My partner and I are taking care of a dog, for 10 days, we just went 4 days, and the owner sent me a message saying that she got COVID and maybe she should come back sooner, which means 6 days earlier than agreed. Although I currently live relatively close, I would not like to imagine what would happen if I were in another country in the same situation, and in the same way it involves changing plans, cleaning and packing everything sooner than expected and it really causes me stress.
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Hi Daniela, Welcome to the forum.
It is indeed quite unfortunate that the house owner has to come home earlier than expected. One of the downsides of House Sitting is there that you always have to have a Plan B for such rare circumstances.
Life happens.
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@Daniela91 We had this happen to us twice (on back to back sits ) the first time was for a medical emergency which could unfortunately happen to anyone ( host or sitter ) they had to be medevacked from a cruise ship and returned to home country for treatment . Whilst it was stressful to have to reorganise our schedule and find alternative accommodation our main concern was for the host who was really ill. They offered that we could still stay on at their home with them when they got back - we declined as it didn’t seem appropriate as they were very ill .
The following sit we were stunned when it happened again !! However this time was not due to an extraordinary circumstance it was because the host got tickets for a social event and decided to return early to attend it but didn’t inform us !!!
https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/home-owner-curtails-sit-by-coming-back-several-days-early
Since these experiences we now always have a Plan B in mind .
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Personally think cancelling unexpectedly mid-sit is extremely problematic. Part of the concept of THS is that, since this is not an employer-employee relationship, it is based on mutual agreement and a big part of that agreement are the dates.
Don’t know if premium membership covers cancellation after the sit commences. Would welcome hearing from others if they’ve been able to do so in such a situation.
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Unfortunately, this is something that could happen to anyone at anytime. I would recommend asking the owner to amend the sit dates asap, so it will end on the designated day they are now returning and that allows you to find another sit. Thankfully you live close and it sounds like it won’t affect you too much, however, as full-time sitters who are 100% nomadic, this would affect us significantly. Hotel costs alone would be close to $600 for 6 days, so we would ask them to change the dates asap.
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She stated the owner has Covid, and I would consider that a valid reason for returning home early
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It’s indeed fortunate that you live close by and this won’t be too much of a hardship for you. It’s always good to have a back up plan, and be prepared for these types of changes. Whether we are far from home or not, it is absolutely our responsibility to find a solution for a canceled or cut short sit. Its unfortunate the pet owner became ill and needs to return home earlier than expected. I’m quite sure they are as stressed as you are with the disruption of their vacation.
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True that the OP stated the reason used was Covid. Like often happens, I was doing multiple things and simply forgot that portion while typing. But, as I also stated, if the reason were not substantial, I’d note that in the review, so future interested parties would know of the red flag.
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@lou28 There is no red flag in this situation. The homeowner contracted COVID. I don’t know if you’ve ever had it but we’ve both had it and it’s no fun. But hey, we’re “older” (LOL!) and unfortunately, covid hits our demographic extra hard.
If I were the sitter in this case, I would be happy to leave before the HO returns in order to avoid exposure to the illness.
We are sitters as well as HOs, and in our minds, one stressed day of cleaning quickly before leaving is still better than contracting this disease.
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If the Sitter works from home and does not have time to clean, etc, I think that is totally within reason.
I would pack my things (and groceries!) and leave before they get home. They certainly don’t want to expose you to COVID. Don’t worry too much about cleaning. Just tell them that given the circumstances, you did not have time to clean to your usual level.
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@PVGemini Yes, that seems like a fair approach for the sitter to try. 
Thank you all for the comments, it really helps me see all the possibilities and pslutions, especially since I want to travel to another continent soon, and I have to consider all these points.
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I’m curious, in this situation, what you’d do. I understand a Plan-B and booking alternative accommodation, but do you ask the HO to pay (part of) the accommodation? Or do you let it slide?
I am in kinda similar situation where the HO had mistaken their return date and informed us about this mistake a few days before the sit starts. In my case they also offered us to stay at their place (no extra bedroom so would need to be squeezed in somewhere) so I politely refused and booked a hotel instead. It’s only a minor inconvenience so I’m letting it slide, but if it is more days such as mentioned in this topic, what do you do?
But the premium plan does cover a hotel in case something like this happens right?
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I would always ask, since it’s a big inconvenience. Not really fair to offer to squeeze you on their couch.
I’d tactfully explain that such a change revolutionizes your plans, to a great and unexpected expense.
I would also make sure during the initial conversations that the dates are set in stone (barring unforeseeable events).
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A couple of years ago, I had two sits cut short because the hosts contracted Covid. In one instance, they were only coming home a day early. In the second instance, they were coming home three days early because they planned on spending the last few days of their trip visiting friends, so obviously not possible any more.
In both instances, offering to let us stay on anyway would not have been an option and we probably would not have done so anyway. We simply just booked accommodation in the area until our next sits were due to start. To me, this is just one of the things that can happen and we roll with it.
Since I have never faced a cancellation for a longer period, I can’t say for sure whether I would ask the host to cover expenses at least partially, but I probably wouldn’t. If they offered, I would possibly take them up on it though.
I understand that this sort of thing can be a really big inconvenience for sitters, but it is just par for the course. I have been sitting a decade and this has only happened a handful of times at most, and never for longer periods. So I do think that for the most part it is rare, and that is probably why I don’t give it much thought.
If a host offered reimbursement for accommodation, that would be a really nice thing to do. But it is not something they are obligated to do; even if some wanted to, they may not be in a financial position to do so. When a host offers me a sit, I in no way see that as them taking any sort of official responsibility for providing a roof over my head during the agreed upon dates.
Again, based on my experience, I do think this is relatively rare. But it certainly can happen, and if this is a concern that weighs really heavily for someone because of the potential financial impact, they may feel better choosing sits in areas where accommodations are less expensive should they need to utilize them.
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Makes a lot of sense, thanks for your long response. I am of mind to do the same as you, but generally I am also very generous and wanted to know I’m not too generous and should be asking for something
Hi @Wraldpyk
In your case, you state that you booked a hotel and you are “letting it slide.” How long did you have to stay in the hotel?
In the OP’s case, the HO was to return 6 days earlier than expected due to COVID. Fortunately, the sitters lived close by and they were able to readjust their plans.
However, what if they did not live close by? What if they had lived in another state? What if --as the OP mentioned --they were in another country?
Honestly, I believe that no one knows how he / she will react until something actually happens to her / him.
And it depends on: How many days early did the HO return? If it is just one day, I would also make the most of the situation by booking a hotel or Airbnb.
But what if it was 5 or more days? Depending on the location, hotel, and Airbnb-- those expenses could be astronomical.
Due to no fault of my own–If a HO had to unexpectedly return home and there was no option for me to continue staying in the home, I would hope (without me asking) that the HO would offer to help defray hotel / Airbnb costs.
I’ve had two sits cut short.
The first was shortened by two days, because one of the hosts had a major accident and needed to return to their hometown for follow-up care.
The second involved a sickly senior dog that ended up having catastrophic seizures and needing to be put down. Her humans returned early to say goodbye. That 19-day sit was shortened by six days.
In both cases, my hosts offered to pay for a hotel, but I decided to pay my own way.
In a separate case, a host informed me that their grown son had moved back to town and would overlap with my sit for part of the time. I said I’d be happy to sit as planned, without overlapping, or they could cancel the sit. They opted for the latter and offered to chip in for changes in my flights.
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Well, if the owners return early, they seem to be saving on their own costs for accommodation.
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