How to make life easier for sitters

THS News & Feedback
1

THS should place this on their “Looking for a house sitter” introductory page:

“Home owners can make life easier for sitters by following these simple steps:

  1. Reveal ALL truths about their pets e.g. my dog is not house trained;
  2. Make space in the fridge and freezer for the sitters food and drinks;
  3. Do not turn the central heating or hot water temperature down, especially in the colder months;
  4. Ensure you have stocked up on all the pet’s food, treats and waste bags for the time you are away;
  5. Make sure you have made arrangements for the sitter to dry their washing, such as empty drying racks, airers or lines;
  6. Make space outside for the sitter’s vehicle;
  7. Leave enough clean towels and bed linen for the sitter;
  8. Allow the sitter some privacy (and trust) by not contacting them too often about the state of things;
  9. Leave your house in a clean and tidy state ensuring all cleaning equipment is in good condition and maintained such as an empty vacuum cleaner cannister and there are enough cleaning materials;
  10. Turn off all internal CCTV cameras- if not followed, this can be taken as an invasion of privacy;
  11. A gift as a way of saying ‘Thank you’ goes a long way, think along the lines of chocolates, wine, a meal or even a card.
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2

I thought this was written by the same author of the disclosure thread.

Sometimes when my dog is sleeping he’s doing that thing where he dreams and sort of half barks.

Should I include that in the listing?

3

Ooooooo freezer space, now that really is luxury :heart_eyes:, it’s the one thing we very rarely get.

I think I’ll start asking for a drawer of freezer space ahead of time now though.

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4
  1. If you do a cold handover, take a picture/video of where you hide the key/where the key lock box is. In any case it can be useful to send the sitter a fresh picture of the front of your house after you confirm: makes finding it easier.
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5

I do this and it works like a charm

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6

If you ever sit for me, you have half the freezer and most of the refrigerator for your items. :smiley:

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7

My sitter profile mentions that I appreciate fridge and freezer space. I can tell that my hosts pay attention, because when we hand off, they show me the space.

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8

How often is too often?

A gift should always be something voluntary and heartfelt, not an obligation. Turning off indoor cameras is an obligation.

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9

OR, HOs and sitters, all of whom are adults, should act with thoughtfulness and courtesy throughout the process.

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10

I have no problem with this ask at all, in fact on the video chat I show them the drawer and closet space (we try not to clutter up the guest room and like it in a ‘ready to go’ state). I open the fridge and show them approx which shelves will be empty (most of them, we eat through our food before we depart) and same with freezer and cupboard. I also let them know that we pull out the fridge shelves and wash/sanitize them in the dishwasher, and wipe down all the interior surfaces. Same with freezer. Our cupboards have liners so I do a quick check and just replace any where there may have been a spill.

For sits longer than 3 weeks I typically leave half the freezer space and a 2 large cupboard shelves for sitters (we have a chest freezer in the garage and I do sometimes relocate things there to make space).

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11

Yep, the post is well meaning but the tone of it…yikes. If I saw that on the THS website I would not join.

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12

My girl usually lets out a big ‘ol belch about a half hour after breakfast. Never dinner, just breakfast. She looks so sweet and dainty until she rips that out :joy:

I guess that another pet truth I would have to disclose!

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13

So does mine! Usually while she and I are eating breakfast. :grimacing:

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14

There’s that word again. A person “should” act in a way that meets the approval of another. Oftentimes they don’t.

15

Well maybe sitters should disclose ALL their behaviors as well, eg will they pass gas while sitting on my sofa? I do need to know ALL sitter behaviors disclosed in their applications :roll_eyes:

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16

It’s only fair for all parties that such behaviors are fully disclosed to avoid misunderstandings and disappointments. Especially if the sofa is a light colored fabric.

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17

A lot of these things are on a list sent to owners ahead of a sit. If they don’t read the list it’s worthless anyway….

18

What an extra lot of unnecessary nonsense that is so patronizing to Hosts and indeed Sitters!! We have 75+ Sits to our enjoyment and never found a need for the Host to be ‘instructed’ this way. I’m quite offended and embarrassed as a Sitter that Hosts would think me that precious! If there’s a freezer nearly full or actually needs defrosting, I fix it or adapt our shopping. We want the Hosts to go away relaxed and ready to enjoy their trip, etc , not exhausted from attending to these new ’recommended rules’…. to overcome any surprises, we are very thorough with open questions at our video call interview and certainly more thorough at handover.

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19

Hi @Gail1

Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing your idea! :tada:

Each sit can have it’s own quirks, as each home, pet and location is unique. But having a consistent foundation can be useful.

With that in mind, yesterday, we introduced our pre-sit checklist which covers some of your suggestions, and in the near future, we’ll also be introducing ‘check out tips’ to support the sitters departure.

All the best,
Mark.

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20

I was just video chatting with a host, who said they loved that I mentioned in my profile that I don’t cook, that I live on takeout or prepped food. They said they’d clear out space for me in the fridge and freezer.

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