Hello there! I have been petsitting for nearly 2 months (I had 4 sittings so far - 5 star all of them) and this is the first time I came across to a new situation: no heating allowed even though it is said on the description that there is central heating - The pet owner rents this place (it’s an annex) so who controls the heating is the landlady - the “emergency” contact.
I gently asked her to raise the temperature (it’s 10 degrees here and I come from a tropical country - I am not used to the cold, so since it was written that there was a heating I relied on that info to chose the sitting), I got this reply: . It is set so that it only turns on at 16 degrees. I don’t turn it on until 16 degrees as heating here ( electricity is expensive). I am not feeling comfortable and I fear getting sick.
I explained her that I have Fibromyalgia pain so I need to feel warm or it can be really bad for me, and the other reply was: No portable heater sorry. I can give you a hot water bottle which you can fill with hot water and keep on your lap. I will leave it by the front door. Please don’t disturb me again unless it’s an emergency.
The Owner left me a heating blanket, but is going to help me? I am freezing cold here because there are some vents that must be open because of mold.
@ICRag sorry to hear of your predicament? how long is the sit ? Which country are you in ? Is it the U.K. ?
Did you make the hosts aware of your medical condition at the time you confirmed the sit ?
Heated blankets are great and will keep you warm at night and the hot water bottle could also work if you are having to sit still while working during the day . Otherwise brisk exercise ( walking the dog ? ) and wearing extra layers both indoors and outdoors will help to keep you warm . You could go to a cafe, pub , museum or other warm places during the day .
In colder climates it’s usual to wear extra clothes indoors (probably more than you are used to wearing in your home country) If necessary you could buy them inexpensively from a charity / thrift shop.
Have you contacted the host to explain that you were expecting to be able to use the central heating since it’s listed in the amenities section and ask them fora solution? . In our experience it’s common for hosts to have the heating set only to come on at certain times during the day . However if there are cold drafts because of open vents , maybe they could order a heater for you and get it delivered (from Amazon ?)
Here are suggestions for keeping warm from U.K. government webpage .
It suggests at least one room should be 18 degrees . If your sit is in U.K. you could share this information with the host.
Your health is important so if you can’t work out a solution you may need to leave the sit , but you would need to give your host at least 24 hours notice so that they can make alternative arrangements for care of their pets .
Maybe something in the original post is missing? The HO indicates that heating kicks in at 16 degrees. So if it is now 10 degrees per the sitter, why isn’t the heat on already?
I am not sure I understand - it the heating turns on at 16°, why isn’t it on if it is 10°?
When it comes to heating I believe it is uncommon in many European countries to turn on the heating in September (and Oct.) In some countries it is even illegal in public buildings. I believe for instance there is an Italian Law which says that heating can be turned on only from Nov 08th to April 7th – 19° Maximum and 11 hours per day maximum. Out of that period all owners are punishable and risk to pay high fees. In Italy last year in Oct. employees wore winter jackets inside.
As I have experience from a cold country, I would say that wool is really a game-changer, if you can use wool. A thin camisole or t-shirt of wool under your clothes, a cardigan or sweater. Keeping warm on the feet is important.
A blanket of wool under your bedlinen and/ or over your duvet can make wonders. Or simply dress in layers. Hot bath/ shower.
Are there other places that are warmer you could visit? A swimming pool with a hotter pool for therapeutic swimming, a library or other?
I believe stress is not good for fibromyalgia either, so it would be good to find some possibilities you can try to get a better situation.
Sorry to hear this. Please do let us know what country you are in for context. I am startled by the home owner’s lack of compassion in asking you not to contact her again unless it’s an emergency. I would consider your health and comfort an important enough issue for her to be contacted!
I hope you have had some success with the heated blanket, they are very effective. I use mine all the time, but still have the heating on an hour a day which is a game changer in terms of getting the chill out of the air (in the north of England so it’s a bit chilly at times). I would consider this even more necessary for someone with a medical condition. I hope it isn’t a long sit and you are able to find some comfort in the house.
My understanding is that it’s the HO/PP’s landlord, not the host of the sit. She may not be down with the whole sitter thing - and honestly, it was on the PP to be transparent that the sitter would have no control over when the heat comes on. OTOH, the landlord saying no space heaters - I’d be like, too bad and order one stat.
I do hope you mention this in the review - doesn’t have to be negative, just letting future sitters know that the internal temperature is strictly controlled by an outside party.
@ICRag you will find lots of helpful advice on keeping warm this thread ( linked below ) . So many sitters said they loved heated blankets , with some bring their own to sits. There are lots of other helpful suggestions for sitters keeping warm in colder climates .( Like hot water bottles , extra layers, Co sleeping with the pets and baked potatoes )
So that future sitters know about the situation. You could write in your review that the heating is controlled by the landlady and is not turned on unless temperature drops below 16degrees and that the host has provide you with a heated blanket .
Not sure where you are from, or where you are sitting, but in the UK the heating kicking in at 16 degrees is really good/normal. Over the summer we set ours to kick in at 19 degrees, so if hers is set at 16 degrees it’s really good. It will probably be regulated at that all through the winter, that’s a pretty normal temperature. We’re sitters, but in our own home we wouldn’t set it any lower than what hers is.
I know this may sound obvious, but if you’re from a hot country have you got warm clothes with you? Have you got jumpers or sweaters or did you expect Sep/Oct to be ‘summer’ weather? If it’s the UK we naturally wear extra layers of clothes at this time of year as it gets colder, and swap to warmer duvets/blankets etc.
Unfortunately not Peonie. There are some vents open to prevent the mold, and also the fact that this is a place with few windows and it doesn’t get any sun at all. Luckily the blankets are good
Hi Bel, thanks for your reply. Yes, the landlord is not the host, the pet parent hosts this place. If is said on the website that there’s central heating I’m going to rely on it. I also met the PP one week ago, and they were aware that I come from a tropical country and I’m not used to the temperatures. They could’ve chosen someone else that is a little bit fine with that instead. I wouldn’t mind!
All the places I have been so far I could used it even if it’s September, where some temperatures reached 5 degrees so far. But the heating blanket is nice and I’m using it well.
Hi Jen, thank you so much for your reply. I’m in the U.K at the moment. In my opinion and based on the previous sits I have been, in which all the owners wanted to please me and make me feeling comfortable, this is the point: consider that health and comfort (regarding any medical condition) are prior to the sitter since this is an exchange of favors. If I could get 1 hour of heating when in pain would help me a lot.
The blanket was amazing and helped me a lot. It’s just for more 13 days and then I am heading to the next city.
Garfield, I am half-Italian (I hold 2 citizenship - Italian dad) and I spent all of my spring and summertimes in Italy and I’ve been a couple times in October as well when I was allowed to turn the heating on if needed - my family that lives there is pretty aware. That’s why the public system is loaded and the hospitals are crowed. The thing is: the past few years Italy started to become a little bit colder than it used to be due to the climate changes, and it applies to the warmth as well. (I’m not discussing politics here)
But we are not talking about Italy here, I am in the UK at the moment, which is farther north - yesterday here it was 10 with a feeling of 5 and in my family’s city it was 22 with the feeling of 17 - and it’s a huge difference.
I think the point was that the PO could be clearer about the temperature.
I think in your situation, I would agree with @belluca and be ordering a space heater (you can buy them cheaply from Gumtree/ Facebook marketplace), and use it sparingly, but it could make a huge difference to you in terms of comfort if the heating does not come on and if you are in pain. You could let the HO know that you had to for the sake of your health, but did not use it often.
I am glad to hear the blankets are helping. Not sure where in the UK you are but where I am in England, the weather has taken a dip in the last few days. I went for a walk with an upcoming home owner yesterday and it was definitely winter coat territory! Look after yourself, that should come at the top of the list.
Recommend you pile on more clothing! Also, if you take the dogs (?) out for a long walk, that will help you warm up and if possible a warm bubble bath. I’m an Aussie in Ireland and we have no central heating here so the above is basically how I cope. Best of luck!
@ICRag
Personally, if i suffered from the cold, I would look for sits in warmer places.
In the UK, maybe stick to June to August or even shorter in Scotland.
Maybe look for sits in Southern Europe, nothing worse than having a miserable time anywhere.
Good luck and hope you are managing
Probably this could have been mentioned beforehand (I met the PO one week before - knowing that I come from a tropical country, they could’ve asked if it was okay for me) or on the sit list. Yesterday night I saw that the 16 degrees was on, but since there are some vents open and the place doesn’t get any sun at all I couldn’t feel warmer enough. Luckily the heating blanket helped me a lot.
I’m a newbie, learning from my mistakes. Definitely I am looking for warmer locations next time. I have started in July in Austria and had a great time there. Then I came to UK but the weather was reasonable and all houses matched their descriptions. I have chosen this specifically because it was said that there was a heating system, so we actually relied. The next one is my last here and then I’m heading back home.
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