List of Responsibilties ... Much longer than Sit description

Before you buy more groceries than you can carry, make sure there is taxi service in that locale. There are many places where Uber and Lyft don’t operate nor is taxi service dependable. I speak from experience. A mile uphill is do-able—- but not when you’re lugging 40 lbs.

It’s important to ask about all public transport options if you don’t have your own vehicle: bus and train proximity and frequency, taxi service and Uber or Lyft, and double check these yourself.

I am looking at Surrey, East Sussex and North Devon and transport options don’t look great.

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Hi Leda,
I understand where you’re coming from as I didn’t drive until I was in my thirties and managed to do a lot of things I was,advised I’d need a car for, but now as a homeowner I get a bit frustrated when potential sitters interrogate me on “sitters need a car”. There is no public transport, there are no local Uber or Lyft drivers and the nearest supermarket is 10 miles and the TINY shop 2 miles away is not really safe to walk to due to narrow roads with no footpaths and a lot of traffic. I draft my TH profile carefully and I really wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it! Perhaps in the US “car culture” is so dominant that it’s sometimes worth interrogating but there is also an element of trusting a homeowner to know there own locality and context.

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9 posts on a different topic were added to an existing conversation: New types of sitters ? Another article on pet sitting to keep this thread focused on the original poster’s topic.

Hi @LuvPets. Thanks for posting your question, as this is something sitters face from time to time. Not often, but it does happen, and it can be surprising the first time you run into it.

Our very first pet sit was for a couple who were used to the WWOOF model. WWOOF is a network of national organizations that facilitate homestays on organic farms.

The day we arrived to start the sit, the pet parents showed us a pile of lumber and asked us to build a deck for them. They also wanted additional gardens to be put in. Because this was such a huge change from the responsibilities listed in their posting, we said no, but both they and we were not as comfortable from that point forward.

We’ve only been asked one other time to take on additional responsibilities that weren’t included in the listing, and we said no. It was still uncomfortable for both sides. Since that time, we always ask in the pre-confirmation call about any additional responsibilities.

Thanks again for posting about this topic. Hopefully many of our newer members will see this thread and learn from your experience to ask about additional responsibilities up-front.

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A post was merged into an existing topic: Fear of making an honest ‘negative’ review

Would u please share your list of questions???

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Thank you. I appreciate your assertiveness. I have done post-WWOOF sits, also and have met HO’s overinflated sense of expectations.
Thank you for the support reply,
EJ

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I have sat in places where there was no guest room, bed, not even a sleep on sofa. So the only option is to sleep in the HO room/bed. I do not like this one bit. So I ask specific questions regarding guest room accommodations for sitters.
Also, I look closely at the pictures of the home, and also look for the words like “spacious home” in the sit description

Seattle has great transportation, i sometimes think the “HO” means you need a car to explore beyond, however they should clarify that in description.

Car needed to explore versus
car needed to be a fit for this Sit.
I would dance a jig to see such specificity; such helpful, crucial, pertinent specificity. Yes, please!

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This can be a real problem and personally I have found that it happens quite a bit. For us it didn’t stop happening until we required that the home guide be fully completed and sent to us with in two weeks of the sit or we would not be able to go ahead. If we received it and there were more responsibilities added we would have a kind conversation about it. Our policy now is to do what others are saying here. We are very clear about what is agreed upon and clear that should that change we may not be able to fulfill the sit. Once I had a home owner tell us it was two walks a day and we showed up and it was five! I gently explained that that would not work for us, we had not agreed to it and we’d need to find another way. Make sure you state what you will not do and what you will do in advance!

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I couldn’t agree more. I have been noticing something of an increase in this type of attitude and expectation which is a large part of why I’m doing far less sits these days compared to a few years ago.

Unfortunately, there are some HOs who very much consider a sitter as an extension of staff and do not necessarily recognise the exchange ethos. I now tend to only sit for those I have an existing relationship with on THS who I know well and trust would never in any way attempt to exploit or take advantage.

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Hi All - I am new to THS and wanted to ask if it’s appropriate for a potential homeowner to ask me to do additional non-essential, non-emergency errands while on a sit.

To me, the requests fall into the category of personal assistant rather than dog sitter, so I wanted to find out if THS draws any lines for these sort of requests.
And can sitters set boundaries without coming across as uncooperative? Thanks!

Admin: Edited to comply with posting guidelines

If you are uncomfortable doing the errands say no. It is better to set boundaries that you find acceptable so you are relaxed during your sit. If it causes offence it is not your problem.
Every decision you make will affect the sit so do not compromise on things you feel are not correct.

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This has been discussed before and it’s entirely up to you whether you agree to do these extra errands. At least they’re being brought up before the sit. Have you already been confirmed for it?
I arrived at a sit, knowing that the owners had an Airbnb (cottage) in the grounds but their post for the sit said “we have an Airbnb but you won’t get involved with that”. So imagine my shock when I was asked to arrive at 7am just before they left (the original invitation for dinner the night before was changed) and during a quick run through I was asked if I’d mind washing the sheets twice from the Airbnb. Apparently they couldn’t find a laundry service. I wasn’t quick enough with a response other than I’d add it onto the bill (jokingly) and agreed, but it was cheeky and I shouldn’t have done it. In their review they highlighted the fact I did that but I told them it may not go down well with future sitters, so I doubt they’ll ask again!

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Hi @Eibhlen - welcome to trusted Housesitters :grinning:

A lot of it depends on what the extras are and whether or not you were told about them before confirming the booking.

Many listings under 'responsibilities will mention watering pot plants and taking in the mail which I think very few sitters would have a problem saying yes to.

Others ask for lawns to be cut which is a bigger ask so some sitters will be happy to do this, and others will not so, as long as it was mentioned in the listing then it’s your choice to apply or not.

If a home host asks for extras after confirming you are well within your rights to say no.

We like to think that we are very flexible. After confirmation we have been asked to do extras such as feed the next-door neighbour’s fish and wait for parcel deliveries - both we are happy to do.

However we have also been asked if we would water daily an allotment that was a 45-minute walk away from the home, and once were asked if we would offer childcare for the home host’s daughter whilst they were away! - both of these we said no to.

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This thread is super interesting. I think even though I’ve only been on THS for nearly a year my boundaries have changed with what I’ve accept other than pet care. I’m perfectly happy to accept parcels and water the odd plant. But I have been asked to trim a rather large hedge that I declined to do. Not my expertise. I was also asked if I could reseed a new lawn area. This I also declined.

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Glad you said that it can be necessary to have a car. I live in a small village and was criticised for saying Needs a Car when I asked for advice on finding a sitter at Christmas. There is no transport here, railway around 7kms away, airport 20kms, no buses and taxis cost a small fortune (example, taxi took us to a nearby restaurant 15kms and picked us up to return home - charge 100€ - although it was a 6 seater). If you chose not to have transport that is up to you but you will be stuck in and around my house and village where there is one shop, pharmacy and post office. If I didnt state a car was required I would be misleading people and, by the way, how would they get to my house. Local supermarkets have car rental deals for 4€ per day, blabla cars or Buggs are very cheap too from our local airport.

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I sometimes see HO post under responsibilities a brief “care for my pets” then followed by “a detailed instructions and responsibilities will be provided when you arrive”.
Then upon arrival there is a long list of house, pet, garden, pool, airbnb rental on site etc. list that they never mentioned in the application process. These are also often the HO that say don’t leave the home for more than 2 hours.
Maybe HO should be required to list extra responsibilities on the welcome guide. Or at a minimum be required to complete a welcome guide.

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Hi @Pets4me and I would add that I have never had access to a Welcome Guide before a sit is confirmed.
That is why communication prior to confirmation is so important. it is crucial that any questions or concerns are discussed prior to accepting a sit so there are no surprises.