I have my profession in my profile so that has not been a question I have been asked. I think the closest thing I have gotten to that has been HO asking me where I live when not house sitting. I am not sure if that is a normal question but I answer it when asked.
I have been asked that question, too but found it normal. Some have asked if I rent out my apartment or let someone in charge. I don’t mind explaining a bit about my situation. This has never been in the vetting chat it has been a normal conversation over dinner and I think it’s natural for the owners to ask some questions about my house and lifestyle as I already know quite a bit about theirs.
3 Likes
It’s a problematic situation. You are a person of your word, but not everyone is. What would a sitter do if the HO is slow to repay them, or doesn’t pay them back at all? Sounds outrageous, but long and wide enough that I know anything is possible.
I spent $3 on something and the HO reimbursed me electronically right away. A few days later we needed something else for the house, at around $6. The HOs sent me $50 and wrote in the comment “for incidentals,” because they didn’t want to bother with every little thing. That was cool!
It would make more sense to me if you contacted the vendor and paid them over the phone with your own credit card.
3 Likes
All HO and HS are different, and the more experience we have, the more we know what we are willing to accept or not. Upfront payments are great when you know the person personally, not when you have an exchange of service with a person you’ve never met. No a video chat isn’t enough to tell if this person is trustworthy or not. We have no idea if you will pay or not, and even if you did pay 100% guaranteed, why would we even want to discuss financials with you? It happened to us that HO asked us to “buy daily bananas for my dog and I’ll refund you”. We obviously never saw the Color of that banana money. Why? Because we just don’t feel like asking for banana money back! But we do wish the owner of “banana money” had a plan in place (such as leaving 1$ a day x day of sit for the sitter before their departure, for example, to cover the monthly cost of 30 bananas). You either leave the money before you go and this means YOU trust the pet sitter that they will use it well, or you don’t count on them for anything financially related. I know this thread is old, but it did happen to us lately and even with our experience, we felt uncomfortable asking for money back, little or big. So every time we have a request, we now ask for a transfer pre purchase. If you’re not familiar with internet banking, Revolut, etc. we understand, but it’s up to you to maybe look into it. THS is about an exchange of service, no money should be involved at any time. And this is not an angry message, just an explanation that can help a future owner to understand better the sitter’s perspective.
3 Likes
Someone asked me why I had skull of and flower emojis in my whatsapp name, as if this signalled I was a bit strange. I actually had just returned from Mexico and fell in love with anything ‘day of the dead’… But it felt odd having to answer as if I had to explain a bit of my personality. Sure the HO meant nothing by it.
1 Like
Seconded, there’s no way I would pay upfront for the repairs of someone else’s home.
2 Likes
I think it’s very easy for a sitter to fend off the questions by just offering a plausible explanation in the profile.
I used to work in a shop on a council estate, one of our customers drove a very nice Rolls Royce. A colleague once asked him how he afforded it. He told her to mind her own business which I thought was a fair comment.
10 Likes
I don’t find that rude. I think it’s important to know how the sitter’s finances are, as there could be an emergency situation and they may have to temporarily lay out funds or something. It shows me that the HO is thinking of different scenarios and is trying to prepare.
1 Like
My finances are not a host’s business and are irrelevant. Just because I have the money to cover an emergency doesn’t mean I’m willing to pay for the hosts’ emergency. I don’t loan money to people I barely know. Maybe sitters should start asking about hosts’ finances to ensure they are prepared to cover any emergencies that may arise for their pets or home.
17 Likes
This would fall under the intent vs impact category for me; I can see someone being genuinely curious about how folks make full-time housesitting work so unless the tone was rude, I would not be offended by the question.
How the HOs plan for different scenarios in their absence is up to them, but shouldn’t include the sitter’s finances, IMHO.
5 Likes
My daughter was offended when we were asked if we were sisters
7 Likes
AWww this is cute! it only means you both have good genes! Everybody thinks my mom and I are sisters. It makes her happy when hearing it.
1 Like
I bet you were delighted though 
1 Like
I certainly was !
3 Likes
I know this topic is oooooold but I think asking someone to be okmwith paying for repairs undermines the sitter’s own situation and I don’t mean whether they can afford it or not & trust.
What would happen if a sitter covered your repair & then by chance experienced a dead engine, a family emergency, a visit to the ER with out-of-pocket expenses, etc., what if their rainy day fund went to you and left them out of pocket for their own need? Yes, I get that you reimburse but what happens if by chance you can’t- time differences, no connection, etc?
I think trust is sometimes confused with consideration and those two are very important things to differentiate.
I always ask home owners to make sure their pet is set up with a pay by phone option with their vet. The same can be arranged for other services so that there is trust and consideration for both parties.
6 Likes
The sitters finances are irrelevant and it is not the business of the HO to know or to ask about them.
A THS sit is an exchange based on trust not money.
I, as a sitter, expect (and trust) that the HO has everything in place to pay for any emergancy Vet treatment or house repairs that may arise during the sit.
Its important to clarify all these details before confirming a sit.
9 Likes
If I was to have expences on behalf of the host it would be very important to know the financial situation of the host.
Can they afford that repair or bill? Do they have available funds to reimburse me promptly?
I’m a petsitter. Not a bank. Or heaven forbid; a debt collector.
14 Likes
Well, I certainly wouldn’t pay anything on behalf of the homeowner, even though I’m actually well situated. But where would that lead me? If I want to be a venture capitalist, I’d go on AngelList and earn decent interest on my money. I take care of animals, everything else, whether foreseeable or unforeseeable, is the homeowner’s responsibility. And if something does need to be paid for, they can arrange for it. It’s 2025, surely that’s possible by now.
6 Likes