I do agree that kind of repairs must be paid by the HO but, in this case, there’s some context that I would like to consider:
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Which was repaired after I left.
@Mexicobound, you mentioned this is your second sit so, for future sits, you may want to take some precautions before agreeing to a sit and during the sit:
- If they don’t give you that information, It’s worth asking the owners what to do in case of an emergency (house or pets) in terms of emergency contacts, decision making, payments and so on. For the first steps, it really helps to know where the main water tap, electric board and a carrier are (in case you needed to carry the pet to the vet), how to get to the vet, if they have 24/7 attention…
If you agree to advance payment, don’t pay until the service has been completed, keep a solid proof of payment and make sure there’s an easy way to get reimbursed. It may not be that simple if it’s a foreign currency. I usually suggest a close person dealing with that if the HO is unreachable. Even if it is just on the phone, a local will be more familiar with options, prices and so on. (* related personal experience at the end) - As others have already mentioned, try to anticipate as much as you can, so that everything is as good as you would like before you are stressed out because the HOs are returning or you have to catch a plane. You can’t trust deliveries to be made at a specific time and it may impact the HO’s schedule to receive a parcel.
- You may use this experience, to kindly ask future HOs to keep you updated regarding their arrival time so that you can have everything ready.
We have all had experiences that made us be more mindful about certain things before agreeing to or even applying for a sit. Good luck with future sits!
- I lived in Paris for 5 years in a rented apartment on a 6th floor. When I rented it, the estate agent showed me where the main water tap was but I never checked it was correct. A couple of months later, a hot water pipe burst and, when I tried to close the tap I found out that the one for my apartment was not there. I rang several neighbours’ bells on different floors asking for help, explaining what happened and nobody opened the door. Meanwhile, the water was getting everywhere, it was even raining because of the steam accumulation on the ceiling. When the water started to get into the neighbours’ apartments, they came out but the first ones didn’t know where to cut the water supply. When the water reached the third floor, the lady living there came up and closed the tap. She was really nice and helpful. I had already asked the next door neighbors if they had a contact for a plumber, they said they didn’t and told me to search on the Internet, I then remembered I had some leaflets with emergency contacts (supposedly from Levallois Council) so I phoned and asked them to come urgently. When the plumber came, the water tap was already closed but the water kept leaking. It was a Sunday, so all sort of extra charges applied, and the man said I had to pay (or give credit card approval) for them to bring the machine they needed to extract the water. He charged me a fortune, he went to get the machine and never came back.
You may not believe it but the story is much longer and more complicated. Police were involved, estate agents, two different insurance companies with their appraisers…
It was the perfect storm: lack of reliable information, I was in panic and a foreigner who was not yet familiar with prices and procedures, neighbours not helpful, etc.
Some of the things that happened were not preventable, but I certainly learned a few lessons.