We are recently finding Homeowners are not providing online welcome guides, ignoring the request and saying its all here when you arrive or just send a pdf with a very basic guide. We had one sit where they didnt declsre you needed to drive the dog to a park to walk it at our expense. Anyone else finding this happening?
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No. For instance, my current hosts sent me their WG a couple of months ago or so, when we agreed on the sit.
When I video chat with potential hosts, I tell them conversationally that Iāll make travel plans/buy tickets after I receive their WG and their departure and arrival times in writing. That way, theyāre automatically motivated to send them to me.
If a nudge is needed, Iād send a message like: Hoping to do our sit as planned, but I havenāt received X from you yet and I canāt go into a sit blind.
I have yet to have an issue with getting a WG or travel details in writing ā 27 sits over three years. If a host hadnāt sent those to me, Iād just let them know that I wasnāt coming.
In one case, a host didnāt reveal till they sent the WG that one dog needed to be let out overnight and another was prone to diarrhea. As soon as I read that, I canceled.
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During our video call (before we confirm a sit ) we ask the hosts if they have a WG prepared and say we would like to read it as soon as the sit is confirmed .
We tell hosts that we are happy with a welcome guide in whatever form but we want to read it in good time . We donāt stipulate that it must be the THS WG because many hosts have commented that is not an easy document to complete .
With this approach we havenāt had an issue with receiving WGs promptly .
We have also done a fair number of sits for new hosts who have already completed a welcome guide without any prompting from us .
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Yup, I donāt care about the format/platform either. My current hosts sent theirs as a Google Doc. Iāve received ones in (partly) video, PDF, Word doc and in the THS format.
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Well that is very frustrating when they donāt declare driving the dog and expect you to use your own car.
I had a thread on here after my Christmas sit where I was expected to drive the dog twice daily for walks and in my own car, despite the fact they left two cars on the drive. It was too dangerous to walk straight from the house as it was on a busy road with no pavements.
Did you put in your review the fact that you used your car and no petrol money was offered? I must admit, I chickened out of saying I used my own car (wish I had) but did say I had to drive the dog to get to his walks. My car is still covered with his hair tooā¦..
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@Twogreys I had this happen once. I calculated fuel costs and asked the home owners to cover the expenditure, which they did, but I was still stuck with the whiff of soggy doggy in my car for months. They had been less than transparent about aspects of the dogās behaviour, and the welcome guide was just a few hastily scribbled notes.
Unfortunately, itās a case of live and learn, for both sitters and home owners. But over time you realise the importance of doing a video call, get to know the sort of questions that you need to ask, and become strict about receiving answers to those questions ā along with a proper welcome guide ā well in advance of a sit.
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As HOs, we provide the WG within a few days of confirming our sitters.
As sitters, if a HO does not provide us with the completed WG in a few days, we politely remind them once. If, after that, they still do not comply, we walk away from the sit. Itās too risky.
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@Crosswords_and_puzzles Thatās my approach too. I request the welcome guide as soon as the sit is confirmed. I will remind them once. After that, Iām prepared to cancel. I wonāt go into a sit blind wondering if there will be surprises, if I will have vet info, emergency contacts, etc. HOs have responsibilities as part of this exchange and providing a welcome guide is one of those responsibilities. If they donāt want to provide it, I wonder what other things are they not going to bother with.
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Yes and itās annoying the **** out of me
One of them responded after a friendly 2nd request by saying: itās all pretty straightforward
It was NOT
Weāve been full-time sitting for over 5 years and itās probably 50-50 whether we receive a welcome guide or not.
We ask all relevant questions during the video call. When we meet the owners, they sometimes have a written guide, sometimes not. In which case, we have our own list of questions.
We always feel fully prepared by the time they leave, so weāre not really bothered by the lack of a welcome guide to be fair.
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I would be annoyed about that as wellā¦we did a sit a few years ago where the dog needed to be driven to a nearby park to be walked as they lived in a sort of rural areaātheir street was a county road that was quite busyāwhere there were no shoulders or sidewalks. It was a 2 month sit and it got tedious pretty quickly and I wouldnāt do a sit like that again. I canāt remember if they told us ahead of time or not.
We have done many sits where we didnāt receive the THS welcome guide or another type of guide until very shortly before the sit. There are times the hosts have prepared a written guide that we donāt see until we get there. On a recent sit, she sent a detailed text with the basicsā¦we got a lot of info in person too as we stayed the night before so it was fine. On another there was no guide at all and she just went over a bunch of stuff before she left..everything was pretty straightforward so it didnāt bother us at all.ācats in a condo so easy all around.
I canāt recall any instances where we saw something on the guide that would have made us not apply in the first place if noted on the listing, not take the sit if mentioned prior to confirming or cancelling if revealed at some point prior to the sit starting. So for us, not getting a guide until shortly before a sit or not until the day we arrive has not been an issue thus far, so itās not something that concerns us. And if that were to cause any sort of issue in the future, we may feel differently.
But for sitters who feel it is important to get all this information well ahead of time, that is a perfectly reasonable request and for those for whom this is that important, they have to be sure to askāand follow up if the host doesnāt send it by time they say they willā even if they may feel uncomfortable doing so.
And if there are any sorts of ādealbreakersā or things that are really important to know prior to confirming, they have to be sure to ask the appropriate questions as early on in the process as possible. And for a lot of us, experience helps us discern all that and what a particular sitter needs to know personally to accept the sit.
For example, in certain countries it is more common to have cleaning people there on a daily basis for long periods, so when I have applied to sits in such areas and there was no mention of how frequently their cleaning person comeāor if they had one at allāI always ask about it right upfront as based on past experience, I donāt like that and wouldnāt do a sit where someone is there all day every day or multiple days a week.
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Weāve had quite a few sit no WG sits, but from my understanding the WG is extremely tedious and time consuming to fill out. After a confirmed sit we request a WG right away through the website. If we donāt receive one within a week, we ask for an electronic document in any format. Usually that works. We had one odd homeowner who sent long instructions via text messages, which we combined into a usable document.
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Totally agree āElsā. We ask at our video interview the questions/ information important to us then we spend time on arrival with the handover detailsā¦..happy Sitters! Occasionally weāve had an issue (75+Sits) butā¦.. thatās House-sitting and people, we love it!
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Another reason I like Google Docs for the Welcome Guide as I send it before the video chat. Very helpful and a couple of unsuitable sitters have declined themselves. Which I prefer as I want a good match.
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Hi @BunnyCat You wrote:
Yes, as homeowners, we can see why someone would think this. In order to simplify things for us, we do the following.
In the sections that ask for recommendations about restaurants, local attractions, things to doā¦ frankly, we just suggest that sitters Google these things, since they know best what they are interested in.
But all the important info ā vet, emergency contacts, where water shut-off is, pet behaviors and routines, and so on ā yes, homeowners should take the time to fully complete these sections.
Itās a lot, so a homeowner could just tackle one section a day. Perhaps then it wouldnāt seem so burdensome?
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Wet marigold gloves are great for dog hair removal just rub your hand in long sweeps across the upholstery also wide gaffa tape for the tricky corners and deep parts. Good luck 
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I feel like Iāve asked and answered this several times on this forum! Iām a combined member. I always ask for a welcome guide well in advance of a sit. More times than not, it is NOT the āstandardā Welcome Guide. Itās usually a google doc or PDF and thatās just fine!
I am also a homeowner, and I do not and will not use the Welcome Guide because the way it is sectioned makes it very difficult to update, edit, and write. Also if you have multiple pets who say get fed at the same time and possibly share a bowl or something, itās almost impossible to write those kinds of āgroupā instructions at all. So it reads like a sitter has to do bout 3 times as much as they actually have to do.
I have a book for sitters (literally a binder) and several have commented in reviews on its ācomprehensivenessā ā not sure if thatās a compliment but they keep asking to come back. So If a sitter is uninterested in my sit because Iām not using the standard Welcome Guide, Iāve got zero problem with their not applying.
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@Marion I donāt think any sitter cares what kind of welcome guide you have as long as you have one. A comprehensive book would work for me, I love having something to refer back to if I need it, and sadly sometimes I forget to check it for the answer, IE the Foxtel dropped out and I never thought to check the instructions 
duh. But for pet care, more crucial than Foxtel, I am on the ballā
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Exactly our approach.
I am on this sit with amazing welcome guide. They did send me the online one too. But also they have a binder, with pockets for the keys and for the internet info. Then some pages with the pet info, page with vet and optional vets (also they have the vet info on a note in the fridge door, clearly for sitters: they also have notes in kitchen cupboard doors to make it easier to find everything). Then they have three pages of recommendations, like cafes, museums etc, which is great because it is rather a tourist trap city, so to avoid them is great. And then they have a visitor book, where all their previous sitters have written something (she said āno pressure to write anythingā so maybe not all but it is so nice to read!) and then couple of pockets with local maps and adverts for local sightseeing and bike rental and what not. If I go host someday, this is what I will also build.
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