Off topic but I’m really wondering about ths law and why? Also what about rich people and staff? I see more and more places rebelling against Airbnb like situations and fear that housesitting will get lumped into that, so I’'m really curious about the rationale?
Oh, my—Who has the separation anxiety there???
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There are a number of rumours. One is that the minister of culture has huge shares in a couple of big hotel chains so is keen to take tourists away from villas and into hotels (which has been a general change since covid). There are also a huge number of both expats and Turks who haven’t paid any tax on rentals full stop for years so they’ve tightened up altogether. It’s just the rules are over zealous. Honestly, I don’t think it’s occurred to the government that house sitting is even a thing as dogs are often security here & are chained and left outside. The concept of an indoor pet is nowhere near as common. Apparently there’s a loophole that says if a sitter says they’re doing maintenance then they’re exempt from liability? We’ve also known a Polish sitter questioned and then shoulder shrugged and the jandarma left. We had a visit a few weeks ago from two jandarma plus muhtar (the village head) & they had a nice chat and left us to it. They knew the couple we were sitting for and that they were on holiday. Some hosts now have a letter to show the authorities if it did happen but Mustafa is way more help than a letter (clearly). The fines in theory are huge £1000 first time and £5000 for second offence if they do think your renting without a licence. We shall see @Marion #sofarsogood
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What’s the concern with no shoes inside and no outside ( pre approved) guests?
Wearing outside shoes inside is kind of, well… known to be not the most sanitary.
Outside guests not approved is against policy….am I wrong?
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That’s not the point. This is someone trying to get a last-minute sitter and their invitation was loaded with don’t do X, Y or Z. Why would that seem inviting? The tone of the invite sounded like someone clueless enough to think the sit was all about them. In that case, good luck finding a sitter, especially last minute. 
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I have a cat that walks on a leash. We don’t do this regularly and as there is currently ongoing work in the complex where I live and where he used to walk, this hasn’t been happening at all lately.
I would NEVER ask or even allow a sitter to walk a cat. I would probably not take a sit where a cat needed to be walked even once a day. Here’s why:
Even a cat who is “good” with a harness, can slip out of it if you aren’t super-attuned. When I walk my cat I know the signals and can avoid his getting out of it but it takes attention. If he did get out of it, I can be fast enough to get it back on or grab him before he notices. I can’t rely on a sitter being about to do that. Cats are not dogs and can be injured BADLY by collars and harnesses, so someone walking a cat has to know what they are doing. As a sitter, I wouldn’t want to take a chance of breaking a cat’s windpipe.
This is a great bonding activity between a cat and their most trusted person. The cat can live without this particular bit of stimulation for a few weeks while a sitter is caring for them. The sitter can substitute other activity.
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This is helpful to know. I’ve never walked a cat and didn’t know how much riskier it is versus walking a dog.
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It’s very different. Even my cat who is “good” on the leash, doesn’t walk on a leash the way a dog does. It’s an agility thing. My cat walks within the confines of the complex which means he jumps onto the benches, may want to sun himself for a while, is going to pull and endanger his neck if he sees a bird, can slip the harness by wriggling out if he were smart enough to remember how or by accident, etc. If using the leash on a street, they can be vulnerable to attacks by leashed dogs who are VERY curious about this. I’ve aso seen lost cat signs in major NYC parks for cats that slipped the leash inside parks.
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“ the sitter was asked to go out and pee in the bushes.”
So naturally one’s next question concerns what the instructions were when more than just a quick wee was required 
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Maybe synchronized peeing, with the pets?
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An alternative for an escapologist is a waistcoat style harness - I once homed a cat that had to be walked on a leash and this worked for her - she didn’t like it, but the alternative was no outside time for her as unleashed she’d attack every cat in sight (quite an expensive experience for the owner of the other cats) and completely ignored any other creature, she just hated cats.
Well, we always do replace all that we use. Presumably English wasn’t their first language, and that’s all they meant.
I understand your point of view but I believe pets offer the biggest opportunity for people to get beyond their politics and find common ground.
I have a friend with a very sweet dog. Our political views are very different and we only discussed them once. We both decided that there are certain discussions we can’t have, but we generally like each other and we love getting our dogs together. Dogs are the
peacekeepers.
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Ive just come across a listing where the sitter will learn how to manage the solar system - I do understand what the HO means, but it did make me giggle
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