So… this may be sound like a vent, but it’s not…hopefully it will be helpful to make things go smoother. Like many sitters we are starting attempt to line up sits for the winter season. Many Pet owners and Sitters will be traveling for the coming holidays and winter months and like to arrange pet care well in advance to avoid last minute stress
A request for pet owners;
~ If you put up a listing be ready to choose a sitter or do not put up the listing until you are ready; Lets not waste each others time
1)We have applied for a sit recently and a month goes by with no response or indication the homeowner has made any decisions, just “reviewing applications”. Despite a follow up message after 3 weeks, again no response. Sitters need to plan ahead, book flights etc… This application was over a month ago we just withdrew because the flight was $300.00 when we applied, it is now over $ 600.00 because the sit is less than 3 weeks away. After seeing this we withdrew our application.
We have other applications out there that seem to be heading the same way. I hate to apply for multiple sits just because I don’t get a response but that seems to be what I have to do. Again I hate to waste pet owners time and mine.
2**) If you have sitters coming to your home for a week or more please give us some room in the fridge.** I have been to multiple sits where I have to make the odd decision of what should I throw out of the pet owners to make room for our eggs or milk. I don’t like doing this but kind of have to.
In the listing be clear on sleeping arrangements. What is the size of the bed for the sitter ? Will the sitter have the option of multiple beds. After sleeping in a king size bed for the past 25 years, my wife and I just can’t do a double bed.. Trying to figure out the size of the bed in a photo can be a challenge.
As a sitter - point #3 is very important to us as well. My husband and I moved five years ago and bought a king size bed for the first time in our married life of 46 years. We’ve slept in queen size beds on house sits but the queen size just doesn’t cut it anymore. On our last sit which was a local one, I suggested my husband go home as I knew we just wouldn’t be comfortable with the sleeping arrangements. It’s not a deal breaker for us if we love the location but it’s an important point for the homeowners to mention.
Point 2 is something that hosts can overlook so we request it in a friendly text .
We send a text a month out saying “ we are looking forward to our upcoming stay - we are checking in to see if there anything else we need to know ? Please can you leave us a clear shelf in the fridge, a small space in the freezer and some cupboard space or a shelf in the kitchen where we can put our groceries “
I totally agree that it is best when hosts move quickly on confirming sitters once their listing goes live. When people are actively soliciting contact from others, one would think that they respond in a timely manner and arrange their sitter promptly. But as we see, this is not always how it goes.
It is frustrating for sure. But if sitters choose to keep applications open for a long time, do follow ups,etc… and experience great irritation at the hosts when they don’t hear from them, they have to realize they don’t have to do that. They can easily withdraw and focus on people who are more timely in their responses.
If they are choosing not to apply to others sits because they really want to do this particular one, and again, getting irritated that the hosts are not replying in a timely fashion and ‘interfering’ with their scheduling, they don’t have to actually do that.
As a full-time sitter, I understand wanting to get your calendar in order. I get that some sits are really desirable and there can be a bit of an attachment to the opportunity, and people really want to know asap if they will be able to do them.
But my need to figure out my schedule as quickly as possible, or my strong desire to visit a certain location, or be In a certain area for certain dates, and the like really isn’t the host’s issue.
Sitters can vary in the process of selecting their sits and there really isn’t any right or wrong way. But I know that hosts not replying to applications in a timely manner is a big source of irritation for sitters and understandably so. But it is one that could be easily avoided.
I don’t have a firm deadline of when I withdraw an application if I haven’t heard back–in most cases I find hosts respond in a decent time frame– but I would be very unlikely to keep applications open that are weeks old.
- thank you!