A recent discussion on another topic made me wonder about this.
As a sitter, I have always assumed a HO would be weirded out if I asked for their home address before accepting their sit. I even tend to wait a little while after accepting the sit before I ask for the address, just so they don’t think I’m casing the joint.
But now I see sitters saying they always ask for the address before accepting the sit.
Have I been wrong about this? Do most HOs feel it’s reasonable to give out their address before the sit is confirmed?
That’s weird… Why would you need the owner’s address before accepting? Sure if you’re worried about safety, you can ask about the specific area, but don’t need the exact address…
We are full-time sitters and often only ask for the exact address a few days before the sit starts!
I do not ask for an address until I confirm unless the HO offers it. Usually in our conversation, we discuss the general area, what is nearby, transportation and such.
We have to remember that most of what is shared here are just the views of a small group of people. The house and pet setting community is huge and there are no “Always” or finite rules. We simply have to learn how to talk to people, to each other, to be social, be kind, be human
“Nice dog”
yeah thanks, I’m going on a trip and I really would love someone to watch him and I saw you did it before… are you interested?"
and go from there
So do what you feel is best for you if that is working.
Of course, I agree with all that. I’m genuinely interested to know how HOs tend to feel about it — I’d like to know if my assumption has been accurate or inaccurate . . . generally speaking.
Perhaps there’s a difference between FT sitters and those who book sits as holiday stays? If I were looking for a holiday I suppose I would be more interested in the exact location. As a FT sitter, though, I’m more interested in the dates and the ability to meet basic needs (food, especially!) — and the lovability of the pets, of course!
We always ask where the house is because for us, it’s integral to see the neighbourhood etc. We go to googlestreetview and take a virtual walk (where it’s available) around the area before we decide.
If a home owner was uncomfortable giving us the address, I would be content with the street name and a cross street or other rough idea of the location.
Yes, I saw your responses in the other thread, and had you in mind when I posted this I will also use the clues in the listing to try to see where the home is and take a look around with street view . . . but as mentioned, I haven’t asked for the address. Have you always found HOs perfectly willing to give their address?
I’ve never had anyone not willing to give the location. And only once we declined once we learned it, because it was much more remote than we had originally thought.
But to be honest, we generally apply for sits in small villages and so almost always know where the house sit is before we apply so we rarely have to ask anyway.
On a couple of recent applications, we knew the street(s) and the row of general homes so we didn’t ask until after we were accepted.
Just scrolling through our sits, I think we’ve only actually asked the location (town/street name) on 2 sits, and one we declined because it was too remote. (But that’s because we’ve always known where the house was located ahead of time.)
I’m a HO and sitter here. I’ve never asked for the exact address before confirming the sit. I would not be comfortable giving my street address to my sitters before confirming either, but I’m in a city and my listing is pretty specific as to what part of town I live in. If they asked, I could give nearest major cross streets.
teddypdx, when I read this headline I thought that it was about the SITTERS PROVIDING THEIR ADDRESS to the home owners, which would indeed be an interesting question.
Personally, it would raise a red flag for me, just like if they would ask me for a police clearance (criminal record) or alike. I believe that home owners should trust the THS organisation in that respect. Therefore, I ( as a house-sitter) would not feel comfortable about giving out my home address to a home owner, as it would make me worry what will then happen in/to my home while I am away. Can we trust the service-seeking home owners as much as they can trust us sitters? I don’t think that they have been checked the way we were, for safety and security.
To get back to the question the way you meant it, I ask the home owner for their address around the time of accepting the sit and then look at the neighbourhood on Google Maps satellite and street view. This gives me a good impression of what to anticipate.
Well, the risk that a HO grabs your belongings and runs is not a realistic scenario, is it? The other way round is quite a different thing.
I wrote in a different thread, that the HO (especially when property is involved) has an address known to THS, there’s a phone number and credit card verification. In Germany you have to be registered at the town/city where you spend most of your time. Without this registration you wouldn’t get any ID, driver’s license, Passport, etc, which are all used for verification.
A background check result, however, can be completely clean and a HO’s vest couldn’t be whiter…and then he commits a crime and you wouldn’t be the wiser.
As for giving the address. I actually don’t see what another person should do with it. I have a small business and my house is also my studio and shop, so my address is all over the internet. What’s the difference to telling a sitter where my house is? I don’t get it.
Everybody who is actively using the internet, especially with smart devices, is traceable and Google as well as all big companies one has ever purchased from, know where he is located. Not giving a potential sitter the home address seems like trying to hide something that’s in plain sight.
@Amparo was that a trick question, about the address? I hope people don’t put their addresses on luggage tags. Anyone able to handle or view the luggage will know that the home may be vacant. An email address or phone number is much more useful and far safer, I think. I always put my flight and destination address inside my checked luggage. If it goes astray, they can open it up and forward it.
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