We’re brand new here, meeting our first sitter this coming weekend. Obviously, HOs are not Air BnBs, but how do I calm my worry that sitters aren’t curiously looking through all my closets, drawers and personal things? In the current climate, it’s clear to see where we stand via our books, mail and such. What if a sitters is offended by our politics, reading material, or beliefs? We’re not secretive folks but don’t want our pets to be the brunt of someones’ offense.
Please do not worry about this . We’ve sat for two years now and I can honestly say that we have never once snooped around a home owners house to look for personal items.
We don’t even go into rooms that we are not using , just shut the doors and forget them. We sat in a home where our bedroom & bathroom were downstairs and we didn’t even go upstairs at all.
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This is about Trusting someone in your home . Trust can be based on their previous reviews, the video call you had with them before confirming them as sitters or the information they shared with you in their application.
Trust goes both ways . A host with a different viewpoint can still be welcoming, hospitable. The common ground is the love of pets .
No sitter who has lots of reviews would treat pets in a bad way for any reason and certainly not because they disagreed with their hosts viewpoint .
Quite the contrary - many threads on the forum show that sitters even put up with dirty homes , third parties , pets previously undisclosed medical conditions and rude hosts , just because they care about the pets. *
- Not that is required or expected by THS that a sitter stay if the sit breaches any of these policies .
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To most people, it feels icky going through someone else’s stuff, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that, as @Silversitters said, it’s about trust. Just clear away personal items you don’t want displayed, e.g. toiletries, jewelry, toys etc.
However, books, mail, fridge magnets - well, there’s not much to do about that. Please believe me when I say that most sitters have your pets front of mind, and 99.99% of normal people won’t hurt pets to get back at someone else, especially not those that pay for their travel to come and sit for you. Furthermore, if you leave your home clean, comfy and prepared for a sitter, they would be very appreciative and won’t go and ‘look for trouble’, they’ll be happy and content looking after your comfy home and nice pets.
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Ditto all of the above @Kimbyeya - lock away anything valuable or personal if that gives you peace of mind. If a room is off limits then simply tell the sitter that and any respectful person will go with the request. Other people’s personal effects are of no interest TBH, too busy having a nice time with the pets to poke through a knicker drawer. #calmyourfears
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I recently sat for a couple that had some items around the house (on full view - on the shelf etc) that suggested that they had pretty obnoxious beliefs (a ****** mug and a **** hat), but the dog was absolutely lovely, so it was a joy to spend time with him.
Thankfully, the owners are only around for a handover and 99% of the time is spent with the lovely pet.
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You have signed up to Trusted housesitters , it is what it says on the tin.
The truth is, if you have no trust in your sitter, you’ve signed up to the wrong site.
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As others have already said, I think the vast majority of sitters don’t look through closets, drawers or even rooms they don’t use. In most of my sits, including the present one, there are rooms whose threshold I never cross, even if the door is open. I only open cupboards and drawers in the kitchen and the ones left for my use in my bedroom.
To hurt a pet in some way would even be more unlikely.
But I think I can see where you’re coming from and I understand that, in a climate of excessive political and ideological confrontation, you would feel more at ease if you don’t invite someone whose beliefs are at the far opposite end of yours. I think the video chat is quite helpful also in that regard. People who are real extremists can’t help to show it in almost all types of conversations. I have never met anyone like this petsitting but I have very often clicked with people even in the first video call.
I would risk to say that pet sitters tend to be open minded people who are really respectful of differences and even attracted by them, otherwise we wouldn’t bother to travel the world. Why expose ourselves to the “evils” of diversity?
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We have no interest whatsoever in having a nosey in anyone’s drawers! We don’t even go into rooms when it’s not necessary (we just ask whether there are any plants to be watered).
Read reviews, talk to applicants via video chat and, if you still don’t feel confident, consider using a paid service (though why paid sitters might be any more respectful than THS sitters is beyond me!).
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Oh my god, that’s a bit of a strange mindset, isn’t it? I mean, sure, sitters are staying in your home, but it’s not like they’re signing up to snoop through your personal stuff or judge your political views. Most sitters just want to take care of the pets and have a comfortable place to stay, not go through someone’s mail or make value judgments about their beliefs.
If you are that worried about it, maybe you should just lock away anything super personal. But honestly, assuming that sitters might treat your pets badly because they don’t agree with your politics? That’s a bit crazy.
I keep wondering how bad people’s radar for like-minded individuals has gotten over the years. Is it a side effect of social media, that personal interactions have been so neglected in recent years that people have lost their intuition and sense for who fits with them and who doesn’t? I really don’t know.
I honestly wonder about this quite often, whether it’s just me, my job, and my age that make me so good at reading people, or if it’s really that people don’t have many real social touchpoints anymore.
I would never open drawers where I have no business looking (except in the kitchen, because I cook a lot and need to know where the utensils are). But if someone tells me that a particular room is off-limits, I won’t go in, why would I? I’ve got plenty of other things to do.
I do love browsing through people’s bookshelves, though, because I have a deep love for books. But even my own bookshelf used to be filled with all sorts of literature and political views from across the spectrum because I want to see all sides of the story, not just run in one direction.
It’s Trusted Housesitters. if you have a problem with trust, then this platform isn’t for you.
Sorry for being so honest.
(Edited to meet posting guidelines)
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To me, it would take an evil, crazy person to mistreat any pets because of their humans’ beliefs. It would seem especially unlikely with sitters, who tend to love or like animals.
Personally, I’m not curious enough about hosts’ personal business to ever go through their stuff, enter unnecessary rooms, etc. There are nosy people like that, apparently, because you hear about guests (not specifically about sitting) who go through hosts’ medicine cabinets, for instance.
Given that, if you can’t put away things that are sensitive to you and put up with having normal stuff out that any sitter or other guest would typically see, such as photos, books and such, hosting isn’t for you. Note: You can stop mail service in many places, if having that seen bothers you.
You might be better off boarding your pets.
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Any decent sitters would not go rummaging through your drawers. You could lock away anything you think could be controversial. Whenever we do a sit, unless we know the HO very well, we only ever chat about the pets, or the weather, never, ever mention politics or religion. I don’t think any sitters would mistreat your pets because of your opinions.
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What you probably don’t realise right now, is that your sitter isn’t a stranger, they’re just a friend that you haven’t met yet with just two things that originally bond you, your pets and your location.
We sit as a couple, and I love looking on the bookshelf, or glancing at photo’s when I’m in an owners home, because it’s lovely to see who we’re sitting for, other than what we know about them already. It’s lovely to see family photo’s in a beloved family home (not a pristine airbnb or hotel). I don’t care about anyone’s beliefs. Our owners have accepted us for who we are, and we accept the owners for who they are too. It’s as simple as that. If you think anyone is going through your drawers you simply report them to THS, it’s not on.
If you trust your intuition, and your gut feeling when choosing a sitter, then you can’t go wrong, because if they are sensible, they will do exactly the same when choosing who to apply for (we do, we want nice owners that we feel connected to).
You’ll be able to see from those sitters with multiple reviews on their profiles, that a lot of sitters are sensible, helpful, down-to-earth, practical, and mature, and just not the sort to go rummaging.
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Exactly my thoughts @Colin! By signing up, an owner knows they are going to have to trust a complete stranger to look after their home and pets.
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Lol. I am not at all interested in going through someone’s drawers. If someone suspected me of doing that, I would never sit for them. If you don’t want to trust me, I don’t trust you either.
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@Kimbyeya your anxiety is understandable, but a lot can be deduced about a potential sitter from their profile and from reviews. If you don’t feel comfortable, even after meeting them (I’m guessing your meeting is before you’ve confirmed?) you can move on and find another sitter. Others have given great advice about “tidying away” anything that you feel someone might find contentious. But I think you’ll find that people in this community tend to be open minded and focus on the care of the pets.
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Make sure TP and paper towel supplies are easily available, close doors. I have been in homes where there is a lock on the master. I think that is a good idea. I never used a pet sitter – but I had a great dog walker who boarded, and cost me over $10K over the years – because I was afraid of my jewelry etc. I never go into rooms that are closed. But I think a locked master is a great idea. And make sure they don’t have a reason, extra blankets etc, are reasons to go into closets.
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Honestly, I don’t think the vast majority of sitters are going through people’s stuff. If they were people would notice and this is something even reluctant type would be putting in reviews.
Our books are also on display and it would be pretty obvious “where we stand” in a variety of ways. We’ve managed to find sitters who if not aligned with our views, are at least okay with them being our views.
I sit as well, and would much rather a host be upfront about anything in their house that might offend. You can ask during a chat: I have a lot___________ in my home. How would you feel about seeing a lot of ________?
It’s clear sitters are staying in people’s homes not Airbnbs, and there is no need to depersonalize your space, but sure if you’ve got a lot guns hanging from your walls, or your erotica collection is all around, people might be offended, and it would best to give them a headsup before confirming a sit.
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I’ve done 55 sits by now. Sometimes people even have money sitting out in plain sight, valuables, etc. I don’t touch them. Got no interest in that. The only reason for me to rummage through the drawers is if I need something (kitchen utensils, screw driver, etc) and am trying to find it
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Yup, I’ve sat homes with cash and checkbooks in plain sight. I never touched them.