We are experienced THS with nearly 60 completed 5 star sits over the past 6 years. The mutual benefit between owners and sitters as travelers is a wonderful arrangement and what I see as the idea and concept of THS.
However, I have noticed in the past year or so a growing number of Home Owner’s seem to be listing an ever increase number of sitter responsibility’s and expanding their expectations, beyond responsible, and proper loving care of their homes and pets. The idea of a mutual beneficial arrangement is in some cases turning into a job description that should be done by professionals, ie getting paid.
Sure, I am going to cut the grass if it needs it. Yes, I am going to water the plants and garden when required or as instructed. But I am not a gardener and submitting a less than positive review because my efforts did not meet with the owners standard and passion for gardening. In my mind, is not what this service is about.
Respect and proper care for the home and positive, loving care for the animals is my focus on a sit.
Home Owner’s please consider your expectations and be focused on what is really important your home and pets and maybe not even in that order.
Thank you for bringing up this topic. Some of the responsibilities seem like a job description such as walking dogs THREE times a day at specific times. When are Trusted Sitters able to enjoy their time at a home?
Moreover, I had an owner text me a photo of the underneath area of a toilet seat that wasn’t cleaned. I’m not a cleaning service and this critique seemed unreasonable.
Most of my pet owners have been appreciative and I love helping them with their dogs. As I peruse the listings, it seems that some owners take advantage of our voluntary service in exchange for lodging. As the writer stated, the responsibilities are lengthy, specific, and leave little time to just relax and enjoy their home.
Here here! When I see sitters marked down for cleanliness, because they haven’t met the standards of a professional cleaning service, for example, I realise the home owner has missed the point entirely.
We are here, first and foremost, to provide loving care and attention for animals, an alternative to the comparatively unpleasant environment of most kennels. As far as I’m concerned, the home and garden should be secondary and the cleaning that sitters provide shouldn’t be viewed through a hypercritical lens (unless they leave the home in poor condition). I see more and more ads that list the home owner’s requirements without giving much consideration to the sitter’s comfort or enjoyment of the home and pets. I tend to move quickly past those sits now as they come with a level of expectation that I believe goes beyond the role of a house sitter and indicate to me a relationship that is not mutual or necessarily respectful.
OMG, this post is so apropos considering the sit I just completed. I have had wonderful sits with appreciative homeowners who understand the meaning of a fair exchange. This last sit was a doozy. She was entitled to the max! Her special home manual on the sit responsibilities included telling me the dog likes to sit between your legs while I am on the toilet while I scratch her behind her ears. I kid you not. Sorry lady, that’s not happening. Are you starting to read unpaid staff.
She required 4, 45 minute dog walks a day and then also take to the dog park. When I talked to her before the sit we discussed walk after breakfast, late afternoon around 4 and quick pee and poop outside after dinner. How can you sightsee with these new requests that now are required. The dog does have a doggy door out to their lanai where it can not only run around but they put in artificial grass so she can pee and poop. She texted often, everyday, one or two times checking up on me. Once at 10:30pm at night just to see how things were going.
She is the first homeowner that did not say to me, help yourself to what’s in the pantry. I always take that as I can use the spices or take a cracker or two. I never do more than that but it’s the offer that is nice with this FREE sit.
She asked me if I would sit again. I definitely wouldn’t so I told her I don’t plan to travel till summer and don’t know where I want to go. Then I see she didn’t give me my usual 5 stars as she does not like to be rejected and I didn’t jump at the opportunity to sit there again. Yes I gave her a good review talking about how wonder the dog was as she is. The great views they had, etc. I always like to look back at the positives and I don’t like scoring down. Maybe other people wouldn’t mind her behavior but from the time I met her I thought she was phony and entitled. Other people on reviews seemed to really like her. I will now take responsibility for not following up on email what we discussed over the phone.
No, in person. Of course if I felt that from our one phone chat (not video) I would not have gone. I take responsibility for not following up responsibilities we discussed on the phone by email. I specifically asked her on the phone how often and long the walks will be. She told me something different on the phone than in person. I will go back to that area again but with a different homeowner as in 5 days I only left the house once for two hours for sightseeing. Who could do much with that schedule. Luckily the neighborhood was lovely to walk around with beautiful lakes and vegetation.
Other people may see things differently. She has 8 reviews of people who think she is so nice. She is but it is in a manipulative way in my opinion. I did a poor job of not screening well so lesson learned.
I usually get on this site with Google. Do I just use the app I downloaded and go to her profile and I will see it? Actually it doesn’t interest me. I have moved on with this experience and looking forward to my next adventure in December. I will do that with any sits next year although I just think some people just don’t leave reviews as a habit so it may not mean anything.
I look for a pattern in hosts not getting reviewed. Then it’s likely the host has a problem. Not 100% accurate, but I’d rather miss a sit over a false negative than risk a bad one over ignoring possible warning signs. (I also check sitter reviews to see whether they habitually skip writing reviews.)
To @pietkuip’s point, that’s visible on the app only.
For folks who shrug off bad sits and not do due diligence, sounds like you’re choosing to take your lumps, which is fine for you. But it’s a disservice to other sitters to not review accurately.
Couldnt agree mire. I saw one that mapped out the full day and evening including time to get up…to breakfast 8am to 8.30 am. And what to do all day.
Then another who had 2 horses,8 sheep,3 goats,chickens 2 dogs and 15 cats. 'Scuse me…but i think they need an experienced farmer.
We used to cut grass anfd weed. Deadhead and water.but now we will only water the garden. We pay to have our grass cut, but after a HO with a magestic sweep of his arm showed us his 5 acre garden and said, id like it cut 3 times a week. We decided…nope. it ended up that we didnt get a review.
I think it is problematic if sitters do not mention that type of behaviour, that the listing is not accurate or in the least mention what kind of expectations there are. If one has a review of request to 4 walks and scratching while at the loo - well, it doesn’t take much effort to give a nudge to others that they need to be alert. Or even to help the host understand that they need to describe the responsibilities like they actually are to get a good match.
It is unfair to the good hosts if the manipulative ones gets just as good reviews.
I think @Black_Hat summed it up. But I’ll summarise my feelings. The sitter and the owner should be able to answer why they are using this application. But equally, have a call. If you don’t vibe don’t do it, both ways. If you vibe like black hat said, I really love cutting the lawn to be fair, but I don’t have to. Yea. I don’t work for you. I recently was asked if I got money. I laughed. My hourly rate would turn you grey. I never had to go further as we all laughed and it’s a nice vibe. But tbh, if someone came into this thinking I am a task rabbit…okay, how much? . Tell me, what is my worth to your second family. Ie. NO. Stupid question. Also, if I said my hourly rate or compare my last hotel to their home, undoubtedly I’d hear, why do this? Yea, well wrong family for me. Ie again, it’s branding but it’s the discussion upfront, why do each of the various stakeholders in question use this app!? Equally, ask and say no immediately to weird stuff! “Bathroom ear hugs?” I want to joke, “get out of town!” I.e. it’s so ridiculous, I would have to pause, oh, you are being serious!? That’s absolutely unacceptable and questionable to authorities of gross misconduct. Speak up for yourself, always in life, not just here. But this piece of dog ear massage in the bathroom etc, no. You aren’t the issue. I apologise laughing, it’s simply so wrong. Also, I am imagining if someone tried to say that to me…shhhhhh…feel that ice? Again, please see my vibes are to go say no, go ice if needed.
However, all that said, people still don’t always get it (cough branding) but even if they do they can overstretch. I just feel that if I’m doing it I like you, you like me. It’s a bond. If you don’t like me, why give me your pet family? So, why are you doing it? If it’s to vacation, ugh…you can housesit without pets. Just a hint. Users of the app, it’s your family and home, in case you forgot, as you could pay right? Like before this app, these pets were alive, yea? Kennels, and an estate managers existed, too - it seems in these comments. I don’t want to summarise but I left a good trail. I’m leaving it there for you all to summarise also thinking, what if I asked their rate? Sorry.
One thing I always do is not only review the reviews from sitters but click on their profile to see what the pet parent said and if any response. I did that with one guy who was the sitter who gave them 5’s and the pet parent gave less stars. I read his reply and would never sit for those people. I think it is a good habit for all sitters to have. If they click on me after they are looking at the last sit I had, I have a very lengthy reply to them.
HO here. I find this funny. I have changed my Welcome Guide because of all the posts about being specific. Now you are complaining about HO being specific?
You can decline a sit. Just ask during the call, what other tasks do you want done?
For me, in winter can you shovel the walk? In summer can you water our flowers?
Most of our sitters have offered to do things I wouldn’t expect.
That all said, I believe in treating our Housesitters as Guests. Welcome guests. Maybe sitters should act like they are a guest too?
We are very careful what we apply for and we have learnt to read between the lines of the list of responsibilities and the way the listing is worded that this might end up being the case so we avoid these type of sits like the plague. It has to be fair and reasonable or it’s not worth doing.
Yes, it does seem to happen more and more these days. How about this description from a profile?
“Second responsibility is our home which is very dear to us. We expect to find the home as we left it and please make sure that you don’t leave any stains or marks and clean the bathroom and kitchen. Better you vaccum a few times per week and wipe the surfaces during your stay than leave it to the last day before you leave.”
. Tell me, what is my worth to your second family. Ie. NO. Stupid question. Also, if I said my hourly rate or compare my last hotel to their home, undoubtedly I’d hear, why do this? Yea, well wrong family for me. Ie again, it’s branding but it’s the discussion upfront, why do each of the various stakeholders in question use this app!? Equally, ask and say no immediately to weird stuff! “Bathroom ear hugs?” I want to joke, “get out of town!” I.e. it’s so ridiculous, I would have to pause, oh, you are being serious!? That’s absolutely unacceptable and questionable to authorities of gross misconduct. Speak up for yourself, always in life, not just here. But this piece of dog ear massage in the bathroom etc, no. You aren’t the issue. I apologise laughing, it’s simply so wrong. Also, I am imagining if someone tried to say that to me…shhhhhh…feel that ice? Again, please see my vibes are to go say no, go ice if needed.