As a HO I always clear 3/4 of the fridge and a cupboard for my sitters. I also leave a full fruit bowl, bread, milk, butter, eggs & treats such as cookies and wine. I check if they want me to leave my milk delivery in place (most do).
Toilet paper, cleaning items, rubbish bags etc are always fully stocked and I am very clear that I do not expect anything to be replaced. By not using kennels I am saving both emotionally and financially so a few £s on groceries is a small gesture of thanks.
I feel very sad when sitters report filth and no supplies 
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We just recently finished a sit where we were able to use their lettuce, green onions, and raspberries from the garden. It was so awesome.
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We love thoughtful home owners like you. We would be leaving you a little gift to come back to!
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As others are saying @Marian7, people vary in how they approach this and what they value. Some approach house-sitting as a clean and fair transaction, others as an opportunity to show appreciation and generosity, maybe make friends. No rights or wrongs here: just different values. It works best when there’s a match, though.
This topic is often raised, which shows it’s something that could use more clarity. I’d really appreciate a section in the Welcome Pack along the lines of ‘What it’s okay to use in the kitchen’ as home owners often don’t say. We never touch or expect anything that’s not offered, but we wouldn’t want to turn down gestures of appreciation, which are gratefully received - and we always reciprocate.
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We would be delighted with an empty fridge and also freezer ideally. We could then order some shopping to be delivered on the day of our arrival, knowing we would have space to put everything.
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For sure, @Cuttlefish!
I completely agree with you. I think the communication can be on both sides. Owners should disclose this, but sitters can be clear on what their expectations are so there are no disappointments
For the record, I don’t provide food, but I provide cleaning supplies and laundry detergent for the sitter. I provide paper towels, garbage bags, and toilet paper that doesn’t need to be replaced.
I make sure that the fridge is always clean while giving them about 80% of fridge space. They can have a whole cabinet in the kitchen for their dry goods. I ask if they want the produce so it’s not wasted. If they say no, I clean and throw it away so they don’t have to. I also have a Brita pitcher in the fridge so they don’t have to worry about buying water.
Sitters have their own pillows, towels, and washcloths that I provide.
I let sitters know of the grocery/food services that they can use for delivery to my building and that’s not a problem.
I also live in a luxury building, so I give sitters full access to the pool, gym, clubhouse, and concierge. So I might not show appreciation in food, but there are other things I do to say thank you for taking care of my pets.
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@Jo27 You are definitely my kind of host! You can be sure that your kindness & generosity would be reciprocated- at least by us! The whole sit is more enjoyable when we feel appreciated and warmly welcomed.
Unfortunately we’ve had the opposite experience too…
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When I was the HO who welcomed a sitter into my home, we always kept incidentals there for them (spices, milk, butter, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.) but now that we are sitters, I do not expect anyone to offer any of that up for us. We will abide by the owners choices, and if nothing is there, and we feel we need it, we will purchase on our own, AND leave it there for the HO upon their return.
This is a real give and take situation and everyone is different. Some folks may feel that leaving open butter, milk, etc. could be “gross” to the sitter and they would never use it anyway. It all depends on each individuals feelings.
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We never expect food, but generally wait until we arrive before planning a shop since many HOs haven’t managed to eat every bit of produce or other perishables and we would rather try to use it than waste it.
It was very surprising to us on one recent sit with brand new homeowners to see them madly bagging up everything perishable in their fridge (including leftovers from the lunch they had invited us to), just to deliver it to a neighbour on their way to the airport, leaving us with absolutely nothing. I believe that they felt that that was the expectation. Does anyone know if clearing the fridge of perishables is part of the pre-sit advice THS provides to HOs/PPs? I found this in one of their blog posts:
And if you don’t plan on leaving any food out for your sitter (which is totally fine), clear your fridge of any perishables and be sure to let them know where the nearest shop is so that they can stock up for their stay.
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I have allergies and intolerances. Any food that people might leave for me in the fridge would probably go to waste and even if I could eat just anything I would NEVER expect the hosts to leave food for me. I want a clean house and in the kitchen there should be salt and pepper and oil as a minimum but that’s it in my opinion.
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I usually am one of those hosts that like to leave essentials for my sitters, but I’m always conscious and ask about dietary restrictions because I have some of my own!
For instance, I don’t drink dairy milk, but I understand/respect what other people do, so I make sure to buy a small bottle of dairy milk for them or non-dairy milk of their preference. I prefer Oat milk, so it’s a win-win when they tell me it’s the same for them.
Other things like fruit I usually get from the farmer’s market I encourage my sitters to eat the leftovers because of the great quality and not wanting them to go to waste. If they say they don’t want it then I throw it in the compost bucket. No big deal.
I don’t expect sitters to replace anything either, but it is nice when they replace the eggs, if they ate them all or if they leave some fruit but if they don’t I wouldn’t hold that against them.
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Like most others, when we are sitting we don’t expect any food from home owners but absolutely love it when they do leave us some goodies. It makes us feel very appreciated and sets a nice friendly positive vibe for the sit. But if no food is left it doesn’t bother us. What does bother us is no room in the fridge for our own food and/or manky food that is past it’s best by date and grimy fridges. That sends a message that home owners don’t really care about us.
As home owners, we will empty our fridge to near empty for our sitters but leave sauces, butter, cheese, fresh produce etc that is still able to be used. We tell our sitters to help them selves to anything there. We give the fridge a thorough clean out and leave some fresh milk, bread and a bowl of fresh fruit for them. Plus we leave some wine and chocolates as a thank you gift. We don’t expect anything in return as we have a small supermarket close by we can walk to.
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I’ve sat where the HO has put post it notes on every food item saying ‘do not touch’ including salt and pepper to my recent sit where the HO left a load of amazing cheeses and sent me a reminder to eat them! They also kindly left me 2 bottles of wine, some beers and asked what bread and milk I preferred.
I’m happy with a clean bedroom, bathroom and kitchen including the fridge. If fridge and freezer space is available then perfect.
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I love the challenge of making meals from left over perishable items, and always say we’ll eat things that will go off (this does make it a bit tricky on a short sit as I would eat some of the stuff after it’s best before date, ie after the HO has returned) .
This is on the UK though where it’s opened produce, unlike in the US where fridges can seem to be half full of left overs from restaurants, that have come home in a box. I wouldn’t want to eat someone’s leftover meal that they have been eating from themselves.
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We love Left over perishables! , They are always a nice surprise element to begin our sits. , they are similar to a farmers market box or a too-good-to-go bag in that you never know what you’re getting until you open the fridge door!
A mouldy potato - BOO!!
Half a chocolate cake - HURRAY!!
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Just wondering about leftover perishables… What is “politically correct” during shorter sits, say 3-4 days? Most foods likely won’t go bad during such a short period of time, and it’s quite possible that the host would prefer to have them left untouched for their own consumption upon their return.
Why don’t you just ask the HO directly as everyone can be different. You bring up a great point.
I always separate items in the fridge for my space and the sitter’s space. I always specify to the sitter what they can have since I’m going away.
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As a HO, I am quite surprised that a sitter would expect food to be provided beyond condiments, spices, and staples such as flour and sugar. I had planned to try my hand at sitting as well this past year, but the timing just never worked out, and I would have never expected the HO to provide food.
I’ve always lived within about two miles of a grocery store, we have our sitters come in at least one day ahead so we can show them around the neighborhood and surrounding area (including where the stores are located), and we either cook for them or take them to dinner while we’re all there. We also make it clear that they’ll need a car, so procuring their food going forward should not be a hardship. Between the communication up front on what to expect, and how we treat them upon arrival, I would hope that our sitters feel “valued.”
My daughter and son-in-law have been highly rated sitters for years now, and they have never expected their HOs to provide food. In speaking with my daughter about her various sits, what she expects and respects is a CLEAN environment, and that there is SPACE for their food in the refrigerator, freezer and pantry. Unfortunately, this is occasionally not the case. Among our family members, there are food allergies, milk allergies, gluten intolerance, vegetarians, pescatarians, and strong preferences for particular foods and food brands. It would be a shame for someone to purchase food for a sitter and have it go to waste, and with a long sit that could definitely happen.
I personally would not eat someone else’s leftovers… first, I couldn’t be sure what’s in it or how old it is, and how could you be sure that at least some of all the food was not on someone’s plate and they simply couldn’t finish it? Eww!
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Jo27 you have said exactly what I would. We always clean the fridge and leave plenty of space although there will always be things left like opened jars which we dont want to throw out. I also give sitters a full drawer in the freezer and a couple of shelves in the food cupboard. I have a spare bedroom with empty wardrobe and chest of drawers along with bedside tables.
I also make sure there is bread, milk, butter and cereal along with tea a coffee. It is only decent to provide for someone who might have travelled a long way. I never expect things like toilet rolls or oils, spices to be replaced. These people are guests in my house and I want them to feel welcome.
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@MissChef I had to comment on the word ‘agita’ . My late Italian American aunt from Brooklyn NY used it . 
I heard her voice when I saw the word
" AGITA first appeared in the American English lexicon in the 1980s, when it was primarily used by Italian-American and Yiddish -speaking New Yorkers, and is a slang word that can describe a feeling of anxiety or the indigestion that comes from eating too much spicy food."