Has anyone had a problem with people not filling out the welcome guide? We
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Yes. It’s like pulling hens teeth trying to get it from some owners and even then there’s hardly anything in it.
Hello @mischvus and welcome to the forum. More recently, the Welcome Guide is something I now discuss with the owner before I confirm a sit. I explain the importance of it, especially if they’re a new owner, and the benefits in that it’s created once and then stored for all future sits and can be updated. I also mention that it’s likely to reduce them having to answer my questions when they’d rather be enjoying their travels. 
I frame it in a way that it’s not only a TrustedHousesitters requirement, but my requirement. I also set a timeline of when I are comfortable with receiving it, and that varies considerably with each sitter. We each have our preferences. When I review it, if there are gaps in it that are important to me, I ask them to complete that section. I can’t say my tactic always works, but I can’t remember the last time I didn’t get one.
Remember it’s not only owners who have standards they expect to be met; sitters also have requirements. Just make it clear when you connect with them before you confirm the sit.
Francine,
Volunteer Forum Moderator 
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Off all our sits I think at least 1/3 hasn’t filled it in. I personally don’t mind. Usually we overlap which gives us time to ask for all the info we need. A lot of people have Word-documents which I find handier than the welcome guide.
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@mischvus there are a few previous posts concerning Welcome Guides. This one may be the most relevant for your question.
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, lots of owners find the format of the welcome guide difficult to fill in. I wouldn’t know but agree it has useful information, I didn’t realise it was a necessity for owners to complete and have usually been ok with their own printed notes. I do agree though, a lot can be missed if they don’t use the format and it can waste a lot of sitters’ time asking questions
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On my side I insist upon HO to fill it, explaining if it sounds a hard task it is done for future sitters, and I do explain that this welcome guide will not be seen once the sit is over, I give also the advice not to write down their wifi or door code on that welcome guide, we can always see it written on a pad when we arrive
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I’ve just arrived at my 45th housesit and the Welcome Guide completed by the owners is the best I’ve ever had.
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I’ve been finding that more and more home owners are using the Welcome Guide and I like that. Most provide additional info in paper form when we arrive and some text/whatsapp some info like photos of things or codes etc.
But overall, use seems to be increasing.
If someone doesn’t have the WG, I ask them to email me their notes at least a week before the sit so I can read it all through and write down any questions I think I might have ahead of time.
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We’ve only done Australian based sits so far and all our HOs have completed the Welcome Guide which has been really useful. I’m now a first time HO and in the middle of completing one for our sitters. Yes, it’s a bit clunky but not hard to do and I’ve been completing it on the app. I like that it is thorough and includes things I probably would have forgotten about.
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I’m not fussed whether I get a Welcome Guide or not. As long as there’s some instructions written down covering the essentials and i speak to the owners beforehand to run through things, it’s been fine.
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It is interesting that my experience mirrors so many other comments above. 1) Typically about 1/3-1/2 of my homeowners don’t use the TH guide but it seems like more are (still with many exceptions); 2) I find that many homeowners give this basic information in other ways, including notes they leave behind and during video calls and the first meeting/hand-off.
As a homeowner, I must also echo the challenges of the guide template on the website. Some sections feel duplicative. (There should be overall pet information and then sections for specific individual pet instructions.) It would be so much easier to load pictures along side the text. And most important to me as both a host and a sitter, I would like to be able to print it in a reasonable number of pages. Right now the format takes way too much printing and so I don’t bother. I would like to have a paper copy when I am sitting and I would like to leave a paper copy for my sitter. (My home/pets are not complicated. To print the guide it would be 29 pages!!)
As important as the information in the guide is, I don’t insist, lecture or scold my hosts to fill it out. As long as I have the key information that I need to take care of their pets and home, I’m good. People will learn on their own what works for them and I like to be a little flexible and meet people in the middle when I can.
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Yes, I agree with this completely. I don’t really care what form although the WG is easiest for me because I can access it from anywhere.
Interestingly, the only time a HO wouldn’t send me a digital copy of her notes a few weeks ahead of time was the one who cancelled on me 2 days before so I kind of wonder if she had an inkling it was going to happen.
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I also don’t care in which written format we receive notes, but it is nice to have something written down that we can refer to again, especially if some sections are complicated. Our current sit has nothing written down, only sent a 10-minute video and no overlap. I find this hard. When we couldn’t quite remember something, we had to watch the video again. Personally, I’d rather read things.
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Just make sure that if you do not get a Welcome Guide, that at least you get the physical address of the Owners, their phone numbers, and their email address!!! If you do not ask and they do not provide this information, you will not even know where to go when the sit begins!!
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Hi
and thanks understood but we should not have to keep chasing them for this info
very frustrating
Jo
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Hi @mischvus,
I am sorry that you feel frustrated about not being able to get a welcome guide from the homeowners. I do see that you have gotten a lot of really good advice and feedback since your original post. I went and took a look at your profile which has absolute stellar reviews! 
Since you have done so many sits let’s hope this delay of a finished welcome guide is a “one off” and the homeowners must just be inundated but will get it done before your sit. Who knows these homeowners and their pets might end up being the best sit experience you’ve ever had 
We would love to learn more about you and what you enjoy most about sitting. 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.
Where is your next sit taking you? The Forum is a wealth of knowledge even for the most experienced sitter. And don’t forget our membership support team are always on hand to give assistance.
Kelly & the Forum Team
We had a sit last week with no advance welcome guide. I did, however notice from prior sitters reviews, that the HO would provide written instructions upon our arrival. What she left for us in the home was more than sufficient for our needs. All my other sits have provided guides well in advance. I must say they are very helpful for us, especially when we are unfamiliar with the area.
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Yes, the Welcome Guide asks for vet info twice. Redundant and unnecessary.
I am on a house-sit right now, and it’s the first time that the HO’s have used house-sitters. The husband filled in the welcome guide very completely and we refer to it often. First timers are often more conscientious than people who’ve had sitters. Once I had a lady who kept postponing the written guide but this came through a lack of confidence in her writing skills. I imagine that would be a one-off though. I really like to get the guide before I arrive so I have time to ask questions it may raise before the home-owners depart.