Location location!

I saw a sit yesterday in the same city as I live (I’m actually in a suburb of that city) and it’s a very desirable city to sit and attracts lots of applicants. Nowhere in the listing did the homeowner indicate where exactly in the city she lived. There was a great description about the bedrooms, the kitchen, the size of the sundeck, the pets etc., but nothing regarding the location. Usually listings indicate if there is good access to transportation which helps to narrow down areas but nothing in this posting. I see the listing has received 0-3 applicants for two separate dates and I’m sure the lack of applicants is due to not knowing where the location is. Just a suggestion to homeowners - please be specific on where your sit is located if you want to attract applicants.

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I recently did a sit which was listed as being in a nice town in a particular county of England. Once I’d been confirmed and got the actual address it was in an adjoining town, much less desirable. I’m pretty sure that was done in order to be more sure of getting a sitter (I was the first). I did bring it up and was asked if that was a “deal breaker”. It wasn’t but it’s deceitful.

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I think it would be a lot easier in the long run if there are pre-fixed details that must be entered when HO are posting their sit, incl their suburb. I see a desirable sit then need to ask some questions, I can’t do this until I actually apply. I don’t want to type out an application by either starting or ending with a BUT ‘can I ask’. Then the HO are overwhelmed when they have over 20 applications and some might be just questions.
There is some room for improvement on details.

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That is an excellent point @Mslaura! Recently I saw one of these, and rather than spending a lot of time on my “application,” I sent a brief message stating that I am looking for sits in X city, and I cannot tell from her photos and description where her home is located, so could she please tell me approximately where she is located? Well, she did not live in X city, and actually lives 90 minute train ride from X. Hmmm…

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That’s so annoying… and IMnsHO, on the edge of being deceitful.

Hi everyone and thank you for your different perspectives on the subject of location.

There is a very valid privacy reason for owners not including their exact location, the listing also includes the dates they will be away from home.

We are going to close this post now, thank you.

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You agreed on certain terms and then you discovered that the reality is different. That’s really not fair.

It sounds like the homeowner’s post was not made in the spirit of being honest and trustworthy. These transactions should be made in good faith; do you think they were deliberately dishonest?

…actually, does that matter, whether it’s deliberate or not?

If they misrepresented anything about the home (specifically, where the house is located), it seems like it would be reasonable to withdraw your confirmation because you were misled.

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This is quite common and there has been a long discussion about just this in an earlier thread. If it’s not what you were expecting then don’t commit.

Yes, I have also noticed that a few HO, UK Listings are not located as described in the heading.
I would prefer for the HO to state the actual village / hamlet location & mileage to nearest better known town.

Hi @borntobark it sounds as though you didn’t have a video or phone conversation with the owner before confirmation and didn’t ask any questions for clarification. It does sound as though the listing has misleading information but hopefully you have learnt from this. You could in your communication now you have received the Welcome Guide mention to the owner in a nice way your concerns. Hopefully you’ll still enjoy the sit.

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As Angela mentions, there’s a valid reason why many owners prefer not to include an exact location in the listing. It’s the same reason why Airbnb don’t give out addresses until 3 days before a booking. The majority of sits are accurate, but it’s a question everyone should ask when they make direct contact with an owner, just to be sure.

Thank you @Vanessa_A there is another valid reason, simple geography.

If an owner lives in a little known location but in close proximity to a location many have heard of they are more likely to list the most well known place, not everyone looks at maps and is astute in doing their location research.

For instance not many will have heard of the exact place where I was born but when I say close to London, they will have a clear idea of the location … a more in depth discussion will reveal the specifics, similar to the discussion we need to have with owners, before agreeing to a sit, leaving no doubt that the sit is in the location of choice and that any surprise we may have is a good one.

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