Hey, it is YOUR house! You can do whatever you please! Just make sure you make everything CLEAR in your listing. People who have no problem with your rules will respond. Others will not. Be free and live!
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Hello MeowMeowMom,
As a sitter who was faced with this when I arrived at the sit, I can tell you it is an unpleasant surprise. During the tour around the house I was told that I could only use a hot plate and microwave in the basement instead of the upstairs kitchen. We also hiked around the property so I could be shown my âdutiesâ and when we got back to the house I asked for a glass of water. The husband said âshe doesnât want you using these glasses, just the ones in your quarters,â and just stood there looking at me and my dry mouth. Needless to say things only went downhill.
I want to be welcomed as a trusted friend who is there to love the pets in their stead while they are gone.
Edited to add- I carry my own chefâs knife, wooden spoon, french press, champagne cork and glass, travel blender and grinder with me so I am sure I have the tools I need.
ETA 2- Yes, I gave them a factual review for the sake of future sitters, but I focused on the labor they required. IE, frequency and number of square feet to be shoveled and numer of full wheelbarrows and distance to be moved along with some other dangerous physical issues. I think they thought they could use the housesitter as free labor so while they vacationed they didnât have to pay the regular laborers. Their attitude was just the icing.
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There are some awful people in the world, unfortunately. Like we always treat movers well â show them the facilities, show them water and other drinks that weâve bought for them, treat them to lunch and tip them. When weâve done such, theyâre always appreciative and have told us of horrible people who for instance make them drink out of a garden hose and tell them they canât use their bathroom or such. Some people have little humanity.
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I hope you left them a scathing review. I would have also disputed afterward because Iâm sure they didnât disclose this upfront.
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I hate cooking but itâs a necessity and I canât afford to eat out. You expect someone to look after your very expensive house and look after your babies but donât let them use the kitchen. It would be a no from me too Iâm afraid.
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We actually did once turn up to a sit and were informed theyâd turned off the AGA and we were given a 2-ring camping stove to use for the duration of our stay (luckily, it wasnât long!).
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I think as long as you put it in your actual listing, rather than the welcome guide, and discuss it with the sitter before accepting each other. All will be good.
However, as 5* very experienced sitters who owned an expansive beautiful home, and were pet homeowners before we decided to travel the world while enjoying our love of pets, it would be a hard no.
We have heard that some homeowners believe sitters get paid from THS, so are almost treated as servants. Sitters are not paid, itâs a TRUST based exchange, and if that trust is not there, you may want to rethink your plans.
Full transparency is key from you to the sitter.
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I hope you gave them a bad review
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Wow. Iâm so sorry this happened to you.
I think THS should get involved in not allowing this type of behavior and to.make that type of nastyness grounds to end a sit. No one here should be treated like a second class citizen.
I hope they got the review they deserved.
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Just a question though⌠for something as essential as a kitchen during a sit⌠what happens if the person is forced to cook? Are they supposed to break trust and hide it for fear of a bad review or feel guilty for basic human behavior?
I understand situations where there is a guest house or second apt with a full kitchen but in places where that isnât the case, doesnât that create a huge power imbalance and the possibility of trust being broken just to appease home owners who arenât trusting the sitter in the first place?
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Hi @MeowMeowMom,
Welcome to the forum!
The fact that you have asked the question on the forum and your awareness of the need for some compensation shows that you care about your sittersâ wellbeing.
Of course, there are all sorts of sitters. The vast majority of sitters that have participated in this discussion have said they would not apply for this sit. Some have mentioned that experienced sitters with lots of positive reviews wouldnât apply.
I have 30 + sits with THS, all 5 stars across but I would not be turned off just by a restricted use of the kitchen or other areas. Honesty and accuracy of listing is one of the aspects I value most highly, that helps everyone make informed choices and find the best matches. If the general tone of the listing felt entitled, that would definitely turn me off. I consider all aspects of a sitting and then decide if it would be suitable for me. If I think it is not a good match, I donât apply. Even when I apply, I like to have a video chat so that the sit can be discussed in further detail and both parties can see if weâre a good match.
You might want to consider to include the restrictions in your listing as well as possible compensation, which could include gift cards or the use of more basic kitchen items. If your sit is in a highly demanded area and not for dates like Christmas when the offer of sits is higher than demand, you will probably find a good fit. Just make sure you ask and answer all the relevant questions before you offer the sit.
Although itâs true that trust is the cornerstone of this community ( both HOâs and sitters)itâs also true that we are all entitled to set the boundaries of that trust. As long as weâre upfront about them, thereâs no harm in that.
Good luck!
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Just when you think youâve heard it all, stories like this come up. Iâm just amazed how people treat others. So sorry this happened to you. People like this should not have housesitters or be on THS.
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Huge red flag for me this restriction shows lack of Trust. The name of the organisation is Trusted House Sitters. Trusted being the key word. So you are going to Trust the sitter to look after one of your most precious things in the world, your pet but not trust them to look after your pots and pans. This indicates trust not taken seriously. You can point out that you have a new kitchen and you want extra care taken of it. I have put not to put certain pans and knives in the dishwasher but never excluded someone from using the kitchen which is also brand new. I am sure full access to a kitchen must in the THS rules somewhere.
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You said exactly what I was thinking. What else is the sitter not good enough to use.
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Ps we always cook a meal for the returning owners which they are over the moon with. How we do that in this scenario?
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I know you have a nice kitchen! So do we but would you like to go somewhere and not be able to cook nothing but fast food? The whole thing about the site is that it is a home from home situation and the kitchen is the heart of the home! You need to fill in a welcome pack and stipulate how you want the kitchen looked after! Our kitchen is all wood, but life is for living!!
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Some homeowners think that sitters do this so they can stay in nicer posher better houses. I , like many sitters live in a beautiful area , a good house and have very good quality pots , pans , bedding etc. we do this because we love spending time with animals , exploring new areas and meeting new people. So if homeowner says you canât use kitchen, spend time away from the animals etc I immediately see red flags. Quite honestly Iâm shocked by this homeowners post , and even though she offers vouchers Iâm afraid itâs a hard no from me
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Oh, lovelyânothing like a side of completely unnecessary rudeness to round out your stay. 
Hopefully, you torched them in the review as a glowing warning for future guests
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Easy peasy. Just serve them takeout. In the little boxes. 
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Do you realise that, even if sitters donât cook, unless they eat just one meal a day they will still require use of the kitchen itself, including cutlery and crockery etc? So, what about the new fridge, the sink and the kettle (or Quooker tap, since this is presumably a high-end kitchen?). Even sitters need to make a drink sometimes, even if itâs just a cold one, and eat breakfast. Is it just cooking youâd like sitters to avoid doing or use of the kitchen in general? I wonder if youâve really thought this throughâŚ
I have to be honest here and say, we always travel with a portable induction hob, good quality stackable pans, cutlery, some Corelle (lightweight) crockery, a few cheapie tumblers and our 2 favourite mugs. Weâre able to do this because we travel to sits in our own vehicle and we choose to carry this stuff (which packs neatly into a small, plastic set of drawers which we place on a kitchen worktop - or would using the worktop also be an issue?) because weâve often encountered silver cutlery; lead crystal glassware and stuff weâd rather not risk using (I definitely donât want to polish silver cutlery during a sit!). For balance, weâve also sometimes experienced grotty pans which I really wouldnât like to cook with and ovens weâd rather not cook in. So, by carrying some essentials, weâre able to be self-sufficient if and when the need arises.
Unless this is a short sit in a fabulous house and location (not just with a fabulous kitchen which we canât use), this would be a hard pass for us, for the reasons already mentioned by the majority of respondents.
It would be interesting, @MeowMeowMom , if you would come back and let us know if comments made have urged you to rethink, or if youâve decided that perhaps THS isnât the way to go. You did ask the question, after all.
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