the stress of arriving on time the day of your sit. There are so many things that could delay you so, on balance -, if given the option we would always go for arriving a day early .
Hi @Esther-London and congratulations on getting your first sit. We also sit with 2 children and had thought that staying overnight before the sit might be awkward (and also not possible in many cases as there are 4 of us to accommodate).
This year, for the first time, we have stayed overnight before the homeowners left for 2 different sits. One was for a family, the other for a lady whose children have left home. Both turned out to be really positive experiences. We got to know the homeowners so much better, and to spend more time with the pets, seeing their routines and being shown different routes to walk the dogs. In both cases we found we had lots in common with the homeowners - which may be why they chose us in the first place.
It is natural to be a little unsure with it being your first sit, and as a parent you will be hoping that your children make a good impression, and that just adds to the nerves! It sounds as if it could be the homeowners first THS experience too, so you will be learning together.
