Today a listing popped up due to one of my saved searches. The owners have added a link to their airbnb property in the Home + Location section. I got the feeling a while ago that sitters are not allowed to advertise any links to their personal websites or blogs etc, so surely the same applies to home/pet owners?
Also, in Responsibilities, they write:
We have an airbnb apartment on the property, and someone needs to be on hand / in the area just in case there are any issues (unable to unlock lock box / park etc)⌠but in the 2.5 years we have had it, there has been exactly zero of these âissuesâ ⌠so it needs mentioning, but is probably not ever going to be actually problematic!
You are certainly within your rights to report them, and to place your boundaries around what you are willing to do for Owners!
We took a Sit (outside of THS) with a similar rental unit adjacent to the home. We specifically told the Owner that we wanted nothing to do with the rental unit. They had a cleaner coming in between guests.
Of course, over the course of a month long Sit, there were 3 times that an issue arose, which absolutely required our intervention: clogged sink, toilet broke, and circuit breaker needed resetting. These were all urgent issues, and the Owner was lucky that we were there to fix or coordinate a plumber (on a Sunday).
We really should have told them ahead of time that they MUST have another person (friend/relative) to take care of these types of unforeseen issues. We should have had the phone number of this person, to relieve ourselves of feeling the burden of solving the problem in the Ownerâs absence. The Owner is not always available right when there is an urgent need.
It would even be a good idea to talk to the âresponsible personâ at the beginning of the Sit, to establish rapport, and make sure they are âon pointâ just in case they are needed.
I donât think owners should let their Airbnbs when theyâre away unless they have someone on hand. Iâve mentioned this on another listing but will mention again. I had a sit in the UK where it was stated in the listing âwe have an Airbnb in the grounds but you will not need to get involved with thatâ. So imagine my amazement when, on arriving for a quick handover at 7am (as requested by the owner) she said âwould you mind stripping the beds and washing the bedding on two occasions in the Airbnb?â I wasnât quick enough to have the appropriate answer but just said Iâd add it to the bill. She then told me sheâd tried to find a laundry service with no luck as thought it was too small a job. I wasnât even left a bottle of wine! I told her at the end of the sit that it wasnât part of the service. She actually mentioned my help with the Airbnb in her review of me which probably wouldnât help her getting future sitters!
â Sitters are not expected to complete any tasks that are considered âworkâ. This includes (and is not limited to) helping a pet parent maintain any business they might have (including managing accommodation rentals) â direct quote from this article
Yes, youâre correct in your understanding. Platforms like TrustedHousesitters typically discourage users from including external links to personal websites or other online properties within their listings. This policy is in place to maintain a level playing field for all members and ensure a focus on the primary purpose of the platform: connecting homeowners with reliable pet sitters. While it might be tempting for homeowners to promote their Airbnb property, itâs important to adhere to the guidelines to foster trust and fairness within the community. If you notice such a link in a listing, it might be worth bringing it to the attention of the platform administrators for further review. As for âcan I Airbnb my apartment,â itâs advisable to check the specific terms and conditions of both TrustedHousesitters and Airbnb to ensure compliance with their policies.