You’re exactly right about the lack of equal standards. This isn’t paid pet sitting. It’s a lovely trade opportunity to have people help each other. I have been lucky with some amazing sits through here but I have had a super dirty one with fleas and people assuming I would take care of all the mess they didn’t take care of and then being really rude.
Usually I see the red flags early. I declined a sit once when I had a weird zoom call and the HO was an hour late to the call I set up and acted as if I was getting a fantastic deal and should be grateful for being in her home and doing numerous chores for her. She was so condescending and asked me ridiculous questions about mundane tasks anyone would be able to do as if she would have to train me eg “Do you know how to put the garbage bag in a bin?” And telling me the fleas aren’t from her pet if I see them in the house.
It’s a reciprocal agreement and the review and vetting system should be the same for both parties along with the respect and care for each other as humans helping each other out.
You can tell a lot by closely reading listings, reading reviews and noting if anything important is missing from reviews in some sort of pattern. Plus by chatting. It’s not just what content that hosts convey, but how they convey it.
I steer clear of any hosts who seem entitled or only focused on the needs of the pet and host. That signals to me that they’re not thinking of the sitter in an equal dynamic.
Like I just withdrew my application from a sit in a great location, but where the host didn’t seem to understand that dynamic. I look for subtle signs of such and potentially save myself unnecessary grief, rather than making compromises for great locations or such.
It’s also important to know how to set boundaries and speak up for yourself in life, not just in sitting. That’s because there are always some people who lack manners or who have unreasonable expectations.
Sure, it would be nice if we lived in a world where everyone was reasonable, but that’s not the case. So if you can’t fend for yourself, you’re more likely to run into problems and feel taken advantage of.
Sitters need to ask questions. Obviously from many posts on here, many sitters enjoy the responsibility. Some won’t. If they don’t ask questions and are unhappy, hopefully they learn from that and ask more next time. Most sits require staying home much of the time. That’s just the arrangement.
You wouldnt believe how many sitters feel they are taken advantage of. And don’t see it as a win in both sides. Hence my comment.
Travel to your preferred destination will always be on the sitter.
@Loreemezz It bothers me when people put all the responsibility for getting information about the sit on the sitter. When a sitter finds themselves in an unexpected situation they are just told they should ask more questions. Should we have an 8-hour zoom meeting going over every possible scenario? Don’t HOs have a responsibility to be clear and transparent about all aspects of the sit and the expectations?
Most of my sits have been absolutely wonderful. However, I have had a few bad sits and even looking back as a much more experienced sitter, there is no way I could have known because the HOs withheld the information that would have led to me declining the sit. Asking additional questions would not have changed the info I was provided.
The problem is that we may not think of the questions that are important to you. And that’s what I hear in many of these comments. If we as owners don’t know what concerns you, how would we know what to ask. Or share. Every sitter is different. And has different expectations. So yes, what is important to you is something you should discuss. FaceTime call? Absolutely.
What kind of info did the owners leave out? If I were a sitter I would have a list of standard questions to ask, to make sure it’s a good fit. Remember too that owners are risking the most by having strangers into their home to take care of their animals.
@Loreemezz Some things are incumbent upon the HO to disclose. If I ask whether any third parties will be entering the house during my stay and am told no, I shouldn’t find out upon arrival that there is someone who works out of the home office, has a key, and will come and go whenever they want.
I also don’t think I should have to ask every HO if they are growing marijuana in the house such that the entire house has a strong, distinctive aroma. Some things need to be shared by the HOs. Just reading these forums there are many scenarios that have been encountered by sitters that no one would ask as a standard question.
There is risk on both sides, not just HOs. Sitters are taking very big risks going to a complete strangers home. HOs know far more about me than I know about them.
So they lied to you. That’s different. We had a sitter lie about everything about herself and we had to ask her to leave. I wasn’t sure our dogs were safe as this was a 3 week sit. I was on a business trip and it really threw our family off. It was very very upsetting.
So weird things can happen and we have experienced it. THS kept this sitter because she lied to the corporate office. Should she have been honest? Yes. Should she have been booted off the platform? Yes. But she wasn’t. So I get the dishonesty thing for sure.
I’d like to see a thread of forms, guides, surveys, etc. that sitters use to help with communication. I just finished making a survey monkey survey with 10 questions (and embedded with THS policies, my expectations, and asking them to make choices on paper as a guide). I am tired of owners being vague and then having strong expectations, and I want to prevent horror stories like I’ve seen here. If an owner doesn’t want to fill out a five minute survey expressing their expectations, I see that as a red flag.
This is a very good question. I have been traumatized by a HO false accusations. TH admin are slow to respond. This needs to change for the well-being of pet sitters. Have you looked at what professional petsitters charge? This in many cases sits is unbalanced. We don’t expect much. A thank you, some doggie cuddles, and honesty goes a long way.
Is there a rule against cameras? I don’t mind cameras at all as long as they are NOT in the bedroom or bathroom. As a nanny I have often worked with cameras in the home. A camera can often protect a nanny or sitter. Accused of not playing with the /child or pet just tell them to check the footage. I’m not going to be doing anything the HOs would object to so why should I mind a camera?
Thank you so so much for sharing this form! It is so incredibly helpful! For those who didn’t see the info above, if you want to see the all the pages just put in anything in the required fields and then at the end hit clear form. Do not hit submit.
@LittleFlower internal cameras are against THS t&c. If present they must be switched of during the sit. Only external cameras are allowed and their presence should be declared to the sitter.
Personally I would not accept a sit with indoor cameras even if it was not against THS terms and conditions. This is not to say I would be doing anything that the HO’s would object to but rather because it is an invasion of privacy. Being a paid nanny in an employer/employee relationship is quite a different dynamic to being an unpaid house sitter.
If, as a sitter, I am trusted sufficiently to be offered a sit then I would not expect a home owner to be checking a camera to see what I was doing (or not doing). If I am not trusted then I should not be offered the sit.
