Just seen a listing in Europe where the HO says under responsibilities ‘I request the sitter not use my washing machine due to overuse by previous sitters’!
I’m not sure what overuse the HO was upset by but looking at UK figures it costs the average UK home 71p per hour to run a washing machine. I can’t imagine a sitter arriving with cases of dirty laundry that they need to run the washing machine 24/7 and get the HO a unexpected electricity bill?
Edited to remove link
Such an expectation is a red flag to me that they’re goofy, so best to avoid. With something like this, it’s unlikely that this is the only thing they’re unreasonable about.
Oh definitely a major red flag but just shocked a HO would put this in their listing but I guess they’re being honest!
I see it as a great advantage that they put their giant red flag in the front yard, so I can walk past. Thank you.
People often don’t realize how crazy they are. Not just sitting wise, either. Like last night I was having dinner with a bunch of fellow exec team leaders and we were talking about the crazy things we’d encountered while interviewing job candidates, presumably when they’d put their best foot forward. But no, some people are outrageous outliers.
Let’s just hope the shower isn’t off-limits too, otherwise they’ll be returning home to a rather whiffy sitter!
A standard wash in the UK costs us around 15p for 30° and about 22p for 40°.
We dry clothes outside if able or use a dehumidifier on them if indoors.
Not sure how it can cost 70p/hour though.
Thats averaging 3kw per hour!
I literally had a HO request that I catch rain water in buckets and bathe in the yard vs using the shower in the bathroom. That was a giant no from me, thanks.
I always think it’s a bad idea to tar people with the same brush. The HO could easily mention to the new sitter that they would prefer if they limited usage of the washing machine due to their past bad experience. To assume new sitters are likely to do the same is approaching a new situation with suspicion from the offset, which isn’t fair and unlikely to be conducive to a mutually respectful relationship. So yes, major red flag!
I would avoid a sit like this .
However , on the plus side the hosts can’t expect the sitter to wash the bedding at the end of the sit !!
Come on! This is surely a joke. Did they seriously expect anyone to do that? Did they do it themselves?
This was one of many things on the wackadoo list for that sit. and, given she gave me basically a foam covered board to sleep on while she had a giant queen size bed covered with floofy bedding upstairs, i’m guessing that no, she didn’t do it herself. though, she could have, given all the other weirdness.
ETA: Ironically I just got a FB reminder about this sit. It was 10 years ago this week.
I can appreciate when hosts may have bad experiences with sitters using way more energy than anticipated–though whether their expectations around this are reasonable or unreasonable can vary-- but making requests like these just makes the person sound really inhospitable. So that it may be very easy to do my laundry elsewhere would be besides the point and I would not apply.
A home owner that’s unlikely to get many applicants, if any! As you all say, major red flag and probably entitled!
And if they have any sense at all, they’ll realise the reason that they have no responses…
That’s ridiculous. What will they suggest next, that the sitter doesn’t use the toilet.
Well THAT’s a first! Of course the question comes to mind: how long is the sit?
We did a short sit where the HO only revealed on arrival that neither shower was properly functional. Thankfully a very short sit!
1st bathroom was exclusively for the cats (food, water, litter trays).
2nd bathroom had a bad leak: result was we had to lay down towels, shower quickly, collect up sopping towels.
Kicker? Washer & dryer were in a spider infested basement so we never used either (towels hung up in WC).
This sit was for 3 weeks but she came home early. She offered that I could stay until the official end, but unsurprisingly I opted to head out. It was a very ‘lessons learned’ sit for me.
We’re flexible, adjustable folks.
But - I agree with your post. Having been in management I never ceased being amazed at the $#% people thought was reasonable to do or ask for!
Some was so wacko I won’t post it here.
One I can cite stands out because it was a six month arc into Crazy Land.
An employee started by saying she had sensitive eyes, could she have a specific work area (thankfully the person who had that area already didn’t mind swapping). THEN she needed the lights in her area dimmed (we had maintenance put in weaker wattage lighting there.) THEN she said she was also sound sensitive and… You get the idea. Pretty soon my team of a dozen people was tiptoeing around her, clearly stressed by dealing with her ever-expanding list of needs.
Thankfully she finally went on sick leave after three months - and then sued the company for stress!
The company, against my advice, settled out of court.
We later learned she’d pulled this stunt at her last employer who wasn’t legally allowed to reveal it when we were hiring her - but we found out from a former co-worker of hers at an industry event!
That’s disgraceful