Home not as discussed or shown in photos

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
1

We have been full time housesitting for almost 6 months in England. We have arrived for a sit and been told we are staying in a room that was never in the original ad photos. The homeowner posted staged photos their estate agent took several years ago when they were trying to sell their home. The house is in quite a different condition now then photographed amongst so many other things.

-all but 1 smoke detector has been dismantled in a 3 story home

-toaster only half works, the kettle was beyond filthy that I have resorted to microwaving hot water for tea. I tried to clean and descale it but that did not work. The kitchen/fridge are a mess and “clean” dishes and cutlery in the drawer still had stuff on them

-Their dog only likes one toy…tennis balls being thrown from the ball launcher in the back garden and they left us with none. So he is moaning and crying looking for balls to play with. (I resorted to ordering some on Amazon to arrive tomorrow)

-They lied about the exact location of their home and it’s proximity to things. I always ask before accepting as we don’t have a car. It’s a good 25 - 30 min bus into town not the 5-10 walk we were told.

But the worst part is they posted 2 large bedrooms with king size beds and on-suite bathrooms. When we arrived yesterday we were told they didn’t want us in their room and she hadn’t cleaned her daughters room because she took a last minute trip to Paris and ran out of time. So we were given a small room with a pallet bed with a thin hard mattress. Aside from uncomfortable it pretty much means we were sleeping a few inches above the floor. We are both 50 and I have a bad back so crawling in and out of this thing was hard enough but beyond that is was so uncomfortable. I ended up sleeping on the couch downstairs. Thank goodness this is just a short 5 night filler sit between longer ones but I feel really duped right now.

Have you run into this before? @Jenny Do you have any words of wisdom on how to handle this when you arrive and so much is being thrown at you because the homeowners want to leave before you can protest? How have you handled their review once the sit is over? I appreciate any advice

2

I am sorry to hear about all this. I know it is not a good feeling for sitters when they arrive to a home and so many things aren’t what they expected.

As for the bed, while it is totally understandable for hosts to prefer sitters sleep elsewhere other than their bedroom, when the only alternative is a bed and space that any reasonable person would find uncomfortable, that is far from hospitable. And this is especially the case when you were led to believe you would be sleeping in another room.

As far as this and any of the other issues, ultimately it will come down to how you choose to handle it, as there really isn’t a right or wrong way. You have valid reasons to end the sit early–primarily the misrepresentation of the bed, the house in general.

Though I suspect in many cases, that is not what the average sitter opts to do for one reason or another, such as the principle of always sticking to their commitments–even when the person to whom they are committing is not really deserving of it–or financial reasons.

So if this option is off the table, you basically either raise these concerns and request they do anything you want them to do–knowing they may not–or just ride it out, choosing not to say anything, and reviewing accordingly.

One thing I always stress when sharing my thoughts on this topic is if a sitter chooses to ride out the sit, and not say anything for fear of confrontation, creating an awkward situation, fear of a bad review and the like, it is just really important to own their choice, which will make the situation much more bearable as there is a sense of agency there, even if they are ultimately handling it in a way they ideally would rather not. I stress this because I suspect more often than not, sitters end up not saying anything at all.

Regardless of how you decide to handle it, good luck! Also I will say as someone who has been sitting for 12 years now, I truly believe these sorts of hosts and scenarios are not commonplace. So if you are newer to this, don’t let it get you down too much about the experience in general.

3

Please complete an honest and factual review. From your post I believe you have plenty of reasons to mark down under accuracy of listing, cleanliness and hospitality.

Also, no need to disclose your bad back or age. You only need to say that the offered bed was uncomfortable and you opted to sleep on the couch instead

4

@ChristinaD I live in a condo apartment building. One unit had a major fire last month. The repercussions, besides one person loosing their life, are way beyond anything I could have ever imagined. When I arrive at a sit, even before this fire, I make sure all smoke detectors are working. My safety is a priority. I would have insisted that they be functional before the owners left, or I would leave (and I’ve never left a sit in my 11 years with TrustedHousesitters). If you choose to full-time sit, you should have a buffer fund to cover unexpected housing costs, especially for only up to five days.

You’ve stated so many things that show the owners have disrespected you. I do hope you put some checks and balances in place for future sits, to avoid some of these pitfalls. For example, realtor photos are usually quite easy to identify. This is a red flag for most experienced sitters. In that case, a video call with a tour of the home is a reasonable request by a sitter.

I get a sense that you intend to stay. In that case, please write a factual, unemotional review to at least be respectful of other sitters who may consider sits for these owners.

5

Sorry you are experiencing this. There is no excuse. Review them into oblivion (factually ) to protect future sitters.

6

That is a diabolical way to treat people taking care of your pets. I would end the sit early and leave, it’s very unfair on you.

7

Hi @ChristinaD :slightly_smiling_face:

Sorry you’re dealing with this. Reading through your list, what stands out to me is not any single issue but the overall pattern. An uncomfortable bed, a dirty kettle, or inaccurate travel times might individually be explained away, but when you combine outdated/staged photos, different sleeping arrangements, cleanliness issues, missing pet supplies, location discrepancies and dismantled smoke detectors, it starts to look like a listing that no longer accurately reflects the reality of the sit.

For me, the smoke detectors would be the biggest concern. That’s not a matter of comfort or expectations, it’s a safety issue.

After 14+ years of full-time travel and 155+ sits, I’ve found that occasional problems are inevitable, but significant differences between the listing and what you actually arrive to find are relatively uncommon.

I would document everything with photos, raise any concerns that are important to you while the sit is ongoing, and then leave a factual, detailed review afterwards. Future sitters will benefit most from specifics rather than emotion, particularly regarding the accommodation provided, the condition of the home, and the accuracy of the listing.

Hopefully the next few days pass quickly and your next sit is a much better experience.

:paw_prints: :heart:

8

Sadly for you you’re now taking one for the team; review honestly don’t be ‘kind’ be truthful and your fellow community of sitters will thank you. I love the term Oztravels used above to “review them into oblivion” so do your best.
No sitter should be tricked into this in the future.

9

Accuracy of listing :star: I think if it were me I would take the sheets of the pallet and put them on top of the master and sleep there. The whole scenario stinks.

10

This happened to me on one of my last sits (old photos, bad sleeping arrangement, extra noisy neighbors), I feel for you both. I recommend reviewing them accurately, especially bringing attention to the fact that the photos are old/real estate photos and the sleeping arrangement or room(s) shown or offered is different than what is currently there for the sitter. I can understand HO not wanting sitters in their master bedroom, however, it should not be shown in the listing IMO. I chose to review the sit honestly, docking for stars in appropriate categories and the HO sent a barrage of WhatsApp messages to me saying I had been “dishonest and hurtful.” I finally replied to them via THS message (for a record) basically saying that I had photos and text documentation and would open a dispute if they continued messaging me. In the end, the HO decided to update the listing so at least future sitters can make an informed decision. Good luck to you all, pray the filler days go by quickly, and that your next is everything you need–good pets and good beds!

11

remember in your review, you owe them nothing. You wont see them ever again.

Be honest. Your only responsibility is to review honestly so that other sitters don’t experience this.

Make it factual, not emotional, so that others are aware of cleanliness and safety issues, and can choose to avoid.

12

As far as sleeping goes, I wouldn’t hesitate to put clean sheets on the bed in the daughter’s room and sleep there, as the reason they gave for not putting you there was simply that they hadn’t had time to clean it and not because they didn’t want you in there.

13

Take screenshots of the listing pics & then the actual house side by side, send them to MS at THS and tell them to advise the hosts you’re leaving in 24 hours. You’re in the UK so there are tonnes of other sits to choose from. That’s the only way these people will learn this isn’t how the platform works. If you stay it sounds like a 2 star :glowing_star: sit & wholly horrible. #nastyhumans

14

I agree with @Cuttlefish , these people are not treating you with consideration or respect (let alone as guests)! We would take photographs and give 24 hours notice. Obviously you must do what feels right for you, but if was our experience we’d speak with THS today and make them aware of this dilemma. Sitters are not paid staff.

If you decide to stay, please do review accurately. It might just be the wake-up call these hosts need.

Out of interest, have they had previous sitters?

15

I almost thought it must’ve been your sit experience too!

16

I too would inform the homeowner you’re moving into the daughters room as the bed provided is uncomfortable and not what was described.

17

What I think it may be worth taking as a learning point from this one for the future maybe is-

  1. If within an hour of seeing it’s a 1* sit then inform the HOs and leave. They have the option to come home at that point….
  2. Take a video as evidence. Tell the HOs you’re doing this as full transparency and disclosure.
  3. Open a THS Member dispute, they’ll be suspended for the duration of the investigation so won’t be able to get replacement sitters.
  4. Find a far better sit nearby even if you need to arrive earlier than the new HOs needed, you can be honest with them about your situation.
18

I think these type if HOs are the ones who see free as no value, therefore no respect

19

@Cathie

That was the first thing I thought about. Unless the bedroom door was locked.

20

I’d be hesitant to move into the daughter’s room. Cleaning a room for guests involves putting away clutter and personal items, not just changing sheets, dusting, hoovering. I’m not sure how old the daughter is but if she’s a teenager or an adult, there could well be things that she does not want touching (jewellery, correspondence, financial/ legal information). It’s not just about those things being personal or private it’s also about protecting yourself from any accusations of things going missing (even if they haven’t). Just my thoughts.