I’ve not said “hey this room is locked! Don’t try to go in”- but I think it’s on my welcome guide that the master is a private space. I’ve not locked it though.
I did struggle how to word that as I don’t want guests to feel unwelcome here. It sounds like most experienced sitters seem to leave closed off rooms be in practice-preferring a room other than that (unless no option) anyway, but I did also want to be clear my personal preference my bedroom is not a space for use. Do you think that ok to just say, or put in the WG? Or just close the door? ( I feel like it’s a movie plot )
There are three other bedrooms to choose from and the rest of the house is available!
All you need to do is show the bedrooms sitters will have available to them in your photos and listing @Halifax23. No need to say anything about your bedroom. Just close its door and any other rooms that sitters don’t need to use. As a sitter I close rooms off that I have no intention of using which reduces the cleaning for me .
I close off room that I have no intention of using”
That’s my policy too so the clean up can be top quality but only a limited area.
My last sit the dogs were allowed free range over the one storey home: all bedrooms , including mine. In fact the dog cage was put in my room when they left and a dog bed for the other dog. In the event the dogs didn’t use them but leapt on my bed the first night to share my body warmth ! I didn’t expect that and I have to say I’d had no warning of it from the owners as there had been no welcome guide in place . They’d said they were unaware there had to be one… the handover was over two days so most things I had asked enough questions about. This sit had had a last min cancellation from a sitter so I had quickly stepped in. As I didn’t sleep well that first night and the owners had deliberately left their other bedroom doors open when they had left I decided to shut my bedroom door in the night from then on. The dogs had other dog beds in the living room and two double beds as well as comfortable sofas to choose where to sleep so I didn’t feel bad. In addition I wear hearing aids and take them out at night so I didn’t want these chewed or mislaid.
When it came to clean up I cleaned all the bedrooms because although I hadn’t used them the dogs had and I didn’t want the comments “ it wasn’t as clean as we left it”
There had been a power cut during my stay and the rechargeable Hoover hadn’t been rechargeable as the circuit was only partially restored. Fortunately in the bedrooms there were no carpets it was all tiled floors so the cleaning wasn’t compromised.
I did tell the Home Owners on their return that as I hadn’t slept well the first night and consequently I had shut my bedroom door . They were ok about my decision. I function better if I’ve slept well as do most people. I felt it would have been unreasonable to expect me to have done anything else as I hadn’t been alerted to these unusual expectations.
Would you have left those rooms as they were and explained why they hadn’t been cleaned? Or shut the other bedroom doors too and restricted the dogs’ sleeping options?
I’d be interested in other sitters’ opinions on this matter too.
I usually mention to the owners I’ll be closing rooms I won’t be using so long as they’re not used by the pets so will not be cleaning them. Haven’t had any complaints from owners because of this @Highfive. I often sit alone so have no need to use multiple rooms.
That was good the dogs had other places to sleep so you could get a better sleep after that first night.
@Highfive I guess I would have just gave those other rooms a quick wipe and vacuum, and pull the bedding tight. I wouldn’t have done anything else there, just a quick once over. In you case, with the hoover running out, that’s tough, because I might have started with the ‘easy’ rooms and then, by the time I get to the harder areas, I might have been left without power! Then what?! I think we have learned by now, to start vacuuming/cleaning the day before, especially areas that haven’t been used much, and close off those rooms that are done. Then, on the final day, there are much less to do - only the most lived-in spaces.
As other issues, there are different HOs and different sitters. HOs that want to put a lock on their master will find sitters like me, who don’t care. And if some sitters are insulted by a locked door, they won’t go with an HO that has a locked door.
I don’t take it personal if something odd is in a welcome guide or other. It doesn’t bother me as such, either. It is on them. I think the host is odd. If someone is to be trusted one can say «this room is prepared for you». Or stronger «please don’t use the master». I find it rather passive-aggressive to lock the door. And not necessarily serving the purpose. For an untrustable person - would a lock stop them? Or would it be the signpost to where to keep looking? It is more about the attitude and how it comes across. I think I would be reluctant to apply for or confirm such a sit - not because of the room or lock, but because of the attitude.
Either I am to be trusted - as any guest - or I am not. That would be the leap of faith we both take. Personally I close the rooms I won’t be using and let them be, saving me the end cleaning.
They may want to keep the pet out during your stay. And this gives you one less room to clean. This way it won’t be open by accident and the pet might not get in. And you can’t open it even if the pet begs you.
They might not have any cabinet locks or closet locks and may have been advised to lock up jewelry or other valuables or important papers and this may be the simplest solution.
They may have had previous experience with a sitter playing musical beds and they want to limit choices because they didn’t set up new sheets and don’t want someone sleeping in their bed so this keeps things simple.
They didn’t have time to clean the room and don’t want to be judged.
Oh my god it’s a dungeon. They didn’t want you to know.
For a platform like TRUSTED housesitters, only number 1 would be a valid reason. For the rest, it would be enough to simply close the door rather than locking it. Even with number 1, I have my doubts that the animal would be convinced that the door is actually locked and that you don’t have a key.
Or do you think it’s more like “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”?, so it’s safer for the sitter not to have a key when the pet is begging you to open the bl oo dy door!
As a sitter, your list seems totally valid but I can summarize all possible reasons in one: it’s the HO’s house and it’s their choice what part they want to share with the sitter and what part they want to keep private. To me it doesn’t make any difference at all if the part they want to keep private is locked or not because:
I will not notice wether it’s locked.
If I do know, I won’t take it as a personal offense. It has nothing to do with me but with them, their property and their sense of privacy.
I would NEVER, EVER take my differences with a HO’s beliefs, politics, etc. out on an animal. EVER. The very thought makes me shudder.
And, I suspect that most every sitter here feels the same way.
Further, I don’t even care about any aspect of the home/HO other than those which are part of my responsibilites. I’ve had many sits where you could trace my footsteps between my bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen, the living room (common area) and the litterboxes…despite there often being at least seven or eight other rooms in the place !
Full honesty here : If I found out during a sit (by chance not by going though a HO’s belongings) that our politics, etc. were vastly different, it would have no impact on my review or any other aspect of the sit.
The only place that it might come into play would be if I was fortunate to be asked back for another sit. Emphasis on “might” as I would take other aspects of the sit into consideration.
While the obvious is important (reading reviews, asking a zillion q’s, truly listening to potential sitters’ responses, etc), listen to your gut, too !
We once did a sit where we noticed - after the HOs had left - that the laundry room was locked, along with most of the others (yes, I was looking for the washing machine and not just attempting to have a nosey around).
That did feel rather controlling, and lacking in trust.
just to add, in nearly 50 sits, we’ve rarely encountered locked doors. Indeed, at our current sit, all the doors have to be left open so that the cats can access whichever beds they want to sleep on. It doesn’t mean we’ll go into those rooms, just because we can. We won’t abuse the trust placed in us, but we appreciate the demonstration that we too are trusted.
Trust goes a long way towards making one feel welcome, so it’s nice that most HOs are so lovely.
We have done a sit in a very large home , where one room out of many was locked . It was the host’s study and we were told about this beforehand .
This arrangement actually gave me peace of mind since there was a cleaner and gardeners who came to the property on a couple of days during the week (this was disclosed upfront in the listing) . All the other rooms including the hosts bedroom were unlocked with the doors left open - we didn’t go into them (except when we were looking for the dog who liked to sleep on a sunny spot in the owners bedroom).
It’s quite common in AirBNBs and timeshares that owners have a locked room or cupboard where they store their personal items .
I know that some employees who work from home have to have to lock up the room with their computers in it when they are not in it - for security and data privacy reasons , so one locked room or cupboard wouldn’t trouble me .
But if most of the rooms of a home were locked without an explanation, this would be off putting and would be a concern especially if there was a need to get in there ( eg burst pipe - or an alarm going off in the locked room )
Not all rooms need to be locked to deter people from entry.. here the dog food tins are to the fore. I have no need to rummage through.
I’m pleased that the dog’s meals are easily accessible. That’s all that concerns me.
This shows they trust me not to browse their things as the food could have been put elsewhere. I had a bedroom like this till a store room became available.
I don’t mind a locked door, if it makes hosts feel better or less stressed.
I am not offended if, for example, their bedroom is locked.
If they locked the laundry room, that would be most annoying because I travel light and usually need a washing machine!
@Kimbyeya
I’d like to apologise for my earlier post. It seems like I wrote an emotional response and somehow took it personally in my role as a sitter. In future I hope to think more before I post (or not post) something.
It is indeed understandable to be stressed when you let a stranger in your home and this is a new thing for you.
)
.
It is more about the attitude and how it comes across. I think I would be reluctant to apply for or confirm such a sit - not because of the room or lock, but because of the attitude.
