When I get shown where the wine and the booze is, I am likely to drink some. With the gin etc, I’ll take from the bottles that are about half full.
Sometimes, the HO are explicit: “The bottles in the door of the wine fridge are for you.” So not the other bottles in the fridge.
Make your review consistent with how you think the sit went. I got a sit in FL in Feb, without a video call. But there was detailed instructions for 2 older dogs that require meds. I have dealt with dog meds. I have had older dogs. I emphasized that in my application. I am a widow, retired. Look for people who apply that talk about the things in your listing like that.
I had a house sit and the vacuum was stored on a charger in the master. Since I tend to avoid the master on a sit, I wouldn’t have found it. So they showing me was necessary.
My first question, why did you choose them? What made you think they were responsible?
Yep HO know when there’s something a bit different to the ‘norm’ so they tend to point those out rather than go over the obvious stuff.
I have yet to be told there is wine for me. And not explicitedly shown where the liquor is. Usually it is in plain site. Bar in dining area, wine fridge, etc. I just bring my own.
I have broken a coffee cup at one housesit and replaced it with something even better! Would never dream of using the HO’s things even if they say “help yourself”. My reason is (especially if they are using a housesitter for the first time) I know how stressful it can be just before travelling and, on top of that, having an unfamiliar person in your home taking care of your beloved pet and trying to remember everything . It is easy to make a general comment that can be taken to the extreme, such as the above “help yourself”. I replace everything that I may have to use, such as toilet paper and take own supplies of toiletries and towels. Then, there is only the bed linen to wash. Better to be safe than sorry!
Frankly, that is extreme.
As a HO I must admit I find the rubbish put in wrong bins is annoying, but not really worth getting upset about. If the Pets are OK, and the house is relatively clean and tidy then I just accept it as part of the experience. I have now laminated A4 sheets above each bin listing what goes in which bin and just cross my fingers.
As an American who’s done multiple sits in the U.K., I’ve found trash and recycling straightforward to navigate in all locations. One of my hosts offered a laminated sheet on a table. The others just wrote info in their welcome guide.
Countless places in the U.S. have different types of trash and recycling, including yard waste, food waste, bottle recycling vs. other types of recycling, and usually on separate days. Some bins have images or labels identifying which refuse is acceptable. Plus, you can look on the street and see what neighbors have hauled out. Or you can ask the neighbors or the host if needed.
I just wrapped my 18th sit and haven’t had issues with trash or recycling on any of them. With the latest one, trash day fell on a holiday weekend and I figured it would be pushed by one day, which is common in countless locations and my host confirmed.
Even when I’ve sat in a high-rise or apartment (including one in London), the renters had to separate recycling from trash and drop them in separate Dumpsters.
I mention this, because if any sitter is confused, there’s usually someone to ask even if info wasn’t provided. Plus, you usually can google the town or city name + garbage or recycling and get info. It seems feeble or lazy to not take trash or recycling out and blame it on the complexity of garbage and recycling. Even if you got something wrong, good faith effort wouldn’t involve leaving garbage or recycling untouched, waiting for a host inside the home.
I have had low applications for times of tthe year when So. Arizona is brutally hot and only once had a sitter who was new to the site. My most recent sitters had years of experience and solid reviews, which is why dead plants were a surprise (and have been to the desert before). Summer sitter was just weird - I had confirmed 6 months in advance because finding someone for the super hot season is problematic. Weeks before the sit commenced, she requested a week off in the middle of the sit and a change of the end date. A lot of panic ensued.
I will be absolutely certain to be more precise in my listing regarding the dogs and their needs and mention the presence of potted plants. I have no indoor plants and a drip system would be exorbitantly expensive. However, outdoor watering requires a max of ten minutes.
I think of written information and any instructions left for the sitter to be like an operating manual for the house, not a list of demands.
sorry to hear that. But sometimes you might get people travelling through, closer to the date.
If you want to search online, there are various ways to jerry-rig homemade drip systems. Ugly sometimes, but effective. Or if you put all the planters in a bathtub, if you have an extra, with sunlight available, that might make it easier for a sitter to keep them watered. (Not that sitters should let your plants die, but in case you want a better shot at keeping your plants alive.)
I’ve previously lived in various parts of the U.S., including the Southwest desert twice, so I know how quickly things can dry out.
I did Macgyver a soaker hose system for my mature citrus trees that just needs to be turned in one day a week. Planters too big or heavy to put into my only bathtub, and they are outdoor plants. Living in the desert, I expect some plants to die during a hot weather sit and signal the few I really really care about.
Thanks for your ideas.
Not sure what to advise in terms of a review but I think most sitters would share your annoyance around the breakage and using your unopened things unless you explicitly said help yourself to anything.
Bed linen bad form but what did you discuss? Both sides need to be explicit about this. I am on a sit at the moment and we will be making the beds up with clean linen as agreed with HO.
I guess the recycling could be forgiven if it wasn’t for the other stuff. Our HO has left really good instructions about what goes where and which days bins should go out. Use it as a learning experience and make sure next sitter knows your expectations about these areas. ( they are not unreasonable and most sitters I am sure would appreciate it)
Why is that extreme? How would you feel if you came home and there was no toilet paper there to wipe your bum?
Oh, I have bought toilet paper, and the sit was not even that long. I suppose the HO had a stash somewhere, but I could not find it.
[quote=“KiwiSwede, post:47, topic:55973”]
I replace everything that I may have to use, such as toilet paper[/quote]
That sounded as if you replaced roll by roll, maybe even leaf for leaf.
Toilet paper is cheap and I prefer to buy my own, so I can use whatever I like. I do likewise with paper towels.
I have a regular shopping list that I use on sits, so I just order along with groceries.
Oh well, the Brits are adventurers by heart. I’m sure they know how to handle such a situation.
Funny topic, my husband always gets nervous when I start the last toilet role and there’s no spare one in sight. 
Oooh, @Fatamorgana - you’re really living La Vida Loca! 
