How can I make a stay as lovely as possible?

Hi, I am new to TH and have a couple of house sits for my puppy.
For those of you who are sitters, what makes a sit as lovely as possible please?
Are there are little things I can do to make it feel like you get a lovely mini-break when you stay (albeit with our puppy!)?
Hints and tips all welcome.
I’m so grateful to the sitters, I would like to make it enjoyable for everyone. Thanks

(Stock image added by Forum team so we could add the post to our Featured Topics area)

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@Radcl80, welcome to THS and THS Forum. You have a wonderful attitude.
Below is a link to THS Guide for Pet Parents that includes some broad insight that may be helpful.
Not sure of the expected duration of your housesit listings. But from our perspective, 30+ housesits, then here are some ideas.

  • Prepare an honest and thorough THS profile/listing. Including photos of key rooms
  • Complete, ideally before listing published, a Welcome Guide in which all sections are completed
  • Schedule video calls with one or more housesitter applicants
  • Include extensive information about your puppy. Many housesitters will flatly refuse to look after puppies, as some can be very challenging. Provide information on age; breed; toilet/other training; walking distance/duration/frequency; behaviour towards other animals and humans; sleeping arrangement; any known challenges. More information is better than less. Objective is to provide comfort
  • Ensure listing/welcome guide includes plenty information about the local area
  • Avoid bad stuff. So leave house reasonably tidy. Remove any excessive clutter. Comply with THS policies, such as indoor cameras & recording devices. Limit visits by external people during housesit. Ensure plenty supplies (dog food, treats, poop bags, etc)
  • Little things that we make us smile are gestures of unexpected thoughtfulness. Varies per length of housesit. But perhaps an invitation to join for meal. Or a meal left in fridge. Or a bottle of wine. Or a nice welcoming note. Or use of vehicle. Or mapped routes of popular dog walks. Or details of any recommended local places (cafes, restaurants, walks, shops, etc). Or contact info of neighbour/other person that may look after the puppy for a brief period if the housesitters just need a break from the puppy!
  • For a puppy, encourage provide plenty of chew or other toys that are age appropriate
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My personal priorities are:

  • A clean and well-organized home, it makes the stay much more pleasant.
  • Good communication, clear instructions, responsiveness, and no last-minute surprises.
  • No cameras inside, sitters should feel trusted and comfortable.
  • A relaxed attitude, understanding that small things may not always go 100% your way.
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No cameras are allowed inside the house, not just ‘private spaces’

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Please ensure there is plenty of space for hanging clothes and drawers, also room in the fridge and freezer.
If you search your question you’ll find it’s been asked before

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I consider the whole house a private space, but I edited it to make sure it’s clear

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Welcome to forum @Radcl80

Just popped by to thank for you for being so considerate. Hope you have great sits on your THS-journey. :heart_eyes:

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@Radcl80 Thanks so much for asking. Everything noted by others and –

  • a folding luggage rack (like in a hotel, Amazon sells them) or a low table in the bedroom to open my luggage on. Unless it is a really long sit, I don’t usually unpack, but live out of my luggage.
  • a nightstand and accessible electric outlet (or extension cord) alongside the head of the bed. If I’m using my phone as an alarm clock, need to charge it in a good place. I’ve found that in older homes, the outlet is often on the wall in the center of the headboard and difficult to get to.
  • a reading lamp adjacent to the bed. Good for reading before bed but also so that I don’t trip getting to the bed after flipping the switch next to the door. (Unless you have a smart home and I can say Alexa turn off the bedroom light.)
  • if there are special commands that the pets know, a glossary - I may not remember them all.
  • and if you have a smart home, then a list of the special commands you may have set up (what lights does Alexa turn on with what commands).
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Basics for us are

  1. Nothing that makes us think yuk! And yes this means washing out your trash bins and no left over food in the fridge….
  2. Clean kitchen/shower room: it sounds obvious but apparently it’s an ‘extra’ for some HOs
  3. Clean bedding and towels as if you’ve got special guests coming.
  4. Great pet care instructions printed out on the fridge.
  5. A list of nice local cafes/restaurants/places to visit.
  6. Printed map or screen shot of where you walk your dogs.
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Above and beyond, in case you want to consider these possibilities:

Offer pickup and drop-off at airports or train stations. One set of my repeat hosts also offered to pick me up and drop me off in various other towns when I was doing sightseeing before and after our sits.

Those same hosts (and others) also have offered to let me stay extra days after our sits.

Some hosts have loaned me cars and/or offered bicycles. One pair left me a car, a golf cart and a bicycle.

One of my most recent pair of hosts offered to cover my airfare to get me to repeat sit their skittish cats.

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Welcome to THS. I am a HO and sitter. I usually leave a gift card to a local grocer, restaurant, winery, etc as well as fresh flowers on the table and a bottle of wine. I often take sitters out to dinner before the sit and will find out more about their tastes and interests at that time. I give them the names and phone numbers of friendly neighbors, some of whom have invited my sitters over for wine or a BBQ. The house is also very clean and sitters have the choice of any bedroom. When I have been a sitter, I have loved it when a HO leaves a plate of freshly baked cookies or a bottle of wine. When I used a paid sitter, I often paid $2,000 to $3,000 for a several week sit. I feel like leaving gift cards, etc. is appropriately because a sitter is not being paid.

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I would love to have a digital alarm clock in the bedroom. We don’t sleep with our phones. We usually bring one with us, but sometimes have a hard time finding somewhere to plug it in where we can see it from the bed.

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Thanks for the reply, very helpful!

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Thank you. I hadn’t thought about the freezer. Lots of bedroom hanging space in place.

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Great suggestions, thank you.
Reading lamp and plugs all sorted now.

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Thanks, that’s helpful. Ive actually purchased new pillows and a duvet for the sitters to make it as nice as possible.

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Thank you. I have offered lifts to and from the station. I’ll see if borrowing anything else may help their stay.

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Thanks. I will get a little hamper for them and have a couple of neighbours on standby. I’ll also make up all the rooms.

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Hi @Radcl80

Welcome to the Forum!

Thank you so much for starting such a wonderful topic. It’s been amazing to read through everyone’s replies - there’s so much inspiration to work from. It’s great to see you engaging with fellow members and taking on board their advice.

Thank you also to everyone who has popped on so far to give their advice!

I hope you don’t mind but I’ve added a stock image to your post, so that I could add it to our “Featured Topics” area on the Forum home page. I’m hoping this means you’ll get even more replies.

Jenny :slight_smile:

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My husband and I sit as a couple, so having comfortable sleeping quarters is a high priority. The bed should be comfortable with access from either side and tables with lamps on both sides as well. I see listings where the sleeping quarters are clearly and afterthought, it would be better to let them use the your bedroom in this case. thank you for being so thoughtful!