I need help responding to my host’s reply to my request for their welcome guide. It looks like she does not have an online guide and would now like us to come a day early- which will not work for us. I need to stick to our agreed upon date and time that we discussed in our video chat. This is what she said.
"Hi: I don’t have a welcome guide on line. I have a printout that will cover everything and is very informative. If you can come a day early is the best way to go over the information list and get the key/garage remote. We usually leave around 10am. "
Here is my planned response.
"Dear ------: We are looking forward to meeting you next month, but unfortunately our schedules will not allow us to deviate from our original arrival of 10am on 5/20 that we discussed in our video chat. Since you don’t have an online guide, if at all possible, can you email me your document, so that I can review it in advance to facilitate the handover in the morning? I would also be available to do a video tour a day or 2 before the sit, if that would help. " Let me know if this is ok, or if you think changes are needed.
No. She has had 4 sitters before, but I guess none of them have insisted on having a welcome guide. Some hosts find the WG formatting cumbersome, and others are concerned about putting the details of their house online in case of a data breach or hacking. Honestly, most of the info is not security-sensitive - vet info, location of cat food??? But I get not putting your lock box code online…
I think your message sounds great! The only thing I might add is putting your email address in there if she doesn’t already have it To have all the information right there in this particular message for her. Also, FYI, people can send documents via WhatsApp very easily, but it all depends on how saavy people are with these types of things. Hopefully, she responds positively and everything is just fine.
What you’re suggesting here sounds even more difficult to be honest. But at the end of the day, it depends on who’s sitting at the keyboard and where the document resides.
With that said, maybe a better idea for @Southernsitter is to add one more line that says something like "or share it with me in whatever is the easiest way for you. "
my last THS sit, was for a foreign gentleman, English was not his first language, even though he has lived in Scotland now for 30 years, he used that as an excuse for not completing the WG. I was his 3rd sitter, and I sat down with him and completed it for him, no excuses now.
We then sent it already to his next sitter, before she asked.
He did have all the necessary info written and pinned up on the fridge, vet no, emergency contact person, etc but I told him you do still need to complete the WG.
I think it sounds good. Changing the arrival date is often not possible for people, and while a host can request a change in the dates if it seems necessary, they can’t just casually make such a request, assuming the sitter can accommodate.
As a full-time sitter–with the exception of moving from a sit in one country to another–it is rare we have gaps in our schedule and almost always start and end sits the same day. So arriving any earlier than the originally agreed upon date would not be possible in most cases, unless the sit happened to be very close to our current one, and it was easy for my husband or I to travel to the sit a day early.
As for the welcome guide, I have often not seen a guide until the day we arrive or very shortly before ,and I have no issues with this as thus far it hasn’t caused any problems.
But that many sitters like to see it well ahead of time is perfectly reasonable. One thing I would say is that for sitters for whom this is very important, it is probably a good idea to discuss this upfront with the hosts prior to confirming to be sure they can accommodate this preference.
@Southernsitter, your response seems polite, appropriate and pragmatic . Go for it.
In our experience, perhaps 50-60% of pet parents use THS Welcome Guide. Mostly newbies or less techie people. In our experience - perhaps not representative - more experienced or tech competent pet parents prefer to use MS Word or equivalent application and to share a related PDF. Most - not all - have shared PDF document well before start of housesit.
Question - are there any topics related to listing, property, pet care that cause you concern? We would focus any upfront information on those topics - if major surprises appear then that may potentially impact housesit.
We see no problem whatsoever in you stating that you are unable to arrive a day earlier than stated per THS confirmed sit. We often are requested to arrive a day early - especially by pet parents embarking on long distance flights - but both parties agree related details in the video call, before sit is confirmed.
Love your offer of a video tour. Super thoughtful.
I have no real concerns about the sit. My video chats are extensive and cover most issues, but I have heard some horror stories where hosts have added a bunch of responsibilities in the WG that were not disclosed or other deal breakers not revealed. I like no surprises when we show up. They have 4 glowing reviews, so it should be fine. I just thought that having it in advance would shorten the handover so they can be on their way shortly after we arrive.
@Southernsitter, commend the extensive video calls, careful attitude and no real concerns.
We try hard - such as through continuous learning & structured video calls - to minimize risks. But they are not wholly avoidable. That’s as good as possible.
Encourage appreciate that some stories on THS Forum, while true and horrible, represent a tiny fraction of THS housesits. Per THS 2024 Impact Report, approx 6000 pets every night were under a housesit. That’s a whole lot.
One tactic available to you is ongoing periodic communication. Especially if no WG shared. Totally fair to reach out periodically to pet parent - WhatsApp, THS Message or otherwise - and check-in to confirm that’s all ok on both sides. We’ve done this selectively on housesits that are confirmed well in advance.
You’re absolutely right to stick to your agreed arrival time - that part is already set, so no need to bend on it. The only tweak I’d suggest is softening the wording a little so it doesn’t feel like a hard refusal, while still being clear.
Something along these lines tends to land well:
"I’m really looking forward to meeting you next month. Unfortunately we won’t be able to arrive a day early, so we’ll plan to be there at our agreed time of 10am on 20 May.
If possible, it would be really helpful to see your welcome notes in advance so we can familiarise ourselves beforehand and make the handover as smooth as possible. I’d also be very happy to do a quick video call or tour in the days leading up to the sit if that helps."
That keeps your boundary intact, but reassures the host you’re engaged, prepared, and making it easy for them too
As a homeowner I can say it can be alarming to have so little time to meet face to face and to depend on a document. However, my last sitter arrived after we left the house. We talked on the phone when she got there and everything went smoothly. So you might assure her that you have had this type of hand-off in the past and you will certainly be in touch if anything is not crystal clear to you. And she can send you the document she does have as an email attachment and you will read it thoroughly beforehand.
I recently sat for someone who wouldn’t put her welcome guide online. Eventually she emailed it to me as a word document. She also dropped the bombshell two weeks before that she wanted us there a day early so we had to change our hotel booking (we were sitting and touring). I found a lot of important information missing from her welcome guide. After the sit, she gave us a 5* review but with the comment that we had gone against her direct wishes and taken the dog out. Nowhere on her original posting, on the welcome guide or even verbally was it stated that the dog was not allowed to leave the premises. In fact, she mentions the dog in relation to the car and restaurants on her posting and in the welcome guide, and still does so in a recent posting. I was annoyed by her comment, but didn’t bother to reply as I felt it could turn into a slanging match, but it brought home the importance of having a welcome guide logged on the THS site as evidence, and I also now screen shot the original advert.
You can respond to her review. She cannot comment after that.
I would definitely point out in the response you were totally unaware that the dog could not leave the premises, due to lack of communication and the absence of a timely Welcome Guide.
I would have also docked a star for communication.
Sitters need to know that information and by her mentioning trips out with the dog is very misleading.
You said that you had an agreed upon time in your video chat. As an owner, I go way beyond just what was discussed on the video chat. I send my sitters a follow-up email confirming the dates, and as soon as I have my airplane tickets, I let them know when we plan on leaving the house. Our house is in a rural area, and we usually have our sitters come the day before we leave (or early on our departure day) so that we can have time to show them around the house, the yard, show them where we take the dog for walks, and drive them to town.
Agree with @Twitcher that you should respond calmly and factually that it was never mentioned in the WG, call or listing that the dog was not to go out. Additionally that you arrived a day early at your own expenses after a late change by the host. All useful info for future sitters & shows you’re from but fair. #helpfulhints
That sounds perfectly reasonable, although I would have omitted ‘If at all possible’, making the request a little stronger. It is she who is attempting to initiate a change, not you. If she has a written guide, there is no reason why she should not email it to you. I am a first time host, and I spent a long time preparing my Welcome Guide, because I want everything to run smoothly for my guests and for my pets.
Kudos for that.
This proves that common sense and empathy go a long way and it’s just natural that hosts want a good experience just as much as sitters do. After all, wouldn’t everyone want the person in charge of their home and pets to know what they are signing up for?
@LizandDaveC, I agree with @Cuttlefish that it would be a good idea to write a nicely worded reply so that other hosts are aware that you didn’t bend the rules, you’re just not a mind reader. Other sitters applying for the sit would also be aware that this host has uncomunicated expectations, which of course are impossible to fulfill.
. Go for it.
