Are the home owners responsible for collecting sitters from the Airport?
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On the whole I think it’s the sitters’ responsibility to get themselves to/from the home, but obviously it depends on circumstances (eg, availability and ease of use of public transport).
As with everything else - if there’s a problem, please discuss it together.
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Hi @Sallyann. Ultimately, getting to the home owners home is the responsibility of the sitter.
Home owners often kindly offer to pick us up from the train station but not so often from the airport. It is often much easier for sitters to take a train directly from the airport than for for a home host to have the hassle of travelling to the airport plus all the added expense of parking that comes with that.
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I agree with @Colin we would happily collect sitter from the train station but getting to even the nearest airport to us would be a major hassle. in fact if I fly out of Birmingham to visit my son in Sweden, my husband will just take me to the train station on the journey by train is so easy straight into the airport,
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Each time we have travelled long haul the HO has offered and collected us to and from the airport. We then reciprocate and take them there and back in their car if the timings allow.
It is the sitter’s responsibility and we would not expect it but they offered during the initial interview stage.
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Dear SandC, We have ad an offer from a Lady who will be flying in just before the sit. She will have no car. Where we are is fairly rural and I don’t know if the airport can connect easily to a railway station, so we were wondering if we should offer. It’s about an hour’s drive each way.?
Sallyann
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I generally think it is my responsibility to get from the airport to and from the sit. But I’m always happy when an HO offers to pick me up - or some have given me cash for a rideshare or cab.
Several sits when I’ve been offered use of the car I have taken the HOs to the airport for their departure and then arranged to leave the car in the parking lot when I depart for the HO to pick up and drive home.
One recent sit I took the HOs to the airport twice - we learned on the way that the flight was postponed to about 8 hours later, so drove back home and the HOs took me out to breakfast. Spent some time together and then went back to the airport.
All depends on the arrangements and timing.
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Hi @Sallyann
I think it would be a thoughtful and generous thing to do.
As you can see from my earlier response and from other sitters, we acknowledge that it is a sitter’s responsibility to make the arrangements but if you could drive an hour each way then you will start the sit in a very positive way
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That reminds me of the time the home owners frantically called us to say they’d forgotten a bag and we raced to the airport (an hour away) to bring it to them, just in time for boarding!
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Birmingham Airport? If so, Birmingham International train station is literally outside. What’s your nearest train station - what are the trains like from Birmingham to that? How is she getting about whilst sitting - if you’re a rural area, wont she need a car and if so is she planning to rent one?
We dont know the balance between inconvenience to you vs inconvenience to her, but it would be very kind of you to offer. Why dont you ask her what her travel arrangements are and take it from there?
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In agreement with what has been shared, it’s the sitter’s responsibility but often the host will offer to pick up/drop off. From where depends on the country and the distance to from airport or bus/train station.
In the UK, I usually make me way to the closest station, I have walked or taken a taxi to the home. In the US, often HO will offer assistance or I will, as mentioned, find my way. If a car is provided, I will take and pick them up. That only happens with people I already know and have a relationship with. I prefer not to drive other people’s vehicles but you get the idea.
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Hi @Sallyann I agree with all the feedback you’ve had so far. I will add that I wonder what you showed in your listing. If you made it clear that you were rural, and made no mention of assisting with transport, then you clearly should not feel obligated and the sitter should have assessed whether they are able to work without a vehicle.
However, it’s a give and take situation, and if it’s workable for you to offer a ride, even if it’s from a nearby station, then it starts everyone off in a good way. However, if their flight arrives at night and the drive concerns you, and the sitter has expectations that you will meet them, then clearly it was a conversation that should have been done before confirming the sit.
Contact the sitters, assess the situation, and then practise kindness and appreciation for those caring for your home and pets, however you can. 
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As a sitter, I find it a very gracious touch if a homeowner collects us to and from the airport. We did a Caribbean house sit where the owner had a taxi driver waiting for us at the airport and transported us to a boat dock where we went by speedboat to be met on the beach by the homeowners who took us out for dinner. The same arrangements were made for our return. It was such a memorable arrival to a house sit! We’ve done other sits where we’ve been picked up from the airport but on other sits we’ve made our own way.
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Wow! What a spectacular welcome!
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@Sallyann, I’m assuming you have not confirmed this sitter yet. She would have read in your listing about its location and that it is rural but has still offered to sit for you. Is it a last minute sit and she would in a way be doing you a favour? You could communicate with her about her travel arrangements to get to your place and depending on that, you may then offer to meet her at the airport. Also, have you had any other applicants who transport is not an issue for them? It is the sitter’s responsibility to get to the sit but having an owner help in this area is much appreciated.
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Thanks for your reply.
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Hi @Ketch Our small town is completely self sufficient for everything we have needed since Lockdown, But the transport to Cheltenham is not great. We have most shops you would need unless you wanted to buy a new set of clothes. A lot of careless people live here quite easily. However getting from the Airport is a different matter. We shall have to investigate further and so will she.
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Thanks @Foldor13
Our sitter would be flying to Birmingham, and we were not aware that she could get a train directly from the airport. We need to check if there are trains to Cheltenham or Tewkesbury.
Sallyann
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Hi @SandC and @Ketch We live in a small town which is self sufficient in food, having 2 small supermarkets, a corner shop, butcher baker, delicatessen, paper shop, milk delivered 3 x week, newspapers daily and fish weekly. Several hairdressers and barbers, dentists, vet, doctors, chemist and optician along with some dress shops a pet shop, museum and library. There is a bus service to the nearest big town, but not very frequent. I have no worries that’s she will be fine without a car as I lived here for years without one. It is just getting her here which is the problem
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We have offered to collect house sitters to /from train stations but not from airports. We feel that this is a reasonable middle ground. We also offer house sitters to arrive a few days before we leave and to stay after the sit if that helps them with the logistics of their next location.
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