As an Australian, I am accustomed to homes on one level or at least minimum one wide open staircase leading to the rest of the house. Since sitting in UK and Europe I have realised that most homes, or at least many, have usually narrow steep stairs going up and down to e.g. bathroom/bedrooms etc. I have found this really awkward sometimes. I was thinking that maybe this is something that should be mentioned in the homeowners listing as it wasn’t something I was aware of before I experienced it. I have managed no problem but maybe some prospective sitters with mobility issues who aren’t aware of this might find it difficult.
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As you write, most homes are like that in the area’s you mention so HO wouldn’t necessarily think to mention it.
It would probably be easier if sitters were to mention mobility issues in their applications instead.
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I don’t think owners would think to mention it. You only need to look at the photos to know there will be stairs. Many homes in the North of the UK have 2 sets. Lots of flats don’t have lifts. I have stayed in places in Italy that have precariously steep stone stairs. In Holland I stayed in a tall house on the canal at a friend’s, 3 flights of stairs and a ladder to go up to bed, they are short on space so the bed is almost up to the ceiling with storage built underneath.
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I’ve seen a number of listings that mention stairs and mobility, but agree that it’s best if sitters with mobility issues check.
Hosts might even want to consider whether the sitters could carry the pet(s) up or down stairs in case of injury, illness or disaster, like in an emergency evacuation.
Personally, I avoid sitting pets I couldn’t reasonably pick up and control if they were triggered, say on walks. That means I also could pick them up for going up or down stairs if needed. That would include if there were a fire and the elevators weren’t usable.
On one sit, I had to carry an elderly dog who’d had catastrophic seizures down two flights of stairs and to my rental car. I put her in her doughnut and took her, with her meds in my cross-body bag, and then drove her to urgent care. There, I carried her across a dark parking lot, after getting as close as possible to the entrance. If she’d been a large dog, I wouldn’t have managed.
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I agree that any particularly difficult stairs should be mentioned, but I don’t think it would cross most people’s minds for standard stairs. One of those cultural differences - I would always assume stairs unless the HO says otherwise.
If you find them difficult I think you’ll have to check photos carefully and look at exterior shots too to see how many floors the home has. And double check in your application. If it helps, single storey homes in the UK are called bungalows.
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Even if there aren’t stairs there might be steps in a split-level dwelling. On my most recent sit I only went upstairs when I wanted to check that the smallest dog was there (she was allowed) and not escaped, but throughout the downstairs there were assorted steps (one, two or three) to accommodate the sloped situation of the house.
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Like you @ziggy, when I first started sitting in the UK, I hadn’t realised it was more the norm for houses to have stairs, sometimes to several floors. I’ve learnt to use packing cells for my clothing, leaving my case on the ground floor and just carrying the cells up to my room. Those stairs can certainly give you a work-out and will be something to consider for future sits! No wonder my phone is telling me I haven’t climbed the same number of flights since I have returned to Oz!!
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I’ve lived in densely populated cities for decades and sit in urban areas, so expect stairs. Many sitters probably do.
I was looking back on my sits — U.K. and U.S. — and 16 of 18 have had stairs. The only ones that haven’t have been a U.S. high-rise sit with elevators and a one-story in a Florida retirement community.
Many homes in the U.S. are multistory as well, and not just in cities. They grew in popularity in the suburbs after World War II, because developers built on smaller lots to boost profits.
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I have trouble with stairs too and I have noticed that homeowners have an option to choose " disabled access" as a qualifier when listing their homes amenities. That would be very helpful to you or any sitter that wants/ needs to limit stair climbing.
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I think disabled access refers more to having ramps for wheelchairs or walkers or canes, railings for gripping, grab bars in the shower or bath, for example. I doubt most hosts would click that for a single-story home.
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We did a sit last year where the stairs were very narrow and windy, but the bed was a mattress on the floor, there was no way that the hubby, with his arthritis, could manage that, luckily it was fairly local, so he went home and I finished the sit on my own as it was just 2 cats. I put in my review that the sit wasn’t disabled friendly. I think some hosts, specially the younger ones, just don’t think that way.
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@Chrissie
How can anyone think a mattress on the floor for guests is acceptable?
I assume the hosts slept in a normal bed?
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Were there no pictures of the bed? Or were the pictures wrong?
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I had a Glasgow sit with curved and shallow stairs that were some sort of stone. I was careful to not let my sit dog trip me. I imagined taking a catastrophic fall, especially when we came back in from frequent rain. If I broke my neck, she would’ve been left alone in the house.
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@CreatureCuddler . There was a picture of the bed, but it was taken at an angle that didn’t show it was just a mattress.
@CRU . That was the only bed, it was a single host.
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Lots of interesting comments and many I hadn’t actually thought of. I understand now that having internal stairs is simply the norm in the UK/Europe and homeowners would have no reason or thought to mention it. It is one of those cultural things - if something is all you have ever known then there is no reason to think anyone else would find it “different”.
In Australia we call homes either lowset (single level detached), highset (house set off the ground with stairs front and back for entry), two storey or double storey (living areas on bottom and top with internal stairs but always wide) and units/duplexes (detached or stand alone like apartments). Basically we would just say lowset or highset. @UKSITTER1 very interesting that in the UK a single storey home is called a bungalow, I didn’t know that. We would refer to a bungalow as just a tiny house like a holiday home or a hut, but wouldn’t refer to a main residence as a bungalow. Another cultural difference.
At one sit in Europe, the internal stairs were so narrow and spiral that I could only go up and down sideways (no I’m not that big lol) and it was just awful. I had to take one step at a time so as not to fall. As @Maggie8K says, I was terrified of falling as nobody would know and the pets would be left alone. @Chrissie that was a gross situation you had with the bed!
I don’t have a problem walking up and down, I’m physically fine, but like @temba says, I just wasn’t aware before my first trip to Europe so it’s been quite an eye opener. I’m used to it now though 
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FYI, bungalow in the U.S. means a one-story house with a porch. I don’t think many people know that, though. It’s probably more commonly known among folks who sell real estate or shop for it a lot, like investors.
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In Germany, most houses have basements, which are often heavily used because they serve as storage spaces and are ideal for keeping things cool. Typically, you’ll find the laundry room, heating system, and crates of beverages down there (in Germany, many people use glass bottles due to the deposit system and because glass is healthier than PET). Some basements are fully renovated, with natural light, and are used for things like home gyms, movie rooms, etc., while others are simply brick-built storage areas. This means that we actually have two staircases in the house, and since there are hardly any carpeted floors in Germany, especially not on stairs, you can usually expect wooden or stone staircases. Bungalows are not very common but more common in recent years. We are 85 Million people and we do not have enough space to built everything on one level.
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I have always lived in a house with stairs and most of my sittings abroad have had stairs. I can’t say that any of them have been narrow
I love them; it gives you a workout and the view is better
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