If I was the sitter I would appreciate being told privately and ensure it never happened again. She was showing an act of kindness but does need to understand the potential safety risks of her inadvertently leaving oven on. Mentioning it in her review is entirely up to you but please raise it first with her before publicly doing so.
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I think it’s a good idea NOT to mention in the review - because some future sitters might be concerned that you will be nitpicking.
It’s up to you if you mention it privately- we’ve arrived at homes where hosts had unintentionally left a door unlocked ( although the WG stressed the need to lock all doors and put the alarm on for insurance purposes )
I’m sure they would have been quite upset if they had arrived to find that sitters had left a door unlocked . We didn’t mention it as no harm was done
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That definitely lowers the risk.
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Just adding on. I sit and host, and with the evolving information a 4-star review with no context is not useful. If she’s forgetful it’s not that relevant to me as a homeowner whether this is recent and due to hormone balance or cognitive decline or whether she’s always been forgetful. If it’s a new situation for her, she might not be aware of it. If it’s an old situation for her, she mightnot be aware that this is a serious problem for other people.
But mostly if I’m a homeowner (and I am a homeowner) and I’m reading a 4 star review and there is not a hint of why it is 4 stars and not 5 stars and the other reviews are mostly 5 stars and nobody is saying that the litter boxes were full, and the oven was left on, I might be inclined to think it’s a picky homeowner. The truth is this person should not be sitting anymore – at least not without a partner to help her stay on track.
So please let her know at least in writing because likely she may be feeling that she did everything “right” and wasn’t appreciated. A little reality might be helpful or it might not, but at least you tried.
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Oh, I thought you said an oven. If you haven’t already got one I recommend a carbon monoxide alarm.
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Wow a whole thread on should a sitter tell the host they left the oven on.
This isn’t about the oven, it’s about a sitter being intimidated by the host and fearing a negative review, to the point that they hesitate to inform them of a major safety hazard.
That much said I probably wouldn’t say a word, for the same reason that I wouldn’t leave a negative review for a poor sitter, as they would undoubtedly retaliate in their reply to the review and leave future sitters wondering if it’s the case of a bad sitter or bad host, which has negative ramifications either way.
@idocsteve It was actually the host who started this thread, not the sitter!
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Well I wrote sitter because, well…it was 6 am here in Greece and I was only halfway through my first cup of coffee!
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
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No I have NOT yet written the review. I came here for advice before doing so as my partner and I are divided on the issue. He doesn’t think I should mention it at all–not in a private message or review. I wasn’t going to put it in the review but let her know privately why she was docked a star. She’s gotten 8 glowing reviews.
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Thank you all for helping me decide to text her privately. I simply asked what day she used the oven last…there was a bit of confusion over that but she ultimately said yesterday and quickly asked if she had forgotten to turn it off. “OMG I hope not” she responded. And so I told her in future just check appliances before leaving. There was an impending snowstorm and I told her I think her mind was on that and if she weren’t rushed probably wouldn’t have happened. No idea why she chose to bake but she had good intentions. I also learned in future I will ask a sitter to stay until we return. She probably would have discovered that had that been the case. She’ll get a 5 star review. Thank you all for the feedback. It was very helpful.
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I did say an oven and I do have a co alarm–this AI thing keeps saying I left a 4 star review (I did not write any review as yet). I tried to clarify this 5 hours ago but that post wasn’t approved and AI has a mind of its own! Hate these misleading summaries!
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No it’s should a host tell the sitter they left the oven on.
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Thanks for reporting back to the forum and that the comments helped you to make your decision.
You can mark this thread as solved 
and then hopefully you won’t get any more suggestions !
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If you are returning late in the evening , (and depending on how far your sitter has to travel ) you may consider offering the sitter the choice of staying the night that you arrive back ( and adding that to the sit dates )
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While personal culinary preferences may vary, an action intended as a gesture of kindness should be appreciated rather than criticized publicly.
p.s. and yes, you should tell them they left the oven on - privately
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Well done, you handled the situation very well. As you say, the sitter had good intentions. We could all forget to turn an oven off etc.
In my case, on one of my early sits in summer in England, I was asked to water the lawn, and had to move the sprinkler around the large lawn every 30 minutes. I went to bed having forgotten to turn the hose off, and the lawn was waterlogged! I was mortified thinking about the water I’d wasted and whether the hosts had a water meter. I didn’t tell them while they were away but as soon as they returned said I had a confession to make and confessed. They were completely non-plussed, by then the lawn was back to normal. They didn’t have a water meter but I said I would have paid the bill if they had. No mention of this in their review and 5 stars.
I find it’s always a good idea to own up to any mishaps.
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Hmmm … was there any harm done?
It sounds like you have the skills and sensitivity to let them know tactfully.
I ,for one, would definitely appreciate the heads up.
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Are you suggesting that despite the oven being left on being a huge fire hazard, it’s no big deal since the house didn’t burn down?
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I was wondering that too.
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