I invested several hours producing a sitter guide in Microsoft word including lots of photo’s. Is there a way of just uploading that to the platform rather than filling out several web pages. My guide is also easy for the sitter to print out in advance should they wish, so I’m going to keep using it.
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I put the document on Google drive and share a link in the THS app messaging after the sit is confirmed.
I also print the document and leave it in a binder so they have a hard copy on arrival. Many sitters (especially full time ones) may not have access to a printer.
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Our Welcome Guide has always been a Word document that we share with our sitters through WhatsApp and we also leave a printed version in the apartment when we leave.
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Sitter here. I’m more than happy getting the WG in any readable form. A request would be, though, if you could leave a printed copy for the sitters. Many of us travel much of the time and don’t have easy access to printers.
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@andytims you cannot upload your own document on to the THS site as far as I am aware. (someone correct me if I’m wrong!) Many, but not all, hosts complete the online WG.
We’ve also had pdf docs sent to us by email or WhatsApp and that works fine too.
What we always ask these days is if the HO can print out a copy of their WG, in whatever format they’ve created it, as its much easier to have a hard copy available at the home for quick and easy reference when on the sit.
Some hosts only leave hand written notes. Mostly that’s fine too as long as all the important details are in it!
We arrived once at rural sit where our mobile signal did not work. The HO had not printed the WG so we did not even have access to their Wifi password! We ended up having to drive somewhere to get a signal so we could access the online WG and get the wifi code!
So now we always ask for a hard copy to be provided, if at all possible, and we also make a screenshot of their wifi code if they’ve put it in the WG- as back up just incase!
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You really can’t. Sitter’s only have access to the guide once you give them access which you can only do after the sit is confirmed. Many hosts don’t use the “official” Welcome Guide. Mine says, “See provided document” in most of the spaces. I always send out “my” guide usually via WhatsApp or email provided by the sitter.
That reminds me. It’s also much better to exchange some other major means of communication while on a sit --phone, facetime, whatsapp, etc. Sure having a designated “app” is great, but sometimes the app has quirks or you might not get the notification. Direct communication usually works best!
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The important thing is to have some sort of Welcome Guide available for sitters to review before the sit, and a hard copy at your house is also a great idea.
As long as you have your Word document, don’t worry about completing the online Welcome Guide. You can email the Word document to the sitters. You might review the THS Welcome Guide categories just to make sure that you have covered all the topics.
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@andytims, kudos for the effort. As experienced housesitters, we have observed a broad range of rigour and format of Welcome Guides - from non-existent to comprehensive - and from THS WG tool to Word to Google to … All sorts. Irrespective of the specifics, we have come to appreciate appropriate content. It makes a big difference to the pet care, property maintenance and housesitter experience.
We always create a PDF version of WG. Not always easy to execute. But we like having such documents locally on our iPhones. We generally avoid paper unless temporary use (weight/stuff) and want access to WG content if in location without wifi / cell reception (eg. walking dog in rural place).