Hi Can I ask re the due diligence questions re how clean the house is please as it is a very personal thing and clean to someone is not clean to someone else… In this situation myself and working out how best to address it - many thanks
This has been keeping me awake at night!! My thoughts to date are to include in my review something like " The house is a busy, family oriented environment, and some cleaning was required on arrival". I thought i would sandwich this in between some positive aspects. I also thought I would leave a note for the owners ( we are leaving before they arrive back) explaining that we had to spend time cleaning the hobs, dirty pans, microwave, and bathroom, and whilst we would not be listening all of this in our review, we would be mentioning the need for additional cleaning. If you have any suggestions - I’d gladly receive them!
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I would actually just start by asking them what their expectations are…if they just give a vague response,…usually not a good sign for me.
I also call out in my HS/HO profiles that we are very neat and tidy people, the images reflect that and the level of transparency I try to express when giving HS’s a view into our home is a very proactive one…I literally will walk an HS through all the things so that if they find a reason to walk away from the sit, they can do it now before we waste each other’s time. I only want to have a sitter who 1000% wants to be there, so I err on the side of high transparency and set very clear and realistic expectations.
I can’t stress enough though how integral having the following is for me when vetting a potential sit:
- they have no issues sending the abridged welcome guide sooner rather than later
- they have a really good set of photos on their listing
- they have no qualms about giving you a video tour of the home and show you where you’ll be sleeping, what areas you are/aren’t allowed in, the common rooms, etc.
In truth though, I don’t typically as a ton of questions, I more so “read the room” in terms of how they respond…
Green flags…
- I ask where the cleaning supplies are kept and they say, “they’re in such and such places but we’ll make sure to outline it for you in the welcome guide”
- I’ll ask questions about keeping the animal’(s) things clean or for instance vacuuming and they’ll say something like "we’ll make sure it’s all clean and ready before you come but the vacuum is located x.
Red flags…
- they seem a bit put off when you ask about cleaning the place.
- they brush off doing a video tour
- their photos or listing do not give you a good idea of what living at the home will be like
If it’s not easy to see yourself enjoying your time at the home while you take care of their pet, as many others have said, do NOT accept the sit or move forward. It’s genuinely not worth the hassle.
I would encourage you to have a look at more homes on the platform and start to ID for yourself where your standards are at. There are also several threads on what questions to ask and you can reverse engineer the cleaning lists, but again, I don’t ask explicit questions about cleaning the way I do about the animal care since for me that’s’ priority no. 1…house is usually no. 2. and is more a visual/vibe assessment.
Hope that helps?
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@heljanejo I’d be careful with leaving a note- for their return- about the cleanliness issue- the hosts might not react kindly- i.e they might write a less than 5* review for you if they know you are going to mention cleaning in your review of them.
In your shoes I would wait till you get the message from THS that they have reviewed you. Then you post your review mentioning cleaning. And at that time you could then send the private message you planned to leave for them. Protect yourself! People are so sensitive to critisism that your honesty could backfire!
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I get the stress of writing such a review. You seem considerate and your intentions are not malicious.
This is about accountability and maintaining integrity of the platform.
It is not ok for a HO to do this to an unsuspecting THsitter who is basically locked into a sit.
Write a draft…let it sit…then go back to it.
This is the third email I received about prepping me for my upcoming Tsitters.
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Please review your sit honestly so other sitters know what to expect. It is very important to warn sitters so they can avoid the type of experience you are having. Thank you in advance for your honest review of your current sit.
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Just sayin’ … HO’s get some prompts…
I have a section in our welcome book “when the house is talking.” 
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Lot’s of good advice here. Candid reviews can be hard. Here are some wording ideas that came to my mind.
Start with the positive. Then something like…
"I wonder if [host’s name] left in a hurry as the cleanliness was markedly different from what prior feedback mentioned or omitted. Fortunately there were cleaning supplies (true?) and I brought my own too, so I could clean specific areas I used. I imagine this was unusual and future sitters can expect a clean home on arrival, as [name] is a truly welcoming host who wants you to feel comfortable.
Or “I know everyone has different expectations around cleanliness. Some sitters will not be bothered by a bit of grease and grime in the kitchen and bathroom. This may not be the right sit for those who value guest-ready cleanliness and uncluttered workspace.”
For more borderline sits that aren’t quite as clean as I would expect, but are not awful, I tend to leave fully positive reviews but describe the home as “lived in” or “unfussy”.
Good luck. Sorry you are dealing with this.
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I am tired of the homeowners that leave their houses so cluttered and filthy that they expect the house sitter to clean up before they even start looking after the pet. What is with homeowners that don’t read the pre-sit checklist? I have been on a few sits where the fridge is full of expired food (and no space for any perishables I may have brought), bins not emptied, dirty laundry out and in the machine, clothes on the line. The list goes on. Surprise Surprise! Stuff all cleaning products too.
I am about to embark on a house sit where the owner wanted to make sure everything was ready, even going as far as what sort of pillows I wanted to use and any foods we liked. She even told me that she was scrubbing everything and not to worry about a thing with cleaning (I will make sure we leave the place clean and tidy and as we found it). These homeowners are the best!
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Thank you for those really helpful suggestions!
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There are some good ideas here on how to write the review, however, why should we even have to write one? I think THS should Black List this account for not following the rules. I don’t see any reason for future sitters to have to go through this same yuk!
The rules here are for a reason. Yes, would everyone agree? I know everyone has a different expectation of cleanliness, however, this level of dirty is extreme. I certainly do not mind having to do a bit of cleaning to bring things up to what I think is a safe/sanitary standard. My motto is to leave it cleaner then how I found it!
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I clean until I’m comfortable. If it’s not the Ritz I remind myself that I don’t have to pay for the Ritz. It’s not my place to pass judgement. I believe everyone is doing their best. I don’t leave bad reviews for people. I’ll leave bad reviews for bad service that I pay for–that’s different.
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If I follow your logic, @Petstuff, does that mean sitters can do whatever they want with pets and homes, because the hosts aren’t paying? And the hosts shouldn’t review either, because they should assume that sitters did their best?
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I kind of like @Petstuff 's reasoning. It is how the thinking goes on hospex (couchsurfing etc) where clutter or cleanliness are not usually mentioned in reviews. There bad reviews is mostly for inconsiderate behaviour, reporting is for issues with with personal safety.
However, petsitting should be more of an exchange: accommodation for pet care. And it should feel fair. I do not expect Ritz-level cleanliness but there are limits (which so far I have not been in the vicinity of).
Totally agree - it should feel fair and it just doesn’t. We appreciate the responsibility of caring for much loved pets and go above and beyond to put the animals first . Whilst i don’t expect hotel standards- I do expect a mutual ‘transaction’.
We are looking after 3 dogs which we have religiously walked twice a day in torrential rain, and i have just been out in the garden picking up two full bags of poo which were here when we arrived ( none of the dogs have needed to use the garden as we have been taking them out!) I have just had a shower and walking from the bathroom to the bedroom has left my feet dirty and covered in dog hair! Even the neighbour commented on the way this family live!
When the owner left, she said she felt unwell and had a fever, three days later we both have Covid! Maybe a coincidence but with hygiene this poor you have to wonder.
One day left and counting the hours until we can leave…
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Welcome to the forum! I see it differently. Some people might be okay with this level of clean/dirty. Really okay. Should THS have to do home inspections to verify accusations? If it were in Paris I would gladly do a deep cleaning to stay there. I see reviews as a way to share info with future sitters, not about rating hosts like a hotel. I have an older home with chronic ant problems, no matter what I do. Should I be removed because many sitters will find that disgusting? It is not all or nothing. JMO.
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I see reviews as passing on helpful information to future sitters or pet hosts, as the case may be. Transit links, neighborhood, things to do, pet personality, etc. That includes the space a sitter will be staying in. I am not rating a hotel but I am part of a community.
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At least you can give an honest review without fear of them being tit for tat as they cant see what you say until they have completed their review of you.
Cleaning I am ok with. Did you really read the posts? “cupboards have food spills on every door, the bin is overflowing, as is the food caddy; the dish washer is disgusting and filter blocked with debris. The fridge is full of food that is going off, and there was a bowl of custard congealing on work surface”. There are rules for a reason. If one can not follow the rules and there is photo grafic evidence supplied to THS then there needs to be at least a probation period! As I have alwasy taught my children there are consequences for not following the rules! I also, do not mide doing some cleaning and ants are no big deal. BTW - try cinnamon oil and cinnamon sticks at the entrance points. It repels Ants.
Yes, I read the post, and it is one of the most egregious situations I’ve heard of or dealt with personally. Do I think this host needs feedback? Yes. Do I think it is a good idea for THS to contact them and have a difficult conversation? Yes. Do I think they deserve to be banned from THS, as you suggested? No.
People really do have different standards and tolerance levels. Hence this homeowner. I really do mean it, if this home were in central Paris, London, Rome, Manhattan or another highly desirable, hard to land location, I would gladly do it and spend a full day deep cleaning. If it were anywhere else, it wouldn’t be worth the effort. That’s just me.
Have a great day.
PS I use diatomaceous earth. It works great but they always find another way into my 1926 home filled with cracks. 