I joined THS in 2021 a month after losing my bestie dog and must say that I am living my best life. It has been wonderful in getting to meet new pets, people, and as a bonus—traveling to new locations.
Yet, still, from a sitter’s perspective, looking back on a few sits, there are a few things I wish I had known then what I know now:
Security cameras - While on my second sit, I noticed that there were security cameras in the dining room, pool area, and living room. Naively, I thought to myself, surely the cameras are not on and the HO would not be recording me. Looking back, I am not so sure. I wish I would have known then that security cameras are a ‘no no’ and a breach of THS’ terms and conditions.
Location - I have had a couple of sits whereby the HO’s city location differed from what they stated in their listing from the address given in their Welcome Guides. For an example, one HO’s listing stated their location as Old Saybrook, CT—but actually lived in Clinton, CT.
Red Flags - Some of these red flags were HO complaining about past sitters, missing reviews, one sentence reviews, lack of photos, and lack of communication. I wish I would have slowed down, listened to my gut, and not be in a rush to accept a sit. Lesson to self: Don’t become desperate—it never ends well.
Rural vs urban - I wish I would have paid more attention to sits located in the city or the country. For the sits I had in the country, wi-fi was spotty and the drive to get to grocery stores and restaurants was a bit of a drive.
3rd parties - On one sit, the HO stated that her neighbor’s washing machine was broken and would need to stop by and do her laundry. At the time I didn’t think much of it. But in hindsight, I asked myself, “Why couldn’t the neighbor do their laundry before I arrived?” I wish I would have known that 3rd parties (other than gardeners, cleaners, maintenance) were not allowed in the home.
Dogs’ behavior - Aggressive / separation anxiety / destructive / stubborn / reactive dogs /. Dogs I have cared for exhibited all of these behaviors. I wish I would have asked more questions about the dogs’ behavior.
Cats that sleep in the bed / cuddly - On one sit, one of the cats was cuddly (always found my lap) and liked to sleep in the bed. I had forgotten that I was allergic to cats and woke up the next morning with an allergic reaction. The cats I had sat prior to this were distant and I had no allergic reaction, but I wish I had remembered that I was allergic to cats.
Community Forum - I wish I had known about the Community Forum (CF) earlier. Like most things, I discovered the CF by accident. I certainly have learned a lot from the experiences I have had and of reading others’ experiences.
In wishing I would have known then what I know now, I have learned to ask more detailed questions prior to accepting sits. I have learned to trust my gut if something does not feel right.
Sometimes, we don’t know until we know…lessons learned.
As sitters and homeowners, is there anything you wish you had known then what you know now?
I really agree with all of your points, we’ve been sitting for nearly 8yrs now and have had some great experiences. I pay quite a lot of attention to the photos the HO puts up, looking for clutter and mess and also if the pics are too ‘dressed’ i wonder if they are pics that were used if the property has been on the property market as this happened to us in the past and when we got to the sit the house was not as the pics led us to believe. We also dont apply for sits with more than 2 dogs now and are also asking about the dogs behaviour on and off the lead. Too many indoor cats is also a no no. I do think you get more selective as you gain more experience.
Arrival and Departure Dates and Times - It is worth asking during the initial communication exactly what are the dates, and equally important, exactly what are the times that the Owner expects you to be at their home.
Some Owners post their dates based on THEIR vacation schedule, giving little thought to how THEIR timing affects YOUR life.
I’m on a local sit that ends on Saturday the 29th June however the HOs don’t return until 2.30am Sunday the next day……I’ve had to double check that they mean 2.30am 30th….we’ve agreed that I’ll leave at midnight once I know that they’re on the flight home.
I only live 20 minutes away so we agreed they’d send me a text when they were about to get onto the plane so I knew it was leaving on time. Also I normally don’t go to bed until midnight/1am then I’m awake again at 7am. They offered for me to stay but I’d prefer to go home.
I agree. I am more careful now in choosing my sits. Sitting for 2 dogs will cause me pause because of my last experience. On one sit, walking both dogs on a tandem leash was challenging as one dog pulled hard on leash / walked faster while the other liked to stop and sniff every blade of grass. One dog was afraid of noises and if he heard a noise, he wanted to stop the walk and go back home. Even though time-consuming, my solution was to walk both dogs separately.
Although I will never say that I will never sit 2 dogs again, it will give me pause of my thoughts.
@PVGemini During the video call, I always ask the HO what time they would like for me to arrive. A few days prior to the sit, I willl ask again if the time we previously agreed upon is a good arrival time. I have always arrived at the agreed upon time for handover.
I also ask them their expected time of return. Of course this can change with flight delays / cancellations /traffic congestion. Some HO have returned early in the day and I have done a handover. And some HO have returned a little later in the day where I have departed within 2 hours of their arriving home. If the latter, I will do a post video showing the home / pet(s) and thanking them for inviting me. And with the latter, I ask them to please let me know when they have arrived home safely and have reunited with their pets–so as not to worry.
Video call / home tour - we will not agree to do a sit without a video tour of the home during the initial call with the owner and to also meet the pets. If an owner refuses then we will withdraw our application saying “the sit is not a good fit for us”. We want to see in reality where we will be living and the behaviour of the pets and not just rely on photos that may not be current or descriptions that could be vague or misleading. A person’s body language speaks volumes that you don’t get through mere written communication.
No welcome guide = no sit - we will not go in “blind” to a sit. If an owner does not share their welcome guide with us shortly after confirming our sit then we will advise them we can’t go forward with the sit. I know not all sitters agree with this WG position and that’s OK for them but not for us.
It’s OK to say “no, that’s not what we agreed on” - when one party changes or introduces new terms after the sit is agreed e.g, extra responsibilities, 3rd party visitors to the home, change of the sit arrival/departure date or times. Know, and value, your own self worth and stand up for yourself. This applies to both sitters and owners (we are both)
Also, what time they wake up, where they sleep and if they are active at night. A couple of active cats jumping onto me at 3 am does not help my sleep.
Reading another thread I realized there’s something else I have learnt. At the beginning I never applied for overlapping sittings and waited for an answer to my first application for a really long time (weeks) Now, If I have applied for a sit and see that the application has been read and get no answer in a couple of days I apply for other sittings. Also, if after a video call, the owner says they will take a time to decide and I see they keep getting more applications instead of going into reviewing mode, I warn them that I will have to consider other options, too.
I don’t warn them. I apply to other listings too and when one of those gets confirmed I will just withdraw my other applications with a note that I had found something else.
Great topic @sharondc
Here are some of the things that I wish I had known when I started with THS.
THS doesn’t share the address of the host with the sitter . It’s not always included in the Welcome Guide . Sitter has to ask the owner for their address - do this asap.
The T&Cs say that a sitter should pay an emergency vet fees incurred on a sit upfront and also any for any emergency repair work .https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/sitter-has-to-pay-veterinary-expenses-up-front
Something for owners and sitters to discuss - before confirming a sit - to ensure that the owner doesn’t expect this of the sitter and has other arrangements in place for paying for these if they should arise .
Just a quick note, to keep this post on the topic of ‘I wish I knew then… what I know now’. I’ve moved the more in-depth discussion about vet exspences to the ongoing thread about sitters having to pay veterinary expenses upfront.
Please feel free to follow up with the discussion here when you can discuss this important issue in more detail. Thank you
