This makes a lot of sense!
I agree with this upfront statement!
It gives the sitter a yay or nay in deciding to take the sit or not - doesn’t wastes anyone’s time and can avoid a negative review!
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Thanks so much for sharing your perspective! I love that many sits can be fun and full of positive experiences- as a sitter on this platform for 5 years- I couldn’t agree with you more! That said, my concerns aren’t about minor quirks—they involve active mice, dead mice, and lack of access to basics like the thermostat, which affect both sitter and pet safety. I’m sharing my experience as a fellow sitter to help others make informed and safe decisions, and I hope it’s useful alongside all the other experiences here!
Thanks
Yes it makes sense for the HO to disclose mice for sure.
Maybe they need a cat or two to handle the mice!
Reminds me of something I read awhile ago on the Internet. It was a compilation of airline pilot complaints and funny responses logged by the mechanics. One pilot complaint was ‘mouse seen in cockpit’ to which the mechanics reply was ‘Installed cat as corrective measure’ 
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My sympathies. You must have been terrified. I know I would have been.
Hi- I was well into the sit when the HO asked me if I can take in a sick cat- perhaps I did not disclose this in my general post of transparency- but I travel with my child!
To be clear, my love for cats doesn’t change the fact that bringing a sick cat into a freezing home was not a safe or practical choice. This wasn’t mentioned before I accepted the sit—it came up after a few days, at the same time the temperature was dropping and the thermostat was difficult to locate— we’re talking -10 degrees due to a severe cold front that was taking place.
My point isn’t about being difficult—it’s about hosts being transparent upfront. I shared this as an example of my experience. As a former host myself on another platform, I understand the importance of making sitters feel comfortable while taking care of a beloved pet. I’m not asking for perfection, just honesty about what’s expected.
According to my understanding of THS guidelines, declining an unlisted or sick pet is fully within a sitter’s rights, and sitters are not liable for pets that weren’t part of the listing. That’s why saying no in this situation was a no-brainer, and it was based on guidelines, not personal feelings.
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Pro tip: If dead mice and insects put you off don’t sit in Australia 
. On a serious note other than a surprise pet these things are just part of the adventurous adventure IMHO.
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- now that’s a good one!
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A guideline is not a rule. Many or even most sitters wouldn’t be the least bit fazed by the things that put you over the edge. Your dealbreakers are all about personal feelings.
It sounds like it was a stressful sit, and I’m sorry as that’s never fun. There are definitely specifics you’ve added that weren’t included in your OP. That said, from the details you’ve provided it’s still not clear (to me at least) that anyone’s life was in danger, or that the hosts were trying to deliberately bamboozle anyone, or that this is a widespread issue that requires THS to implement a process change.
They asked about the new cat, you said no. Did they argue or try to bully you about it?
The thermostat wasn’t easily located. How did they respond when you asked where it was? (As a note, I recently stayed in a home where the host mounts her hats on the wall as a decorative element.)
They might have mentioned they’d set out some mousetraps, but it could have been an oversight, and it’s not what I’d call life-threatening. Mice & spiders sometimes happen to the best of us; sounds like they were trying to address it in the normal way. (IOW: Nice to know, but not deadly.)
The dirty shower is perhaps the least explainable thing, but in those cases I tend to shrug & roll up my sleeves & get on with it.
Petsitting in strangers’ homes include lots of variables. I understand it would be more challenging if you’re traveling with children, so I applaud you for taking that on, as it’s not something I’d likely do — mostly because I would just find those variables too stressful & difficult to anticipate.
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Nope, this isn’t about feelings, it’s about disclosure and safety! I am Not Most Sitters - I am me and you are you! Sounds like this is your projection on how I should feel —either fazed or unfazed rather than the point - which is to JUST BE TRANSPARENT about having rodents ! Otherwise- what’s the point of the guidelines?
The guidelines also include sitters should not have parties in HO homes—- should they do so anyway because it’s not a rule?
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So this beauty ran over my chair the other night. I tried to catch it to put it outside but it ended up here. I said fine but I would appreciate it you went outside 
. Yesterday I lay on the floor near chair leg, then thought “boy I hope that spider has moved on”
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I feel I must reply to this. Bed bugs are not the same as a dead mouse. All environments have mice/rats (urban and countryside). Our 400 year old converted barn in the countryside was spotlessly clean, I’m very fastidious, however during certain periods field mice would attempt to live rent free in the house. It was a battle to dissuade them. I do wonder what your life experience has been to date, possibly limited to modern condos or high rise apartments?
In any case one little mouse does not a plague make.
For example :
If Sitters are expected to disclose guests and follow homeowner expectations
Then:
Homeowners are expected to disclose material conditions of the home.
Transparency goes both ways.
It’s not about being fazed or unfazed- again it’s about Transparency
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I am happily in a sit where the hosts left the heating control right in the middle of the coffee table, ready for me to use. With the note of “if you like to put up a fire, use as many logs from the shed as you like”.
At the same time the previous hosts asked me to keep it between 18 and 20. Usually my home is 20-22, so this was ok if bit annoying. However, they had a display that showed the daily electricity and heating costs. And wow was it high! I come from a country were heating is very cheap, electricity is reasonable. I know that in UK and in many countries of EU heating and electricity are very expensive, due to the war and due to the houses not being well insulated etc. But it was very useful to see that heating could cost 5 pounds per day! At home I heat without thinking, apart from ecological reasons.
I think THS blog should run a series of “what outsiders dont realize about X-country”, and just list things like “UK homes are cold because gas is expensive and the walls are paper”. It can include “these are the most common types of pests you will encounter, and the likelihood of them carrying decease”.
Because yes, if you travel to north during the winter, the host -can- write “we got snow”, and I appreciate when they do, but also the sitter -can- do some research on the situation (my jacket is way too warm for the UK weather - well, I can use it indoors when needed…)
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Oh Cathie! Thanks for your response
A spider running across a chair isn’t the same as finding a dead rodent in the sleeping space. My point isn’t about wildlife existing — it’s about being informed beforehand so I can decide whether I’m comfortable with the conditions. Transparency is the issue.
I see there’s lots of responses that are pointing toward bugs, deers and being part of the adventurous adventures —- but most are missing the point on HO being transparent—
the Forum Olympics I see is in full swing today!
Possibly many of us simply don’t see what the big drama is. At my current sit there are tiny ants in a bathroom, no drama, there’s ant traps, look it’s an old Edwardian house. There was a dead seagull in the garden which I had to deal with, again its life the house is near to the sea. There are spiders in the log pile in the basement, again this is within normal parameters. It’s called nature/ecology. Nobody lives in a laboratory clean environment despite me being fastidious which I’m known for (it’s in my profile) none of this for me as a sitter is a drama.
Thanks for sharing your experience. My point isn’t about the number of mice or life experience — it’s that the presence of a dead mouse in the sleeping space was not disclosed in the listing or Welcome Guide as “we have rodents” Being informed ahead of time allows sitters to make a choice about whether they’re comfortable accepting a sit. That’s the issue I’m highlighting.
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Absolutely!
That’s it! It’s all about communication! What some may not be used to , or even comfortable with— makes it easier for both HO and sitter to choose or be chosen to sit!
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Just to be clear — I didn’t make this a drama. The issue is that a dead mouse was found in the sleeping space because the HO’s actively have rodents and it was not disclosed beforehand. That’s a safety and transparency concern, not a “feelings” debate.
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I dont know why I should be bothered by a dead rodent in the bedroom. I honestly dont know. I dont think they really carry that bad decease, and there probably was hand washing facilities. Many animals “kiss” my face - and you know where that mouth has been….
So maybe it would be useful if OP explained why they do think that the dead rodent was indeed a health hazard.