On an 8 month sit in Spain (winter months) I discussed the subject of heating with the owner, having lived in hot countries where homes are not built for the cold I knew how living in these villas during winter months can be challenging and I did not want to be cold or worry about turning up the heating, it was all electric and very costly.
We came to an arrangement that we would pay the utilities this was our choice and one we were quite happy to make. A small price to pay for being warm and not having to worry about adding excessive amounts to the owners heating bills.
I never thought of it in terms of how much it would have cost them to pay someone to look after Bruno for that time. We were able to experience living like a local in a place we wanted to stay, keep a beloved senior boy happy at home and In return had a stunning ocean front villa, the use of a car, an invitation to have as many visitors as we wished, the most adorable furry friend and winter warmth … it happened to be a very cold winter that year.
Agree with a number of people here. Yes maybe if the HO can show with printouts that the sitters is using way more than they would usually use. BUT as friends and HO’s for whom i regularly sit they say but how much would it cost US to get 24 hr home protection, 24hr care and up keep ( keeping clean) of the house/home, 24 hr care of the pets. Parcel acceptance if anything gets delivered ( usually told beforehand by a number of HO’s i sit for that a parcel will be arriving - even recently got the new flea drops in the mail and administered them to the kitty as it was clear she needed them {scritchy schratchy kitty)
so this is purely a personal choice of the HO and it’s up to the sitters as to whether or not they agree. But as I read in one of the reactions. 1000Eur a month sorry but that is ridiculous
I actually don’t want to hear this “you get XY for free” so “why should I pay XY”, anymore. It’s like comparing apples with pears.
Yes, animal shelters or paid sitters are costly, utilities and hotels are as well but does everything have to be weighed against the other?
Do what you feel comfortable with!
If you want the sit, come to an agreement with the HO! If you don’t agree, don’t apply!
Talk about it with the HO and maybe it’s not as expensive as you think or maybe it’s even unnecessary to pay for anything, depending on the way you consume electricity, gas, oil or wood.
Maybe the HOs are simply anxious that they will be left with very high costs, because they don’t know how responsible the sitters will behave.
In Germany when energy is used excessively, you will have to pay higher monthly rates, (based on the consumption of the last 12 months) for the complete next cycle, before you will get back any money.
So it might take up to two years to go back to your regular consumption costs.
I would suggest reporting anyone charging exorbitant fees to THS. Clearly these people are using the site as an Airbnb alternative, which goes against the most basic tenants and purposes of THS. THs should consider bouncing them off the platform.
Not sure if they were being truthful or not, but they did have a large house to heat during the winter and we know that in Italy it can be expensive (although 1000 EUR does seem outrageous and they would have needed to heat the house for their 4 cats to be comfortable). We paid 60 EUR per month for utilities for our small flat in Rome.
I think the issue is how much heat does a person or cat need? Everyone has their comfort zones and the pet owner doesn’t want someone who feels the cold using excessive fuel which is not unreasonable,
If we are doing a long sit, I always suggest we pay any excess amount for heating or cooling. It makes the stay far more comfortable for me as I’m not worried every time I put on a fan or turn up the air conditioning.
Yeah, and that’s reasonable. I’m not saying I wouldn’t contribute, just that it would have to be a sit I really wanted to do. And when it comes to my own home, the peace of mind is worth the heating cost to me.
We live in Mexico. Electricity has tiered pricing. The more you use, the much much higher the price, exponentially so. In our area we can use 400 kwh a month before we hit the very highest tier where prices are outrageous. We have a large house and use between 300 - 400 kwh a month. If we go over 400 kwh, we hit “DAC” and it takes a year of monthly usage below 400 kwh to get back into the lower tier pricing. If the first 100 kwh costs $100 pesos, the next 100 kwh costs $200 pesos and the next 100 kwh costs $400 pesos and the last 100 kwh costs $800 pesos. As little as one kwh over that and the bill could easily be $5000 pesos. You never want to get into that $5000 peso range because that’s what your bill will be for the next year, even if you use no electricity at all. (This is slightly simplified, but it is the overall situation.) We are very careful about our electrical use but we want our sitters to be comfortable. We explain the situation to them and let them know they can use things, but please turn them off when they leave the room (fans, lights, tv). Overall people are respectful of our situation and we are respectful of their comfort.
Thank you for explaining this. It is very useful information to us as we are heading for Mexico this winter. Is there somewhere a sitter could take reading and know what their usage is?
Ask the home owner to show you their meter so that you can check it daily or periodically. Ours is digital so you can see the actual kWh reading and compare day-to-day. If they have a so-called “smart meter” you won’t be able to do that.
The maximum number of kWh you can use each month before going into DAC (overages) varies by region. Hotter areas are allowed more because it’s acknowledged that people need air con and/or fans more than in temperate climates. Ask the home owner what their monthly maximum is.
My suggestion to you is to not use the ceiling fans, they just bring the hot air down from the ceiling. You are better with a pedestal fan blowing on you. I have one beside my desk and it is aimed right at me. I will turn it off as soon as I get up to leave the room. There really is no need to leave fans running unless you are in the room. Most people with a house as large as ours would use more electricity than we do. We built this house in 2016 and it is designed to stay cool. Our ceilings are 4 meters high, our large windows face east and north. We have two small windows facing west. Our ceiling is insulated and our windows have heat reducing film applied to them. Despite living in Yucatan, where it is very hot we almost never use air conditioning due to the design of the house. If you are careful to turn things off when you leave a room or when you are not using them, you can stay within the lower limits.
I’ve done around 60 sits as a member for 4+ years. I’ve never been asked to pay for anything - only if I subscribe streaming / watch fee movies. A few times, owners have even left money for groceries and essentials.
If the owner clearly communicated to me what their normal usage is and asked me to pay for the difference, it would not be a turn off for me. But as an environmentally conscious person, I often find ways I can save the owners utility bills.
And as others have pointed out, it depends on the workload. I’ve had sits where I could not be away from the home more than 4 hours, had to modify my sleeping hours or can’t get much sleep, the responsibilities took more than 30% of my waking hours, or had to do loads of cleaning to be comfortable.
@JoanneD This is really helpful to read… We are heading to Merida for 3 weeks end of this month (not house sitting this time) and I know electric is expensive in Mexico, but on seeing a lot of airbnbs charging extra if you use the Aircon for longer bookings I was wondering how much that might be. I know the heat’s going to kill me and wouldn’t normally go there in June but we are on a promise at Embassy for our long term visas (future plan) so no choice Thanks for sharing this detail
Yeah, electricity in mexico is pretty wonky. I know several places in the yucatan that have different areas of the house wired up to different power accounts so that the house as a whole doesn’t go over the limits.
Thank you so much for this information. It will be very helpful for us on our travels.
Yes, the design of the house is very important. We stayed in Panama for three months. The first sit had a traditional styled building with wide verandas all round it, windows everywhere with fly screens and shutters instead of glass. We were very comfortable even with the heat.
The second and third were modern apartments. The second was not too bad as the windows were small. The third had a huge picture window with panoramic views over the bay. We suffered. Lesson learnt.
The good news for you is that Merida is in a zone that allows 800 kWh per month before going into DAC. This is double what we get at the beach just 30 minutes away. The bad news is that Merida is a lot hotter and you’re going to need that 800 kWh.
Live like a Yucateco. Get up early, open the doors and windows, let the cooler air in. By 9 am at latest, close all the doors and windows to keep the heat out. If you have a covered terrace it is a great place to enjoy the day. A pool is even better. Open up doors and windows after 5 or even later depending on which side of the house they are on. Do your chores and running around in the morning. Relax at home in the afternoon. Go out in the evening after dark. The city has a rhythm that makes sense in this climate. Siestas exist for a reason. Everything gets done in the morning and after 5 pm. Dinner is at 8 pm at earliest. It sounds like you’ve been here before so you are probably already aware of this, but I’m writing it for others who may not be used to the heat.
Wow, summer in that part of the world with concerns about running the a/c….give you all lots of credit for taking that on. I’ve always been overly conscientious with conservative use, having worked in the energy industry, however I’d be hard pressed to be that brave. I think I feel the exact same way about being cold in the winter Kudos to you all!!!
I had to be in Merida to get my FM2 in April many years ago and it was brutal with the heat. I am a giant wussbag when it comes to temp. Thankfully I was out of the main part of the city on the carratera past alta brisa so it wasn’t AS HOT, but it was def toasty. And I was in a little casita with no aircon. I slept in a hammock like a good yucateca and that helped a ton. and there was a pool. I would stand in it with my laptop under a chair on the side of the pool so i could get some work done. But I 100% admit that I frequently spent afternoons at alta brisa in a movie just to be cool.
I have family probably relatively close to where you are if you’re at the beach and just 30 mins away.
Kudos to you all!!!