@Pawtastic, thank you for your perspective. Owners need us to stay at their home as they don’t want (in the vast majority) to leave their pets, or indeed homes unattended overnight. Hence to look after their pet’s, HOs need us to stay in their homes.
As such, it would be good if they appreciated that we are often leaving our own comfortable homes and trust that they will offer a comfortable environment for us while we care for their beloved pets and mind the security of their home. Which we do without payment. We are guests and not servants or vagabond.
So anything they do to appreciate and make us comfortable, only facilitates our being able to do our best for them. I believe from your post elsewhere @Pawtastic if I am correct, that you go above and above to ensure a very warm welcome and provide for the comfort of your sitters. Then it’s win win.
This is far preferable and more realistic and accurate than the alternative of choosing to believe we are wanting free housing and willing to put up with anything for it and should be grateful for the privilege to boot.
That particular attitude sometimes encountered, is skewed and rather goes against the spirit of what is generally trying to be achieved.
I think the built in THS biases and imbalances between HO and sitters terms (HOs can ask for money for utilities or demand a deposit , while Sitters can’t ask for travel or any other money; the sitters taking the burden of paying for HOs pets and even homes in emergencies) just makes this attitude worse and fuels it.
The majority of HOs are decent enough and appreciative. But those who are less so, feel entitled and spurred on by the signals that the unfair and unbalanced terms send out in favour of the HO and against the sitter. Which are unnecessary and even potentially problematic.
Quality sitters will think twice to put themselves through that. They will take alternative options and overall standards will ultimately drop. And ironically more sitters who are looking primarily for accommodation will increase in numbers and be more likely to put up with poor HO behaviours, out of need. And so the downward spiral will slowly but surely continue.
I now screen my HOs very carefully before getting drawn in. I am avoiding new and unknown HOs - and I probably wouldn’t have to, if the terms and conditions were inherently more balanced, fair and reasonable.
A myopic and stubborn stance by a current THS who are digging their heels in refusing to address these issues, will only result in sitters with their own homes, or in an otherwise strong/good/ experienced position thinking twice. And the standard overall will slightly drop.
Just look at these other threads as a good example of putting good, responsible sitters off. And there are many more examples of a similar ilk on this forum: