Question for sitters

Sitters
#26

When we apply for sits on TH ,I offer to email all the other house sit, or character references we use when using the Aussiehousesitters site. I give our real names etc as nothing to hide esp with applying for visas with my husband’s overseas roles etc. I should add I’ve never give my real name on any forums i’ve belonged to but happy to do so in private messages or email.

I’ve never asked HO for any extra as don’t know what our rights are as TH members. Also, I can find thier info using google or Linkedin but also go by the initial conversation on whether they’re legit :+1: or pass.

The only annoyance I have is when an ad location is say, Perth/Brissie/Newcastle/Auckland/or other places we know well but no hints in the ad if they’re close to blah or blah blah. I have to apply & explain why I want to know what their exact area is so I don’t spend gazillions of hrs travelling from place to place in thier area.

Just my thursday afternoon ponder :slightly_smiling_face:

4 Likes
#27

As sitters we never ask for any specifics from home owners, and don’t generally give any detailed info on ourselves. We do it in trust, it is Trusted House Sitters after all isn’t it?

3 Likes
#28

I’ve been surprised some members explained on this forum they did not know even the family name and adress of the owners (they were picked up in an airport). I think it strange…
this means owners have not indicated that info on the home book or that sitters did not make the request?
I like to know the précise adress before arriving, to look on Google earth the surroundings. I will go anyway, even If i realise too late it’s remote…

2 Likes
#29

Agree with the above

1 Like
#30

I haven’t read anywhere in this thread that HOs don’t give their address. I said I might do an airport pick up (& drop off) if they’re coming to the one that’s just 6 miles from me - I do that as a courtesy/favour.

#31

I haven’t said anything of the sort. I said we HOs don’t get to see whatever checks THS do, therefore we do our own, according to our own needs.

#32

Just on the AirBNB point - I don’t rent my home out. We HOs are having sitters to stay as guests in our home for free when we’re not there and I need the comfort of having some basic background reassurance as there’s no way I can know more about them in advance of meeting them. I wouldn’t let my child go off with a stranger without being sure it was safe, the same goes for people coming into my home. I don’t understand why it’s such an issue - it’s always worked really well for me and we’ve made some lovely friends as a result. I work in a sector where we take nothing at face value because people and situations are not always what they seem and I apply the same level of ‘security’ to my family/pets/home as I do with vulnerable people at work/in society.

2 Likes
#33

Sorry Lynda i asked you If you ever rent a home (as a tenant) If you would appreciate to give the copy of your passeport to the owner
I prefer to send my passeport to THS than to a private person. Less risk If there are any…

2 Likes
#34

Think if I was so concerned about my property would just close up
Send them to kennels catteries stables etc.
Having a vet in the family you hear a lot of stories about those places.
And people leave their trust in them.
What our the prices roughly Province for a 2 week stay for a dog ?

#37

@Windtalker, It’s 12 or 15 € per day and per dog, depends on the kennel.i guess it’s less for a cat .
I just looked on Google near me.
26 € for 3 dogs together in the same place
We left our 2 dogs 13 years ago in a Kennel, found them slim, muddy, unhappy after a week, their cushions torn all that because the people with whom we exchanged homes did not want to look after them. We NEVER did that again.we prefer to swap with animal lovers or organize sits while we are away

I’m not the one concerned by so much lack of trust. I do trust people, having given the keys of my home to perfect strangers to more than 40 couples since 1988, having exchanged homes long before doing or asking sits

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#39

Obviously trust is ESSENTIAL

1 Like
#40

When you check into a hotel abroad you have to hand in your passport, why is it different to ask for it when someone comes to stay in your home? I’ve never had a sitter say they thought it was intrusive and never had one be surprised by the request or decline it. I think the number of people on this forum & thread is very small and not representative of the massive number of HOs and sitters on the THS books.

1 Like
#41

Government policy abroad

#42

We may not be many on this forum, so far, but some members have done 120 sits, many 30 or 40 so they sound quite experienced…

i am fairly new in pet sitting, only 7 experiences, 5 with THS since 2018, but in all houses I have been invited, I found many valuable items, paintings, sculptures, and all owners trust me, none of them ever asked me my passport, my insurances (on my side, I asked insurance before, not now with THS insurance provided) . I suggested to send copies, they all refused. Even the couple who let me drive their car did not ask my driving licence (what I would not do if I would leave a car, what I don’t as a HO !)

You ask sitters many questions, it’s your right but sitters can also be anxious when they don’t see photos, of your home, of your reptiles, when they don’t know where is the flat or house, (in a suburb ? in a remote place ? is it clean ? filthy ? how react animals with strangers ? We all have questions in mind

I agree with you, it would be stupid to invite somebody in your home without knowing his name and permanent adress, but a passport is valid 10 years in France, an identity card 15 years . The sitter’s adress may have changed

That’s why trust seems essential.

3 Likes
#43

We actually got new passports a few months back.
Its lovely you get the old one back with old visas stamps etc
Didn’t get the new blue ones.
Province do they cut the corner of your old ones in France.

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#44

They put marks “annulé” (cancelled) on the pages,

If you still have a valid Visa you may need, you get your old passeport back.

1 Like
#45

Hi @Lynda yes we are just a small number on the Forum at the moment and members include the very experienced and the very new from both sides of the network.

The only reason for the community being relatively small, compared to our global membership, is that we have not formally launched to our entire membership, that is scheduled for 2021 when the time is right for our members, given the unprecedented times we are living in. The Forum is public and searchable and the 2021 launch has promise of even more success.

The Community Forum was created as a safe place for members to share, exchange, learn, grow and connect and we are delighted with the results so far. 2020 has been incredibly challenging for everyone around the world making community more important that ever before and by supporting one another we will come through this.

Thank you for your contributions and for being part of our community.

2 Likes
#46

But Provence, I never said sitters don’t get photos of my home or pets - they are on my profile when it’s live and I do say what part of London I’m in and what local facilities/transport links there are. I believe I give really good information compared to other HOs I see, but I’m not giving that information here as it’s not relevant to the discussion. I haven’t been able to travel at all in 2020 and I see no end to the problem until mass vaccinations have happened. Addresses aren’t on passports anyway.

I just came in originally to say what I do; it’s personal choice what other HOs do and what sitters do - I haven’t said everyone should follow my methods, but I feel I’ve taken a lot of unwarranted flack (not from you) rather than being acknowledged as having a process that works for me. I think we’re going in circles with this discussion - so I’m ducking out now. Best wishes, Lynda

#47

We do what feels right for each application/ house sit and don’t really have a set rule on what we will answer or what information we will give.
One HO wanted to speak to a previous HO we had sat for because the house sit was very rural and I was doing the sit on my own (as a lone female) and the prospective HO wanted to make sure I would be ok.
We have a sit that we do regularly so I asked them if they would give a reference which they agreed no problem and then gave their number to the prospective HO. They had a chat and all was well, I sat in the middle of Dorset in a large house with 4 dogs and had a great time!
I think it depends what you feel comfortable with, what the motives are and if you think its reasonable etc. If not then just move on to another sit (when sits were plentiful!).

3 Likes
#48

Same as us Provence.
We had a 10yr visa for the State.

1 Like