I wanted to open a discussion about host disclosure and safety during house sits. Recently, I’ve had experiences where hazards or changes in the home were not communicated upfront, and it caused real issues for me and, in some cases, my child.
For example:
I encountered a dead mouse in the basement/guest room, which the host only mentioned after I brought it up- saying “Oh !you found a mouse… ugh” . Handling it was not something I was comfortable with.
The basement shower was dirty and had spiders, which wasn’t disclosed beforehand.
I’ve had hosts hide things in plain sight, like a thermostat under a decorative hat, making the home reach unsafe or uncomfortable temps during a very cold Winter Month (December) (especially for children).
One host asked me to care for a new, sick cat that was not listed in the original listing, expecting me to manage it in a separate room — something I did not agree to and felt was unsafe- My thoughts on this is what would make a host request a sitter to sit for a pet that’s not on the hosts THS profile?
These examples highlight why full transparency is essential. Sitters shouldn’t have to navigate undisclosed hazards or make unsafe accommodations for the host’s new pets or other surprises.
I’d love to hear from others:
Have you experienced similar non-disclosures?
How do you set boundaries with hosts who try to sneak in extra responsibilities?
How do you think THS could enforce better accountability for hosts to disclose issues like pests, rodents, or undisclosed pets?
I think discussing this openly could help all sitters understand their rights and responsibilities — and encourage hosts to be honest from the start.
Apart from an additional, non-listed pet, the other things you mention don’t seem particularly strange or terrible. I’ve looked after country houses where the cats left ‘gifts’ (of mice, squirrels, birds) nearly every morning, a riverside house that needed floodgates putting up in the doorways, a house in Greece with snakes in the garden (no, not our buddy Steve’s ), electricity switchboards in dark basements or deep in under-the-stairs corridors. To me these just seem like minor things that make up the rich tapestry of life. (Plenty of those housesits I have been sitting with my children too)
We lived in a country house for 28 years our highest numbers of field mice caught in the house was 13 in one day…. it’s the countryside!!! Its ‘normal’. We also had bats, owls, badgers, foxes and deer….
I do appreciate it when a host tells in their profile.
“We have these and these local insects, this is not a sit for someone who is afraid of spiders.” “My cat brings presents, you need to have the stomach to throw out a dead mouse.”
And of course, referring to the decorative hat. “It is cold here, we try these and these things to bring extra warmth, but there is no way the temperature will be good.”
In my opinion almost everything is ok as long as it is told upfront. Just sadly there is very limited snake pet selection on THS, as “dangerous” pets are not allowed
This thread has prompted me to consider adding a disclosure to my listing.
Sitters please be advised that during the tenure of their sit there may be enounters with various bugs, spiders and there is the remote possibility of an encounter with a deceased mouse. Pets may experience unexpected illnesses at any time and it’s possible that the sitter may need assistance in locating the thermostat or other various control switches, in which case they are encouraged to contact us with any questions or concerns.
Haha! Reads like an American disclaimer. I remember from one trip there, many years ago, on a tourist boat - ‘‘this is a free floating vessel and therefore maybe subject to undulations caused by waves and water movement’’
Sitter here. I’m afraid to say that I feel most of the things you listed are either fairly minor, or explainable by something other than a lack of transparency on the part of the host. Life tends to happen, as it were.
IMO, part of the fun of petsitting & staycations in someone’s home is that it isn’t just another sterile, generic hotel room in another random city. I get so much more on the positive end — meeting new people who become friends & repeat hosts, living like a local, the cuddles and the laughs when hanging out with the pets. It’s amazing, and for me it’s worth dealing with a few quirks now & again.
All I can say is that I’ve learnt as I’ve gone along.
When I think of some of the things that I’ve googled whilst on sits, I look back and chuckle. Like the time when I found multiple earwigs lurking in close proximity to my pillow - ‘Google, do earwigs really want to try and get inside your ears?’ Or when I successfully identified the things floating in the (non-drinking) water supply as mosquito larvae - ‘Google, is it safe to use water that has mosquito larvae in it for washing up?’
I’ve realised over time that there’s usually a bit of a gap between, for example, the fantasy of living off-grid amongst olive trees or vineyards, and the reality of communing that closely with nature. Whilst these are probably extreme examples, my point is that as a sitter, I have had to learn to properly consider the reality of a potential sit, and certainly wouldn’t rely on the homeowner to spell out for me every possibly health and safety issue.
Discussions are always helpful.
Regarding sitters and owners rights and responsibilities, they are addressed in THS T&Cs and code of conduct. All deal breakers should be dealt with in advance by both parties in order to ensure a smooth experience.
Indeed
Spiders or a dead mouse are things I can deal with and even expect in the country and where there are outdoor/indoor cats. They are probably natural for the hosts and it didn’t occur to them that sitters might need warning.
Something completely different is adding a new, unlisted pet after the sit confirmation and without expressed approval by the sitter.
I once accepted a sit for two cats and a dog. Midway to the beginning of the sit, I was warned that there might be a new, senior cat that the host was fostering while she found a permanent placement. I was offered to cancel but I said it was OK. 10 days before the sit started, another cat was added. I was, again asked if I would be Ok and was offered money if I agreed to go ahead with the sit. I agreed to continue and didn’t accept the money but I thought it would be better to upgrade to premium, in case the number of pets continued increasing or any other unexpected changes.
In the end, it was a really enjoyable sit and a lovely host. The elderly cat went missing and we both dealt with it with no drama.
Unexpected things can happen but it’s important to disclose all changes as soon as they are known. No one (sitter or host) should impose any changes to the original agreement.
I had one sit where the hosts did not disclose till they were walking out the door that one of their cats repeatedly bit and scratched them and they warned me to be careful. And these cats were supposed to be carried every day to and from a separate studio building, where they loved to hang out and watch birds, squirrels and such from large windows, like a living big-screen TV. It was an otherwise great sit.
My review specified the above, even though I was able to keep from getting bitten or scratched. (Like I wore my coat and their heavy garden gloves when I picked up the cats. And I carefully brushed the iffy cat and only in limited times, versus brushing the other cat more, because the iffy cat was easily triggered.)
My honest review has not kept them from getting sitters. Nor has it kept me from getting sits. And I won’t be complicit if someone gets bitten or scratched because they unknowingly accepted a sit with an unstable cat. (I’d rather not sit at all than write a false review that could risk other sitters’ wellbeing.)
With a separate sit, the hosts warned me during our video chat that the cat sometimes brought dead mice. I appreciated the transparency. It was an old London flat/building, so I figured that was not uncommon, even if the hosts lived cleanly.
During my sit, the cat did gift me a dead mouse. He actually summoned me into the living room to present it. He had daintily eaten its innards and neatly left me the rest. It was easy to clean up and I made quick work of that. No big deal.
On a separate sit, an indoor/outdoor cat repeatedly left dead fledglings in the yard. Since she didn’t have a cat door (I let her out in the morning and in in the evening, as the hosts had asked), at least the bodies never entered the house. The hosts hadn’t mentioned that, but I wasn’t surprised that a cat let outdoors might kill birds.
There is absolutely no way this sitter can know the affect her negative review has on the host’s ability to attract sitters. Even the host won’t know if potential sitters passed on the application because of what they read in a prior review.
To be fair there is only so much that can be ‘disclosed’ upfront. In the future you can ask questions - if the house is in the country, is it dusty and do insects appear sometimes? If there are cats that are outdoors, ask if they leave ‘gifts’ as is a typical cat behavior?
You can also ask the HO thoughts on interior temperatures and just state you can’t accept sits where you can’t adjust the temperature to a comfortable level of x degrees. That’s really not a hazard, it’s just a HO trying to save a buck. So just don’t accept those sits then.
The undisclosed pet - well if it’s a new pet then it couldn’t be on the HO profile. And it seems they did disclose it to you as you were able to decline to manage the new sick cat?
I guess my point is you can use your experiences to ask better questions upfront about what is important to you before agreeing to a sit, instead of admonishing all HOs to read your mind and disclose everything possible (including normal cat behaviors that most would assume you were aware of)?
Also - pets don’t always come into our lives on a planned schedule. Maybe HO found the sick cat and out of kindness took it in. Sometimes friends or neighbors are unable to care for their pets and some people take them in. My sister’s ex husband died unexpectedly so she took in his dog. She didn’t want a second dog but that’s how it happened.
HO lives don’t suddenly freeze because they have a confirmed sitter. I really doubt they took in a new sick cat just to annoy or trick their sitter.
^When is the same true for a sitter? Their uncle needs a new home for their cat - can the sitter bring it with unannounced? Can the sitter end the sit mid way because of the uncle now needing a cat sitter? Can they start to feed a local stray cat, domesticate it and leave it for the host to deal with? I dont think so.
In general, no matter what the need is, when you are the one making the choice, you can not make it on behalf of another person. It is no malice to add another cat - but it is also no kindness and consideration. One should not load the work of their choices on other people - the sitter should not leave the host rambling for a replacement because they found something more important to do. This host could simply have paid for a cattery to care for the extra cat. Because it is the host who should carry the costs of their unexpected choice, not the sitter.
(That all being said as long as the new pet is same type as the listed pets, and the care does not exceed 15 minutes per day, I would not care.)
They did ask this sitter who declined to care for the cat because it was in another room (don’t know why that’s a hazard but they were given a choice and they made it).
The other examples you give are all mid-sit. I was referring to confirming a sitter, say, 3 months from now and then finding yourself with another pet.
The uncle example is irrelevant as that is a 3rd party and not either the sitter or HO. And if you started feeding a stray cat during your sit I would probably continue to do so, and maybe try to coax it inside. I’m just a sucker for kitty cats
Also most catteries won’t accept a sick cat. Some vets will but not always if it’s a contagious-type illness.
Thanks for your and everyone’s response Just to be clear- It was during a dog sit where we found a dead mouse next to our bed when we woke up the next day after our arrival ! Also,
My post in general is about HO’s just being up front- The mouse trap indicates they are Well aware of having rodents !. Mouse trap was behind the recycling bag in the kitchen— I’m sitting a dog and traveling with a child—this is unsafe and unhygienic, (mice can carry diseases) and this is not a ‘country quirk experience’ Sitters deserve full, upfront disclosure — which is my point! Had I been told there were active rodents - I would have respectfully declined the sit! I’m a BIG CAT AND DOG PERSON-and well aware of cat behavior of leaving “gifts”, however - this was not a cat sit regarding the mouse!
Hi - thanks for your response - however I was not sitting in the countryside- But either way- having mouse traps but not including this verbally or in the welcome guide is a HO not being upfront !
Even if I were to go with your pov- of being in the countryside and having that expectation— the point is TRANSPARENCY- for sitters before they commit to something that may make them uncomfortable!
One person may be ok with bed bugs due to their upbringing somewhere- however , some ppl may be uncomfortable with that! It’s just nice to know Information like this up front !
PS
This was a dog sit -
I see a lot of comments mentioning cat “gifts” and countryside living- neither is the case in my experience
), electricity switchboards in dark basements or deep in under-the-stairs corridors. To me these just seem like minor things that make up the rich tapestry of life. (Plenty of those housesits I have been sitting with my children too)
