As you know we have been sitters for 13 years and we had a similar experience on our last sit so even experienced sitters can still get caught out.
The previous two sitters left glowing reviews and no mention of not finding things as advertised.
After much deliberation and soul searching I left a truthful and factual review. It is very easy to leave a 5* review and move on but I didn’t think that was fair to all the other hosts who had made an effort to prepare for sitters. Where I deducted stars I stated the reason.
One thing that has never crossed my mind is whether homes have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed and in working order.
Thank you for mentioning the issue
@Twitcher Thanks for also mentioning the carbon monoxide detectors. I didn’t think of it today as I don’t have gas service at my home.
By the way, as of January 1, 2026, for those residences in Ontario Canada that do require them, they’re now mandatory on every floor of the residence. In Canada the majority of houses include a basement that is full height, so many homes have three floors.
I agree with this plan right here. Just a matter of do you tell them or not? Either way this is what I would do if in this position. Totally unacceptable whats going on at this sit – esp ALL of the things added together. Ooooof. Good luck with this sitch and thankfully its only 5 nights.
Thank you everyone for your suggestions and kindness. In the 10+ years of house/pet sitting this is the first time we have encountered something like this. Granted we have only been with THS these last 6 months so I wanted to be sure if this was a “normal” occurance others have faced.
The HO’s were in such a state of flurry when we arrived that aside from just dropping all this on us their sweet pup was in quite the stressed state himself. Luckily once they left he calmed down after a few hours and has been a gem. Really he is the only reason we are staying as I don’t want to cause him any undue stress.
I will definitely write the review to reflect what we experienced so others don’t have to go through the same thing we have. As for taking over a bed or room I have been asked not to, I’m just not personally comfortable with that. The daughter is older and no longer living here but I still do not want to be held responsible should anything happen or have a dispute over things. I want to be the one holding the higher ground so when push comes to shove I know we are NOT in the wrong.
Make a choice to sleep in the daughter’s room or give notice and leave. I just started TH 3 months ago and have had two sits where the apt was clean but the odors in the house were like being in a zoo and took days to acclimate, and I stayed in one room amap. Also I just took on a sit where the floors are hastily swept and the counters have not been wiped down. There are fruit flies all over the kitchen counters and elsewhere. I can wipe down counters, look up videos on how to remove fruitless, only, I didn’t come here to clean someone’s house. Do I have to leave the house clean when it wasn’t clean to begin with? Do I say anything to the HO while they are away and if so, do I mention it right away? Like, I notice there aer many fruit flies everywhere and the place hasn’t been really cleaned well? Is part of our job cleaning up someone’s home from the moment we get here? I’d love to hear comments thank you.
I get that. You could consider asking if you can simple change or wash the bedding and use only the bed, no other adjustments to the room or the daughters things. I too have a lower back issue and really sympathize with you. I made a post about my issue of liking comfy beds and certain pillows to get tips for future sits…the forum folks had fabulous ideas for me moving forward. Link here in case you find helpful tips for the future.
@ChristinaD well I guess be thankful it is only five nights. I would give for hospitality and explain the bed situation clearly. I get taking the higher ground. However the host is clearly unreasonable. I hope you are going on to lovely beds when you leave this sit.
I would stay and make sure the pets are cared for. A factual review of the home’s condition will go a long way to let the HOs know where to improve and inform future sitters. My responsibility for pet safety and well-being always comes first.
Thank you so much for posting this and the link for me. You and your hubby sound just like me and mine on these sits. Which is why I’m so careful to ask about the beds when we have a video call but of course I couldn’t have anticipated this bait and switch.
The daughters room was left shut when we arrived and were told we couldn’t sleep there. I did take a quick peek and there is an open suitcase on the bed, other than that nothing amiss. Still don’t need a situation where later on I am blamed for something the daughter claims is missing. I took the giant duvet and blankets they left us (its 90 degrees here this week) so we don’t need them and have folded them on my side of the “mattress” to make a makeshift topper. it is slightly more tolerable.
That really sucks when the information you got provided isn’t the same as reality! Been there and it’s not easy to handle that sometimes. Depending on the home owners too of course and how open they are to having an adult conversation about it.
Did you talk about this with the home owners? Ask them questions about the state of the house, balls for the dogs, etc.? I’m curious to hear if you spoke with them and if they gave a proper answer that’d help you.
I hope your back won’t be hurting too much after this experience! Good luck for the rest of the stay. x
for hospitality and explain the bed situation clearly. I get taking the higher ground. However the host is clearly unreasonable. I hope you are going on to lovely beds when you leave this sit.