I’ve put on my sitter profile that I use a car so I require parking for sits.
I spoke with a HO about sitting for them this coming weekend and they said “we can buy visitor parking for £5 a day” … I was like great, do you need my registration and car information. They said yes… I thought great, and confirmed the sit.
In the past I’ve always had the HO cover any parking visitor passes, I’ve never paid for this, and because there’s two of them and she’s said “we” and I’m a solo sitter, I’m not sure what else I want meant to think
She’s just messaged saying so do you want to leave me cash for the parking or send money to my bank details?
I’m really confused and a bit annoyed, so I just said sorry I thought when you said “we can buy visitor parking for £5 a day” you were going to get it. She also only brought up how I’d pay her after I’d confirmed the sit, rather than while we were talking about parking stuff.
I’m really tight for cash at the moment, which is a bit embarrassing to admit, but one reason I agreed was because they (in my mind) were ok to cover the parking expense, and I don’t really want to do it if I’m required to cover this.
When you say in past sits you have had hosts cover the parking passes, do you know if they were ever paying for them on your behalf or perhaps they just had them on hand already?
When my husband and I sit in the US we have our own car and there have been a few instances where we needed a pass for street parking and it seemed like the hosts already had one on hand that they give to visitors–I don’t think they were paying for anything.
That you were never asked to pay before, it is understandable to assume you would not have to this time either. But if the host mentioned the cost to me directly, I would take that to mean she expected me to pay for it–not sure why it would be mentioned otherwise.
This is just one of those things that can happen on sits and you live and learn. I think it is a nice thing to offer to pay for parking passes, but I don’t necessarily think that is something a host should automatically be expected to cover. All the places I needed the pass for were areas that were easily navigable without a vehicle but we obviously would drive there since we have the car. So if there was any expense associated with parking it, I probably wouldn’t expect the host to pay for me.
I know what it is like when money is tight and unexpected expenses come up. Not sure how long the sit is for, but unless it was truly unaffordable, I would probably just do the sit and chalk it up to a learning experience.
Yeah I see what you mean - No they specifically got me the passes because I had to give my registration and car type.
Definitely learning to be very explicit with language!
I’ve explained the situation to the HO and said I completely understand if they’d rather find a sitter without a car, and money is just really tight right now.
@RR12345
Yes, it can be an uncomfortable thing to discuss. But that is good that you were honest about your situation if it was really not something that was feasible. When things are a certain way on all the sits we have done so far, it is natural to assume future sits will be similar. And most of the time I think they are.
Having to pay for parking would certainly put me off a sit unless the location was somewhere really special, and I’d be cheesed off that the home owner only thought to mention it after I’d confirmed. Although it’s not a requirement that the home owner covers a cost like that, it does seem a bit stingy not to, and doesn’t set a particularly great tone at the start of a sit.
If you do end up paying for the parking yourself, I’d ask for details of the car park so that you can check whether £5 covers a 24-hour period, or just day time etc. And also whether you’re actually allowed to leave a vehicle there over night. Alternatively, it could be worth asking whether there’s any free street parking within a 5 - 10 minute walk as well, if you’d be willing to sacrifice convenience to save a bit of cash.
Tbh I am having a particularly rubbish time at the moment (no that this is anyone else’s problem) so I wanted to do a nice sit with a lovely pet for a change of scenery. I don’t want to be stressing out about parking and checking all that, and then worrying about the expense - which then also doesn’t make it feel like a fair trade if that’s part of the equation. It’s important to me it does feel like a fair trade.
I guess I also feel a bit bummed by this attitude, because I would have thought someone coming to care for your pet for free essentially, with tonnes of positive reviews, is such a weight off your shoulders in comparison to the cost and stress of kennels / cattery.
It also seems odd that the HO is offering to complete the actual purchase of parking for you, if they’re not prepared to cover the cost themselves. If the parking were in a public car park, then presumably you could just purchase it yourself.
So perhaps it’s either in a private car park eg. within a development of flats, in which case I’d be surprised that residents have to pay a daily charge. Or the HO has a season ticket which allows residents only (or yourself by proxy) to park within a certain zone in the street. If that’s the case, then they’d probably be paying for the season ticket whether they’re actually using the parking or not, so doubly stingy!
Sorry to hear you’re having a rubbish time. Hope you manage to find a good, restorative sit, if you decide not to go ahead with this one.
Depending on where they’re located, there are apartments where parking isn’t included and you can buying parking as needed. Not everyone has a car or free guest parking, especially in densely populated cities.
In this case, it sounds like miscommunication / assumptions.
If the host won’t pay for parking and there’s no street parking, seems like the sitter pays or doesn’t sit.
It sounds like a miscommunication. However, the onus is primarily on the HO. It should have been in their listing, stating the Sitter/Guest can purchase a parking pass and note the cost. That is essential in determining if someone wants to take the sit. The THS rules state that HOs can have Sitters/Guests pay for utilities, but they have to let them know in advance. I’d include parking in that category.
I encountered one HO who did something similar. I agree; it feels incredibly petty and contradictory to the exchange platform. Having paid a lot of money for dog walkers, pet sitters, and boarding for my dogs, I wouldn’t think twice about covering $5/day parking for a Sitter or guest caring for my pets.
In my opinion she used the “we” as other people say “one”: one can buy visitor parking for £5 a day.
I’m sorry you are going thru hard financial times, however I don’t find them stingy. Without sounding callous, you have applied to and accepted the sit— you must have found it a fair enough exchange. They get a “free” sitter as you said, but you get “free” housing for a while too.
Again, while being 100% sympathetic, pet sitting comes with potential extra expenses that sitters need to budget for. There are plenty of scenarios in this forum alone of the extra expenses sitters had to cover due to unforeseen circumstances. And these might be way more than £5 per day.
That’s like assuming that everyone applying to such sits will have a car, when I bet most sitters fly or use public transit, especially those travelling to and in Europe.
I’m all for being proactive and speaking up according to my needs and preferences; if it’s important for the sitters, they should specifically ask.
Well, the HO can and should put details about parking in the listing, as it is an important item that could determine if someone decides to apply or confirm. Perhaps assuming is what led to this confusion. If a Sitter/Guest is expected to pay for anything outside of their travel expenses, it should be noted. It sounds like the OP didn’t speak up, as you state, because it never occurred to them they would need to go out of pocket for any expenses per the THS terms. I’ve seen too many listings in which HO’s leave out important details.
Surely it depends if the sit requires a car? If it doesn’t then the host doesn’t need to tell a potential sitter about parking etc unless they ask. And if they ask then there’s a parking charge. Yes there is confusion here on who is paying, but am with @Peonie19 in that as much as I sympathise with unexpected costs and that the OP is having a rough time, £5 a day is not the end of the world if you’re already a car owner (so want it with you), and that means your accommodation is now sorted on an otherwise lovely looking sit. Maybe go halves to keep everyone happy? #justathought
Nobody could know whether the host too was in a tight spot financially, so best to discuss.
That being said, I’m not willing to pay more than my travel to the sit, which in many cases is a substantial amount. If extra expenses for utilities, parking, rental car or :other: I would be out. Have been so far, at least.
I think it’s great you spoke up about your financial situation and your feelings about having to pay parking. You would have felt resentful if you’d just gone along with it and paid, so I’m glad for you that you were able to be honest and that the host is now paying.
It also could have been grounds to cancel- getting this info only after confirming.
I do think this is a cost that should be mentioned in the listing so that sitters are prepared to pay parking if they bring a car. Depending on convenience of public transport some may choose to leave the car behind. Or they may choose not apply for the sit. We’ve done a couple of sits where parking permits were required and both times thr HO said- straight away- that they’d provide them. I think that is how it should be.
which is why I agreed thinking it was covered. Just to be clear.