We need hosts to list the real dates they will leave and return, not just the official sit dates. At the moment, even though THS guidelines say owners should not be in the home once sitters arrive, this is often not what actually happens. Many owners expect sitters to arrive a day earlier to meet them and the pets, but they do not state this clearly in the listing. Sometimes they also return a day earlier than the dates shown.
It would be very helpful if, when creating a listing, owners were required to specify both:
ā¢ The dates they want the sitters to arrive and leave, and
ā¢ The dates they themselves will actually be away from the property.
This would make expectations transparent for everyone and avoid misunderstandings about overlapping days in the home.
Yep, or you can just ask. Maybe via the messaging system so you have proof if needed.
Donāt you discuss this before confirming though? This is almost the first thing on my clarifying list of itemsā¦ if Iām often already staying in the locality I really donāt need to stay over extra nights. Iāve tried that and really dislike it.
Agree and I include our actual travel dates in the listing. It would be nice if it were a field.
But, I donāt think the guidelines say the HO needs to be gone when the sitter arrives. Terms actually say an in person handover, and the guidelines indicate the handover can be a few hours or all day.
At any case, if itās important to you, you should clarify on the video call and state upfront in your profile if you prefer to arrive a HO departs.
I agree that having that information right in the listing can be helpful.
But is also something that a sitter can easily ask prior to confirming. I always find it surprising when sitters talk about having this happen to them multiple times. Itās one thing for hosts to change what they originally said, but it seems more like sitters are not even asking about it at all and then finding themselves in these situations. Itās a problem thatās easily avoided with some simple questions.
If that information is really important to know up front, especially if it is because the sitter prefers to avoid overlapping with the host at the beginning or end of the sit, it is probably best to bring it up in the application message so you can know right away if it will work for you. Then there is minimized wasted time.
And the terms and conditions do not state anything that suggests the host are explicitly not allowed to overlap time with the sitter.
@Southamericansitter Yes it is really helpful when hosts are clear about dates in their listing. E.g if they need sitters the night before an early departure they should include that pre travel date. It saved confusion later.
We had the experience recently of applying for a sit listed as starting the day our current one ends. New hosts. We applied and they invited us for a video call- for 3 days later- after their return home. We agreed to that delay as there were no other interesting options competing. When we asked, in the call, about travel timings (as nothing was mentioned in the listing) they casually asked if we could come the night before instead as they were leaving so early. We explained our current sit ends the same day so it would involve leaving here a day early and that would have to be negotiated with the current hosts. Same with their return at 10pm. They wanted us to stay till 6 or 7pm. That wouldnāt have worked for us either as we always aim to leave by midday latest- either to the next sit or to an overnight with a little ātime offā en route etc. They had not really thought their needs through properly or considered what might work, or be convenient, for the sitters. We left it open but later that day we withdrew our application as something didnāt feel right and theyād come across as a bit entitled anyway. Also If theyād listed the day before as the arrival date their listing would not have even appeared in our saved search. So it was all a waste of time for us but hopefully a useful learning experience for them.
And regarding overnight overlaps with hosts- this is completely OK at the beginning and/or end of a sit- for a more comfortable handover (we do this frequently) but the host should not return during the sit- that would be treated like a 3rd party invasion.
Iām sorry if youāve encountered such uncomfortable situations. As hosts, we make clear when we need sitters at our home on departure and what day weāll return. Those are the dates we publish for a sit. Weāre flexible about sitterās schedules and what theyāre comfortable doing. Weāve had sitters who arrive or leave early and weāve had sitters leave a day or 2 after we return. Thatās all sorted out during video chats when the sit is published and in later followup messages. Adjustments can and have occurred in the few days before a sit begins. Itās all about communication so be upfront with hosts during initial conversations if you are not comfortable with overnight overlaps.
According to THS Terms and Conditions, hosts are gone during the official sit dates (with some potential overlap on the first and last days). Hosts can ask sitters to arrive a day or days early but sitters have the option to say yes, no or negotiate a host-paid stay at a nearby hotel. I can see where hosts might return a day early without notifying sitters. If there was no emergency that triggered the early return, that level of rude fait accompli can be handled by the sitter immediately vacating the sit, reporting the hosts to THS and/or writing a factual review.
Adding more data fields for hosts to mess up may well cause more and different problems than it fixes. That seems to be the way these things go with changes to the THS app.
I am very clear in my listing about when I depart and when the sitter needs to arrive, as I donāt do blind handovers. Iām also clear that if the sitter is in the area before my sit we can do the walk-through/handover earlier, and a few have done that.
As an HO I canāt imagine not going over that in the pre-confirmation video call, I assume it must be equally important for sitters, so if itās not in the listing, bring it up there. If youāre concerned, reiterate through THS chat after the call.
I actually agree that it should be clear when the homeowner is leaving and when the homeowner will be arriving, but I disagree about the way this is stated. Often the extra night is needed due to early morning departure times by the homeowner or the need to take time on a handover before they leave. Similarly with homeowners coming back early.
The problem seems to be adding these dates in the system as dates that might look optional, when they arenāt. THS guidelines donāt say that homeowners shoud not be in the home once a sitter arrives. The guidelines do not say that homeowners should not return a few hours or a night before the homeowners departure. Some homeowners have generously allowed sitters to stay extra days to accomodate their travel schedules. Some sitters have suggested coming the night before as getting their for an early morning handover or remote handover isnāt practical.
It sounds like youāve been burned by homeowners who havenāt discussed when they are actually leaving or returning, so youāve been surprised by this. To me this is one of those things that can and should be discussed in the chat and/or in writing back and forth before the sit is accepted. I donāt generally take a sit unless I know the answers to these questions.
BTW, in an upcoming sit the homeowner was very upfront that she needed us to arrive by noon, so she could get a bus to the airport later that afternoon and would have time to show us everything. She did not suggest our arriving the night before and neither did we. After we accepted the sit we discussed that it would be easier for us to arrive the evening before and take off any pressure about delays on the 4 hour plus drive. So we made a plan to stay at a hotel in the main town about a 5 mile drive from the home the night before. (The rate for the hotel was surprisingly reasonable and the ratings were great.) We didnāt mention it to the homeowner until she got back to us about something on the sit and I mentioned weād be there earlier than noon as we going to stay at hotel in town the night before. She then invited us to cancel the hotel and spend the night in her guestroom. We told her that wasnāt necessary as we preferred to spend the night in town and arrive āfresh.ā She then offered to pay our hotel which I refused.
People arenāt mind readers. Homeowners might not know that being a guest for two days before or having someone come back home earlier is a problem for sitter-guests. All of this can and should be discussed in advance. Any āsurprisesā sprung can be mentioned in reviews.
Weāve often done a fully detailed induction/handover the week before though so it doesnāt even need to be on the day itself.
On another note Jersey HOs often suggest an overnight handover but tbh if we canāt land due to Fog then equally the HOs canāt take off eitherā¦.
Of course thats fine but often not practical if the sitter is not local or isnāt passing through the area. Its also fine to not want to overlap with a HO but that doesnāt work for me so I would decline such a sitter. Both sides need to be clear on if its deal-breaker for them or if its a preference but they may be flexible.
For me blind handovers are a deal-breaker which is why I state sitter arrival/departure dates and our own departure/arrival dates in the listing. And frankly I am quite busy the week prior preparing for both the sitterās arrival and our own departure and donāt want sitters stopping by during that time, as its inconvenient for me to step away from my preparations and walk them through everything. Plus, I want my dog in particular to begin acclimating to the sitters for a night before we depart. We had to do one blind handover due to special circumstances and that sit wasnāt the smoothest. Live it, learn it and wonāt do a blind handover again. Though, I understand for uncomplicated sits a blind or short handover may be fine, but we have a dog, 2 cats, and 2 fish tanks and that variety of critters requires some in person time.
Sorry I meant to respond to you in my last post but ended up replying to myself, oopsie!
Yes, but you can only message them when you apply. I think it would be useful to know this even before applying, so you can see whether or not you have to spend time with the HO. That way you donāt waste your time applying, and they donāt waste theirs going through applications that might not lead anywhere
I think I didnāt express myself well in the post. I totally agree with arriving a day earlier to meet the pet and get to know everything better. But Iād like that to be visible in the app at the moment of applying. Sometimes people put one date, and then when you arrive they tell you theyāre actually leaving three days later, because they want time to get to know you properly and feel comfortable. In my case, thatās not what I prefer, because both my partner and I work full-time online, so weād rather they explain everything and leave, so we can adapt quickly to the petās routine and continue with our work. It would be really helpful to know in advance how many days they want you to stay with them beforehand, so you can tell whether or not youāre a good match for that house sit. Thatās why I think it would be useful for this information to be available upfront. In fact, the app already gives HOs the option to specify what time they want the sitter to arrive, so why not also let them indicate the approximate day and time theyāll actually be leaving? Itās simply more information that helps sitters decide whether a sit is a good fit before applying
Doesnāt āsit essentialsā address this potential problem? Dates and times are given, or it states āto be agreed laterā. That category, Iād think, would at least start the discussion on HO departure and arrival times. Am I missing something?
Maybe they consider the start of the sit to include the day the house sitter arrives, because they donāt know who is coming into their house and they use that time to establish if everything is safe and right?
I mean most house owners do it, I think itās quite normal and a quick discussion will get that information out in the open.
The coming back early can be a pain in the behind though. I agree with that. But then again, most house owners will say something about that.
@Southamericansitter I think your recent experience with the 3 day overlap is out of the usual. I would think in the majority of cases it would only be one night. On all of our sits (with dogs) we have arrived late in the afternoon, settled in, got a run down in the routine, had dinner with the host then they have left the next day. Although I found it a bit weird to start with, I do prefer to meet dogs with owners on hand so they get to know you with their people there and hopefully do not see you as a threat or intruder. I agree the best hosts state these things in their listings up front. Makes it easier all round.
That makes complete sense, so thanks for clarifying!
So in the case of the sit Iām starting today- the HOs have set off very early to France, Iām at home, weāve texted this morning at 7am. Iāll go there after breakfast. We did a walk through and 2 hour handover a month ago, plus this week they sent x6 mini reminder videos re locks/equipment/garden etc. This suited them and us as they had visitors staying last night who are going on holiday with them.
Every sit is different and has its own context. Itās all about the matching. Thereās no ānormalā.
Iām just happy when the listed dates are correct based on when they would like me to arrive. Iāve had a few video chats where I found out they wanted me to arrive the day before the listed date and it was not possible for me to do so. Wasted time for me and the HOs. In my opinion, the HOs should list the dates they actually want the sitter there. I think if the dates include a night before arrival and/or staying the night they return they should state that in the listing (although it seems rare that this info is in the listing). I always ask early in the video chat what time they want me to arrive and what time they are leaving so I know what the plan is prior to confirming.