Not necessarily harsh but it would have been beneficial to readers if you had specified why you had removed a star.
You did not do that so sitters won’t know that you were referring to only one item and may assume incorrectly that the whole home was poorly kept. Although the pictures show a pretty pristine home.
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Yes, you are right. Should have done that. Though the location is such that I would think only people needing to be in the area, like me, would apply. It was a suburb in Buffalo. If someone needs to be in the area, they will apply.
I’m just deliberating what to give a sit I returned from on Saturday. It’s an elderly couple who have a cleaner come in every 2 weeks so the house was generally clean. But it was obvious that the cleaner doesn’t do appliances. I cleaned a couple of fridge shelves and started to de-gunge the dishwasher door seals before deciding that it was easier to do the washing up by hand. Mould around the shower and washing machine seal, and layers of dust behind the mirror in the guest bedroom and on clutter in the living room. I’m giving it a 4.
I’m also giving a 4 for communication - the welcome guide had nothing more than the contact details when I first got it although I managed to persuade the HO to add a few more details, but it’s still only about 10% populated, with only a page of hand-written notes on arrival.
I’m wavering between a 5 and 4 overall as it’s a lovely sit in a stunning countryside location, but spoilt by the above issues plus a wasp infestation in the guest bedroom with up to about a dozen each day. I think I’ll stick with a 5 as the two 4s for communication and cleanliness will already serve as a warning.
I would be inclined to give a 4 overall. A 5 indicates it is close to perfection.
You cannot rate the stunning countryside so don’t let that impair your ratings.
Don’t forget to comment in your review why you are rating the communication and cleanliness a 4
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We too live in stunning countryside location and have been docked a star for cleanliness a few times but the reviews never explained why. I can sort of guess but I’m never sure if what I consider sub-par is what they had in mind. I suppose I would appreciate something simple like “Docked a star for cleanliness because of:
- dirty fridge shelves
- gunge on dishwasher seals
- Mould around shower
- Dust behind mirror in guest bedroom
- Clutter in the living room”
It does give a fuller picture of the sitter and what they don’t like – other sitters might have a greater tolerance for certain flaws. But I have to admit that if I checked a sitter’s reviews and saw that list, I would probably pass on them.
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@KChev I’ve always given 5 stars for homes that are ‘generally’ clean - even if I have chosen to give the fridge, or similar, a bit of a wipe down, upon arrival. I try to remain mindful of the fact that I am staying in someone’s lived-in home, not a hotel. 
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I like to arrive to a clean home as much as the next sitter, but unless it’s a sit of 2 or 3 weeks or longer and I discover something I really can’t live with, there are usually far more exciting things to do when I find myself in a new area than deep-clean someone else’s home. I mean who even bothers to look behind the mirror in the guest bedroom to find the dust in the first place?!
I know it’s subjective, and different people have different standards, but for me if I can see an effort has been made, that’s usually good enough. Maybe I’ve been lucky, as I’ve never found myself in what I’d consider to be a really unpleasant house-sit situation, but I’ve certainly had some challenging moments. Alternatively, maybe my standards/expectations are below average, but I’d certainly give a bit of leeway to an elderly couple who might be struggling to keep on top of things, even with the help of a cleaner.
Your logic in reaching a final star rating seems sensible, but once again, I’m wondering whether a series of carefully worded questions/prompts would be a more fair way for THS to illicit honest and open responses from users, than this ‘back-to-school’ star rating system.
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I do agree with what you say. As to the dust behind the mirror, the bedside light on the chest of drawers was shining right onto the deep layer of dust, it’s not that I went looking for it. My sinuses play up when there’s dust around so I sniffled throughout the sit. I didn’t want to start dusting as that would have dislodged it and caused me even more grief.
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My husband and I had a sit for 9 days where our bathroom was spotless & bedding was fresh & clean, but the rest of the house was uncomfortably messy for me. Furniture and rugs covered with cat hair; kitchen appliances, counters, fridge obviously not cleaned on a regular basis; cat food dishes and litter boxes/area filthy. I’ve cleaned up after people in the past but have decided not to spend my time during sits doing this anymore. For the benefit of the cats I cleaned their dishes, a moldy water fountain and the litter area. Didn’t do any major cooking in the kitchen and cleaned just a couple of shelves in the fridge for our use.
I wondered how to handle the star rating afterwards, having had a great rapport with the HO and wanting to be fair. I rated everything a 5 except the cleanliness, which I gave a 4. After posting my review and receiving their review of us, I sent an additional, honest message to her. I felt disrespected by the condition of the house as a sitter and that the only way she would be aware of how to show more respect to future sitters is to give more attention to these conditions. I told her it was very difficult to express these things because otherwise we had a great sit, loved her cats and thought highly of her & her husband. I stated that I’d actually have rated the cleanliness at a 3 but didn’t want to do that to her, so at least she knew how I felt about the situation. She responded that she truly appreciated my comments and would take them to heart. I know it could have gone the other way but I just couldn’t ignore how uncomfortable I felt in the home, and felt an obligation to future sitters.
I decided 2 things after this experience: I added to our profile that - after stating that I would leave their house impeccably clean - that we ask for a clean home when we arrive. Also, from now on when meeting with prospective pet owners when applying for a sit, I am going to address the fact that we’ve had some bad experiences (we have had other homes not quite up to par) and would hope to find a clean home when we arrive. If it puts people off and they decide not to choose us, that’s ok with me. I will approach it tactfully & kindly and hopefully they won’t take offense.
Just thought I’d share my experience and thoughts on how to deal with a lack of cleanliness in these homes. All in all, we’ve had wonderful sits and we think TH is a great opportunity to travel and provide a service to others. We love having cats to cuddle up with - something we’re used to at home and would miss when away.
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One of my early sits wasn’t anywhere as clean as I’d expect in the kitchen and dining room. The rest of the home was clean and tidy. That taught me to look for specific references to cleanliness in writing in reviews by sitters. (Some sitters might gloss over in star ratings, but are unlikely to outright lie about cleanliness in writing.)
I also include in my sitter profile things that I appreciate in exchanges, including a clean home. My profile includes how I’m clean and tidy. Reviews by my hosts have always referred to how clean I’ve left sit homes, as do my Airbnb reviews. I think all of that (plus my giving friendly heads up about THS dealbreakers in my profile) have helped me match with clean and tidy hosts. (I’d rather that hosts who aren’t clean avoid me as a sitter.)
If I were to arrive at a home that was so unclean that I’d consider it a dealbreaker, I’d leave before the sit started (I overlap with most hosts) or (if no overlap) give 24 hours’ notice so the host could arrange alternative care.
I will not clean anyone’s home if they left it disrespectfully dirty — I’m not their maid and that would not be a fair exchange, in which case I’d rather pay for a hotel.
Note: Under THS terms, the host is supposed to provide a habitable home.
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