So lovely home, desirable neighborhood, high energy and high maintenance dog walked 4x a day, dog reactive and not left alone more than a few hours at a time. Weekend sit and under responsibilities in addition to aforementioned dog care see screen shot. I thought leaving a “spring cleaning list” was a wow, now we’re their Airbnb hosts while they go away? Needless to say I have not applied. Some sitter reviews were fabulous with quite a few who left nothing.
This breaks THS Ts & Cs @WheresBabZ - please report the listing. Have just done the same for one with Airbnb “duties” #whatscomingnext 
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Yes, report as @Cuttlefish says. Out of terms of service.
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@WheresBabZ
This is Not a sitter’s responsibility
you can report the listing by forwarding to support@trustedhousesitters.com
“Please note that sitters are not expected to complete any tasks that are considered ‘work’. This may include helping a pet parent maintain any business they have “
Or they can pay you for this work as a private arrangement outside of THS.
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Many thanks, I had not thought of reporting as I was not going to apply and clearly other sitters think it’s fine and some just didn’t leave reviews…will send in. Thanks @Garfield
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Thanks for the reminder. Will report the listing.
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@Silversitters @Cuttlefish @Garfield Reported but wow chat was not helpful at all…I didn’t have the email to send to - kept sending me to all the pages I went to looking for it. THS really doesn’t want communication does it?
Thanks agian
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@WheresBabZ Send this listing to support@trustedhousesitters.com
What they are asking is not allowed.
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THS support bot told me to send to reply@emails.trustedhousesitters.com
Yet another THS fail. Will forward to email You provided. Tell
Me where that is ANYWHERE on THS help pages!?!!
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I feel like the homeowner should be allowed to clarify-
They didn’t say “Let the guests in” , give out keys, clean up….
Just “greet the guests”. To me it almost sounds more like a dog sitting cue to just make sure the dog isn’t barking too much? And the greeting is just to announce their presence and show that the dog isn’t home alone?
Got a response from THS. They will investigate further and appreciate me bringing it to their attn.
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For me it would be the social pressure. “Greeting the guests” would put pressure, at least for me, to be overly friendly and kind and helpful to any guests because I would feel like I had to represent the HO’s Airbnb well. I can also see it leading to conflict if the HO doesn’t present you as another guest but rather a representative and the Airbnb folks turn to you with questions. And what if something goes wrong? Will you need to help the Airbnb folks fix stuff? And what if they damage the property in some way? You’re responsible for this home. There is a reason there are no 3rd parties allowed.
I had a sit (not THS) that they’d turned into an Airbnb between the time I accepted and the time I arrived and they admitted they didn’t tell me because they thought I’d change my mind (to be fair they also changed MANY other expectations). They were ADAMANT that it wouldn’t impact me at all - all I had to do was say hi to the guests when they arrived - so I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and try one weekend. It was a nightmare. They kept blowing fuses so I kept having to reset the breakers in the house. They broke the gate onto the property so now I had to get that fixed. They kept asking me for random things (hairdryer, recommendations in town, etc.). They messed with the pets, moving the bed of the REALLY elderly outdoor cat from her cozy nest to the middle of the yard because they wanted to rearrange outdoor furniture. She disappeared for days after the trauma. And the kicker was that they locked me into the upper floor of the house and I had no way to get out as they took the keys. So I was stranded on the 2nd floor and had to yell until someone noticed and came and unlocked it.
Needless to say I left that sit and there is not enough money on the planet to get me to do another sit anything like it.
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with @CreatureCuddler on this. It’s not the easy ones, it’s the things that go wrong - where’s the iron, can you order a taxi, can we stay an extra night, can you stop the dog barking, I don’t like my bed ones. And what about any changeovers during the sit? Sounds easy but has potential danger written all over it & that’s speaking from experience! #oncebittenonceshy
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The expectation to “greet the Airbnb guests when they arrive “ leads me to believe that I would be expected to be at the premises at specific times so that I am there to greet the guests on arrival (and presumably wait around for guests who arrive late .)
Additionally with the mention of “several units” -this could be time consuming . Having to plan my days around the host’s Airbnb timetable would impact what I have planned to do during each day of my stay .
They also say that greeting the guests on arrival is just one of the tasks that they want the sitter to do - so what are the others ?
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A well established and organised Airbnb has many contact numbers to call with queries and issues. Ask the host for a copy of these numbers and direct the Airbnb guests to them when they ask something making it clear you have nothing to do with the rental unit.
I use THS as an introductory service, much like a dating app (or so I’ve been told). It’s up to me to make sure I am comfortable with all aspects of the sit. At the moment I’m doing a fantastic house sit with two very active dogs. There are three other people on the property today , 2 cleaners and a gardener. The window cleaner is due in a couple of hours. I have not got an issue. It’s a very large house and garden and these people are doing work that I don’t have to do now. I have told the cleaners I will clean my own bedroom and bathroom.
There are numerous packages arriving everyday. I open the door, sign and store them in the dining room. None of this is taking away any of the pleasure of this fantastic sit. In fact they are helping me enjoy it more by taking most of the work burden from me.
I use these “rules” more like guidelines. In my 5/6 years pet sitting the major asset I have learnt is to adapt and roll with the punches. Look at the positives and try to avoid any negatives in the future. Yes, I know we are all different, with different approaches and want different things out of our pet sitting but maybe, just maybe, remember we are stepping into someone’s life for a very short time and we cannot expect them to change their routine just because we don’t like aspects of it. Once again communication is the key point. Talk, ask, discuss. If the sitter doesn’t like what they hear or read walk away. If the host has problems with what the sitter is telling them try and find a more compatible sitter.
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‘…just greeting people when they arrive’. I think the use of ‘just’ explains everything. They see it as merely a small additional task without considering the implications for the sitter, that @CreatureCuddler described so well. Also, what if you WFH and aren’t available to greet the guests, or they arrive at a ridiculous time? You are responsible, not only for a dog (who seems very demanding) and home, but also another unit and the guests in it? No ‘just’ about it. This is another example of an unreasonable and entitled home owner, from what I can tell.
I think it’s perfectly ok if the HO is upfront and explains they have airbnb guests in a completely separate part of their house/premises that have their own access. I did a sit for such HO. They were clear from the off and showed me the guests had a number of contact numbers in case of emergency and the HO had even written on the welcome letter to the guests not to trouble me the sitter for anything.
Problem with this listing is you could find yourself getting drawn into helping with other tasks rather than a simple greeting and here’s your key. The airbnb guests have you as a point of contact then.
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Most of us have stayed in an Airbnb. Stuff can go wrong. Sorry I don’t see this as my responsibility. I am not the host. Or staying on a property with multiple units and a dog who is reactive. Could I apply and get this all cleared up? Probably but have learned it’s a waste of time and empty reviews are my red flag.
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THAT is the problem. I could be their point of contact otherwise why would I need to “greet” them at all - except for reactive dog. Too many empty reviews. All the red flag I need to stay away and on THS hands now.
Gardeners, cleaners even repair men and packages are completely different than running an Airbnb on property w multiple units.
I’m experienced at this gig. I get the difference between managing a house and being the POC for multiple Airbnb units on the property + a reactive and active dog.
Empty reviews from sitters who are not comfortable leaving an honest review because of THS policies is all I need when deciding to apply. I have submitted to THS. They are investigating. There are rules.
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