I struggle when I have to leave a bad review for someone. i always stick to the facts and focus on being as impartial as possible for a review. I list out 1) fact 2) fact 3) fact etc. and then i considered deleting the whole thing because the sitter will just respond and say oh this or that.
With mine, she took pretty good care of pet (didn’t update as much as we agreed upon) but ignored the house rules which were discussed in listing, interview, welcome guide, and application. Worse still, the house wasn’t clean upon arrival — beach sand all over the floor and bed, her hair in the shower (edit for clarity:: not in the trap but strewn about the floor and we have very different hair) crumbs on the counter, wet towels in the laundry (welcome guide says to hang these so wont mildew), etc etc but she was nice to my pet (though ignored communications agreemenets).
That’s very disappointing @Squirrel. Can I ask do you include in your Home Tasks in your listing (not WG) how you expect your home to be left by the sitter as I find when reading listings, cleanliness of the house is rarely mentioned under Tasks with the new format being used?
I think there’s a real distinction between pet care and home care. Looking after the pets well doesn’t automatically make it a good sit if the agreed house responsibilities have been ignored.
Things like sand left through the house, hair in the shower and wet towels left in the laundry aren’t major disasters individually, but together they show a lack of respect for the home and for the agreement. Future owners deserve to know that, just as future sitters deserve accurate reviews from owners.
I also wouldn’t worry too much about what the sitter might say in a response. As long as your review is factual, balanced and based on what actually happened, most people reading it can make up their own minds.
The categories are helpful with this because you can give 5 stars for pet care and fewer stars for cleanliness etc.
An accurate review helps future hosts make informed decisions. Some hosts won’t be concerned about a little sand or a less-than-perfect level of tidiness, so an honest review won’t necessarily disadvantage a sitter—it simply helps match them with hosts whose expectations are similar.
Likewise, sitters who are fastidious about cleanliness and organisation deserve to have that recognised.
Honest reviews help distinguish between different standards, making it easier for both hosts and sitters to find a good match.
I’m against anything to do with Cleanliness of House being included in listings. Or even the Welcome Guide. Tell us where the cleaning kit is kept, sure. But don’t tell us we need to hoover 3x a week, dust every day, squeegee down the shower after every use etc etc… We’re grown-ups and if we don’t know how to keep a house clean, we deserve to be reviewed off the boards.
In fact, I’ve been looking at a sit for a lonnnnng time. It looks delightful: Two cute cats, in a great location, very attractive and comfy-looking house. But the HO says things like “Thoroughly wipe down the shower area after each use, to avoid hard water stains. This includes all chrome and glass, and use the scrapers provided on the glass and ceramic tiles.”
OK. I get that he wants his bathroom to stay shiny. But why not just mention it during the first video/phone call. By putting it in the listing, the HO comes across as a bit of a gauleiter … It’s putting me off applying and from the length of time the sit’s been in the listings - despite its fabulous location - I’m not the only one.
Even milder lines, like “I expect my house to be left as you found it” sound schoolmarmy to me. Good standards of cleanliness should be taken as read. You can’t cover everything in the listing or the WG and it really isn’t necessary. IMO.
I am very much in favour. I like to know upfront what is expected. It saves everyone ‘s time and helps make better matches.
I think that’s great. The only way to keep a shiny shower is doing what these host seem to do and ask sitters to keep doing. Similarly, it’s important to mention how often plants have to be watered and how long it takes.
The number of times they would like you to hoover is totally different because you can return a spotless floor even if you have been living surrounded by dust and pet hair. It’s more difficult that regular maintenance, but still doable.
The problem is around standards. I’m often told by friends family HOs how clean their home is or how fastidious they are, but not to our eyes I’m afraid. Yes I’m realising these days that we’re ‘outliers’ in terms of lifestyle and so I’m slightly less ‘judgy’ about other people’s way of living if it’s obvious that they try very hard. I think cleaning routines do need to be spelt out it’s indicative of what ‘normal’ looks like to the HO and from that I’m able to gauge quite a lot.
Our standard is more akin to police forensic team levels which I know isn’t ‘normal’.
@Squirrel , you have already got great answers by @Silversitters and @WeRPAWsome. I agree that there are different categories to assess different aspects and it’s really helpful for everyone to write honest, factual reviews. . IMO, the wording is the most helpful part as the number of stars is more subjective. I would at least mention the sand in the bed as an example and perhaps hair in the shower. That helps both HOs and sitters understand the shortcomings. I would wrap that up with positive feedback regarding the care of the pet and mention that that is what really matters for you and you are grateful for that.
Just wondering if you cleaned hair in the shower trap while cleaning for the sitter? I carry small brushes with me purely to clean out hair in shower traps left by owners….
It was just a question to perhaps help the OP @DieFledermaus. We all may be adults but we all don’t have the same standards of cleanliness. What is included in the listing is what is agreed on when a sit is confirmed. If there is nothing about cleanliness, even “I would appreciate my home being left as you found it” then HOs have no grounds to complain if it is not left how they would like it to be. I don’t mean the detail of your examples but I do feel there should be something mentioned.
@Smiley I don’t carry small brushes but I always check the shower trap and often have to clean what I find; in one case, a huge buildup of hair and gunk causing drainage issues not just for the shower but also for the toilet. Not nice at all.
The floor of the shower had her head and public hairs about, as well as the hair catcher. We have different hair types, so it was immediately noticeable and gross.
it’s easy to get frustrated or feel disrespected when that happens. The thing I’ve been coming to realize is that some people honestly don’t notice/see these things (insert side-eye to my husband & certain adult children here.) But as you did specifically mention the towels which were ignored, I think it’s entirely fair to make mention of the things you felt the sitter fell short on — particularly if the intention is to give them a heads’ up, vs just being punitive.
I wouldn’t even call it a bad review, per se; maybe a 4-star at worst…? If the entire house wasn’t trashed, it might even be fair to just dock a star (or maybe 2?) on the cleanliness & communications categories. Mention you were disappointed that you had to clean sand, hair, & wet towels upon your return home, & would have appreciated more regular updates per your WG notes. If finished off with the positives of the sit, I think your sitter will be more likely to take your comments constructively — & hopefully improve in conscientiousness on future sits.
Well, at least it saves you time up front rather than finding that the HO’s requirements are “detailed” over a phone/video call.
Ooof, though ! While I always appreciate learning a new word, the use of that one in this context seems extreme (unless I’m not getting the nuances ? ).
I agree “we are grownups” and should know how to leave a clean house. And those who don’t, will deserve the reviews they get.
Personally though, I’d rather see that in the listing, so I can choose not to apply, rather than be given the list of tasks in a video call and go through the awkwardness of withdrawing an application… or worse, find it in the welcome guide/handover and then feeling like “ugh, they are not going to be satisfied with my efforts.”
Listings that mention cleaning explicitly put me off, but I think they should put it in the listing so we don’t waste time applying only to find out later. If HOs don’t mention in the listing but in the WG, I would feel duped.
As a person with long hair who sheds a lot, I often find my hair in unexpected places ie last night on a container of frozen soup! I am very aware of this in a shower and take great pains to keep it together and put in the bin. Docking a star or two for cleaning seems warranted, considering towels and sand as well.
which I know isn’t ‘normal’.
