Hi there — I’m a new HO/pet parent and organizing my first trip. I wanted to check what’s typical practice arrivals. I have an early morning flight on the first day of the sit, and I listed the dates and times accordingly. I realize it’s a very early start, especially if they are coming from out of town.
Is it common for sitters to stay the night before in situations like this, or do hosts usually arrange accommodations if they want to meet in advance and walk through the details? I mentioned that I could have someone check in on my pup earlier in the day if arriving in the afternoon works better, but it sounds like staying the night before may be is their preference. I wanted to see what is common practice. I’m usually hurried prior to a 3am flight and would prefer not to have company. I can also have someone walk them through the house once they arrive so I’m not requiring a meet and great ahead of the visit.
@jkm8 Hello and welcome! Great question. You’ll find quite a few answers to this but here is ours.
We are sitters as well as HOs. Four years now.
As HOs, we ALWAYS have sitters arrive the night before our departure, since we leave very early the next day. This way, they meet the pets, get an orientation, get settled into their private suite, and we enjoy getting to know each other a bit.
It’s reassuring when we leave to know the sitters are already there with our pets.
As sitters, we have done both. Stay the night (before the HO’s departure) or arrive an hour before they leave (usually midday) for orientation and getting house key.
It’s pretty common in cases of early departure by the host. Alternatively, I’ve had hosts who left to stay at a hotel near the airport, after they gave me a tour of the neighborhood and handed off.
For an early morning departure, yes it is normal to invite the sitter to stay overnight. For me Yes it would be a deal breaker as I simply would not arrive in middle of the night. A meet and GREET, to me is essential, as much for the animals, as for myself, especially with dogs.
There really isn’t a standard expectation across the board.
As a sitter, I usually prefer to stay the evening before — particularly if the PO’s flight is early. I like to meet the pets while owners are there, as often little things crop up that they forgot to mention, & I think it’s less stressful for the pets (as well as myself, & usually for the hosts too, who then know with certainty that their sitter is in place before they board a plane.)
That said, I respect “the pre-travel process.”Some people like their privacy, & it can be frantic getting ready to leave, so I’m always open to negotiating a comfortable solution.
The only thing that rubs me a bit wrong is if a PO requires me to show up at the crack of doom when they know I just had to drop several hundred dollars on a hotel just to make it possible to show up for their sit the next day. (I even had one host request that I come by and spend several hours out of the middle of the day to walk the dog & get oriented the day before they left so they could get packed, once they knew I’d be arriving early & renting a hotel room. It felt rather cheeky, & curtailed any potential “me time” I had planned. I believe that sit cost me more than the host would have spent on a paid sitter )
You don’t sound like someone trying to take advantage, so the shorter answer is basically “there is no standard practice; it’s what you need & what you negotiate with your sitter.” I only added the examples for perspective from a sitter (and to be clear: this sitter. Others may feel differently; some don’t want to stay the night before, some don’t mind either way.)
Good on you for asking the question ahead of time; it shows consideration & thoughtfulness on your part…thanks.
We almost always have an early flight and have the sitter come the night before and stay in our home. We go over everything in the home, take the sitter on a walk with our dog so they can see the neighborhood and nearby hiking trails. This also gives them time to spend with our dog. We take the sitter(s) out to dinner to get to know them. This has worked out well for us. We only had one sitter who did not want to spend the night with us. They did come over to our home to go over everything and have dinner with us. They told what time they would arrive in the morning. It worked out welll also. It’s whatever both of you are most comfortable with doing.
I am a sitter and among the best memories of my sits are these dinners with HOs, sometimes home cooked, sometimes delivered, sometimes they take me out. I find the social and cultural experience really enjoyable and it sets the perfect atmosphere for a successful sit.
That said, I have had other successful experiences with no personal handover and also a couple of a bit awkward situations where it was clear the HOs did not feel fully at ease. So, given that you
Find another option that works for everyone.
As @MerryPuppins says, you sound thoughtful and it’s bound to work smoothly.
Different people handle things in different ways. Think of it from the point of view of the sitter who may simply skip applying for your sit because they have no way to get there on time.
If you are taking a super early flight and don’t want the hassle of someone being in your space while you pack and get ready, a simple solution is to plan your sit to begin a day earlier. Have the sitter arrive that afternoon or even early evening if you’ll be at work during the day. Go over everything you need to go over and then leave and spend the night at a hotel near the airport.
Another possibility is ask the sitter to meet you that afternoon for a handover, but pay for hotel room for the sitter to spend the night and arrive after you leave in the morning. That might work for a non-anxious dog that won’t be freaked by your leaving so early.
Third way: You take care of the packing and everything that will cause you anxiety, and the sitter comes the night before which is also the official start (when you need them there). This works best if you have a guest room the sitter can retire to and you aren’t a wreck before traveling.
If you keep the arrival time super early in the morning, you might not get many applicants and you could wind up in a situation where a sitter is delayed and you miss a flight. Not great!
If you already pladec the listing and in conversation with a sitter they agree to come the night before, you should change the date of the sit to reflect the time they actual agree to arrive as the start date for the sit even though you will be there until the morning.
Great question, and very common for first-time hosts.
There’s no single “standard” — it’s whatever is mutually agreed and clearly stated. Many sits start with the sitter arriving the day the sit begins, especially if the host has an early flight and prefers privacy the night before.
Some sitters do prefer arriving the night before, but that’s a preference, not an expectation. If a host wants that, it’s generally discussed in advance and clearly agreed by both sides.
You’re absolutely fine to:
• have the sit officially start the day of your flight
• arrange a key handover or walkthrough later that day
• have a friend or neighbour help with arrival if needed
• say you’re not available for a pre-departure overnight stay
The key is clarity. As long as dates, times, and expectations are clearly communicated before confirming, there’s no “wrong” approach here.
Trust your instincts — especially with a 3am departure. Many hosts handle it exactly as you’re proposing.
@jkm8, from 50+ housesits then we’d suggest that it depends on the situation. Suspect more than half of our housesits have involved a Pet Parent request that we arrive one day prior to the housesit start date. Majority of our housesits have involved Pet Parent and/or Housesitter taking an international flight.
First, there is no ‘right answer’. But there is probably a smart solution for your combination of property, location (rural?), travel (flight?) and pet care (how long left?).
Some Pet Parents cannot physically accommodate a housesitter the day before a housesit.
Most ask us to arrive early through some combination of motivations. They seek comfort that we will actually turn up! They want a social conversation. They prefer to give walkthrough of pet care or property matters in person. Or simply they seek to attract more housesitters.
In your case, if you depart at 3am and you don’t want to accommodate a housesitter then you are ok with materially narrowing the applicant pool (local); you are ok with pet(s) probably being left for an extended period; and you are ok with remote handover.
In the handful of instances when we have not met the Pet Parent in-person before the sit then most have been experienced housesitters. Can only think of one instance that was first time pet parent and had no pre-sit meet.
For us, if a Pet Parent requires that we arrive at property early morning and/or depart property late evening and without accommodation then it’s a red flag. From experience, unreasonable expectations on one topic typically repeat over multiple topics. Unless other aspects of the listing were exceptional - to offset the trade - then we would have no interest.
I agree with what others have written here, it all depends on the situation. But if there is no time for a proper handover on the spot, then I would absolutely demand a very complete guide a few weeks before the sit. And if you are new to this as you state, I would very strongly prefer to meet the day before to walk though everything together. I have done sits where I visit the HO the day before for orientation, get the key and then arrive the next day into an empty house. I have also done one repeat sit where I picked up the key from under a stone in the garden (yes, really!). But my next two sits both have me arrive the day before, one sit where the HO picks me up from the station, another where I arrive by car. Both HO depart the next morning/day early. Have an open mind, state to the sitter in the video call before agreeing to the sit what your issue is and see if you can jointly come up with a solution. Flexibility and an open mind on both sides are very helpful.
If sitters are accommodating host schedules by arriving a day early, it would be basic hospitality for the hosts to arrange the first night’s stay. Either have the sitter stay with you if the sitter is amenable to that idea or offer to put them up at a local hotel. What actually happens depends on what you arrange with your sitter. It is common that a sitter stays the night before. But it is entirely possible that a sitter and/or host are uncomfortable with that idea and you’ll need to work it out for each sit.
Your offer to have someone else take care of your pet early the first day is a viable option (though technically against THS’s Terms & Conditions) if both you and sitter are okay with blind handoffs. We’ve done every combination with good results.
HO here, most of my sits have involved a very departure for me. I don’t do blind handovers, so I make it clear in the listing that the sitter must be in my city and available for a handover by the prior evening. AND I offer to host them - about half have taken me up on it.
I am often distracted and focused on my departure, but if the sitter is staying over, I just move my deadline for being drop dead ready up a few hours. I think every sitter who has stayed has been very understanding that I’m about to leave.
if you’re in a popular destination for sitters, you may have applicants who have a sit lined up nearby prior to yours, in which case you can do a walk-through and handover before your last day. There might also be locals who use THS instead of renting their own place, so they will likely be able to come by earlier as well.
Not from personal experience but from what I have read in posts. Some sitters have stayed a couple of days with the HO sometimes to accommodate arrival dates and such. I would think… whatever suits the sitter and the HO.
Something else to consider @jkm8 is whether this is the first time you are leaving your pup, especially with strangers. I’m not one to arrive at a dog sit with the owner not present as who knows how the dog will react to a stranger entering its home and security. I like to be invited to arrive the afternoon/evening before so that the dog feels comfortable when seeing me interacting with its owner. It’s a great opportunity to go on the late afternoon walk and learn more about the dog’s routine.
If both you and the sitter are new members, I would be suggesting they arrive the day before and, as others have mentioned, your preparation before you leave may have to be done a little earlier if possible. You don’t want to be stressing about whether the sitter will actually turn up after you have already left!
@temba said exactly what I was going to say. No handover with a dog it’s likely they will be territorial with a stranger coming into their space. We have stayed over at all our dog sits, meeting both owners and dogs, doing at least one walk together. Much more reassuring for all concerned.
For cats, it is not uncommon to not cross over at all. We have had several sits where we literally never met the owners in person! This includes for dogs and cats! Owners decision. We just booked another with a dog where they are fine with a “blind” handover and told us they often do not meet their sitters in person.
We have collected keys from a friend or neighbor or had a key pad or hidden key to get in.
We have had Hosts ask us to arrive the day before and offer to host us. This is sometimes awkward - depending on the size of the home and number of bed and bathrooms. I’m a very private person so staying with a stranger can be awkward depending on how many bed and bathrooms but so far the crossovers we’ve had have worked out fine due to en-suite bedrooms. It can be weird to wake up in the morning in the house of people you don’t really know while they are trying to get out the door - and the pets are sort of caught in the middle (who is responsible for the pets that morning when all of you are there, for example?).
We have also arrived (by plane) a day ahead just to avoid any travel issues and was NOT offered to stay with them so we paid for a hotel in the area. They didn’t even offer to pick us up at the hotel. We took public transport (bus) with our bulky luggage to their very upscale home. Same for our departure. No offer of a ride to the train station to get to the airport. A little disappointing to be sure but everyone is very different.
I also don’t want to host as I’m getting ready to travel, but I do like an in person handover. In many cases we start the sit officially the day before our flight, do the handover and maybe share a meal, then stay at a friend’s or airport hotel that night. This gives me peace of mind and also kickstarts my mental vacation. I like being close to the airport for morning flights anyway.
It’s important that the listed dates correspond to whatever you choose, which could mean adjusting dates and reconfirming once you and the sitter work out the details.
Hi jkm8,
I am a sitter and in a very large prepostiuon of my sits I arrive the afternoon/evening prior to the sit commencing. I really enjoy sitting down and having a meal with the owners and getting to know them and their pets. If dogs I am quite often taken out on a walk with them either the evening or next morning, if time. ometimes I have bee taken out for an evening meal. and very occasionally they have brought a take-away.
The advantage of arriving the day before is that the owners have less stress, that you are going to arrive and not held up in traffic somewhere and unable to arrive before departure and handing keys over etc. Hoper all goes well.
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