Can anyone explain what ‘self sufficient’ actually means? I recently got 4 stars for this category although 5 stars overall. I cannot think of any reason why and I’m not going to contact them and get into any debate over it and spoil what was a really good Housesit and where we got on really well. I’m just not really sure what the category means. I mean we fed ourselves using our own good. She asked for updates which we did but we never contacted her for any other reason. We did not need any external help from neighbours etc so what else does it mean? I just want to know so I can learn from it.
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Lots of members have reported that stars were deducted in error so it worth asking the owner - if it’s mistake they can correct it with THS .
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How frustrating @Stilgoingstrong - like you I would assume self sufficient refers to how many questions you asked, or needed help before or during the sit. Maybe they noticed you used some of their food or toiletries? Hard to say. Don’t be discouraged by a 4, some people just have very high perceptions of what a 5 star rating means.
Why don’t you ask the HO what you could have done to get 5 stars 
on the self sufficient category @Stilgoingstrong? Maybe they never give it. Maybe they have some hidden bug bear you don’t know about. It’s annoying but could be useful (or in fact a mistake). #putyourmindatrest
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@Stilgoingstrong this is one of those posts that I think should go into the WHAT FEATURES thread to ask for better label categories.
To my mind (but I’m new) self sufficiency covers the following:
- Travel arrangements to/from the sit.
- Being knowledgeable about the sit listing during the video chat. Not asking things already clearly stated in the listing.
- Asking supplemental questions when the WG arrives- but not basic questions about info already written in the WG.
- Managing any practical home issues- fixing minor issues without drama. (Eg we recently on a non THS cat sit fixed a balcony locking mechanism that stopped working as the metal had expanded on a hot day).
- Making pet care decisions (Eg during a recent heatwave we delayed the afternoon dog walk to the cooler evening).
- Providing agreed timely updates without needing to be asked by the HO.
- Any urgent mid sit questions asked by sitters only for unusual circumstances where the HO deserved/would need to have an input.
- Working out tech/TV/Wifi for yourselves.
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Yes, but when an owner would deduct stars for asking a question…
I prefer to ask before looking into all hidden spaces and cupboards to look for something. Or before applying force to something. Or for clearing up contradictions in the instructions.
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That is a well thought out list @BonnyinBrighton. You had me until #8. I think HOs should provide tech instructions when they can (even if it is just a hyperlink). Tech stuff isn’t intuitive for everyone.
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I do think though these days whilst tech isn’t always intuitive-there’s a certain basic tech literacy that we’re all responsible for acquiring. Also I use YouTube a lot to learn about various appliances/control panels/systems and I need it…and of course the weird behavioural traits of various remote control handsets.
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I just often give up on those. It was so much easier when I was a kid and only needed to press a “2” to get channel 2…
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I am always appreciative when the WG includes instructions. Especially when I arrive to a blind handover to see 7 remotes on the coffee table. I don’t really want to ‘work it out’ for myself. 
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And of course there will be another one down the side of the sofa…
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I am so happy to find a sit has either apple TV, Roku or Fire TV installed. Best is an actual Roku native TV!
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Can an owner please screenshot the prompts you get for each category when rating a sitter ?
It would be helpful to know what the prompts are when rating a sitter - for example this is the prompt a sitter gets when rating the host on their communication .
(on 27 March the product team were asked by @Jenny to provide this information but haven’t done so yet . )
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I think that’s a good explanation. But I’m also not crazy about this as a category because I’d prefer sitters don’t guess if they have a question about the house or pets. So I wind up in my guide, explicitly saying, “Please call me if anything seems off to you about cat behavior. I will never ding a sitter for self-sufficiency.” I also don’t want sitters to not tell me about something weird in the house because they feel they have to “handle” it themselves. For example, if the drain is clogged, I don’t want them buying a drano or some product that I am not supposed to use in my old pipes building.
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Good point @Marion
If sitters begin to get the impression that stars will be deducted for asking questions, no matter how daft they may seem, it could end up working against homeowners. I’ve come across things on my current sit which are obvious to me, but aren’t outlined in the Welcome Guide, even though it’s very thorough. Guessing could have disastrous consequences!
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I’m going to go add that to my guide right now! Thank you so much. I, too, would much prefer a call/text/WhatsApp rather than have them search for hours/break something/use an inappropriate product/feed the wrong food, etc. I recently had sitters who couldn’t figure out how to work a lock handle (on a door that I asked that they not use, so I hadn’t shown them how it works), so they just left my house unlocked. I didn’t ding them, but I talked with them privately about how important it is to leave the home locked when leaving.
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I was annoyed with 4 stars on self sufficient, after staying in an RV with a damaged power cord (main power cord hooked up to park). When the power went out, the tech came, checked everything-- except that. Power had gone back on, but went out again when the cord was moved. The neighbor checked it out and figured it out. The owner when he came back seemed to know something about it but didn’t think it was that bad. They had to pay the tech $150. So I got 4 stars.
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Neither am I as a sitter. There is no such a thing as “universal common sense”. Everyone is different, has different preferences regarding the care of pets and the house and everything, even more so when different cultures are involved. In a way, “self sufficiency” is in contradiction with “communication”, especially if you can be penalized for asking questions. Sometimes the listing or the guide are not updated, is it wrong to ask for clarification or confirmation?
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We’ve always got 5*'s, but we are totally aware ourselves that we are more self sufficient in our own country, as we have a car and therefore carry extra things around with us. Whereas when we are sitting overseas we travel light, so we are more likely to use the owners kitchen roll and washing machine powder etc, but not always, just depends on the scenario.
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