Of course that is not against any rules.
You are not reading it right. Terms & Conditions | TrustedHousesitters.com
Well, consider also the sitter’s comfort!
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@pietkuip Section 5.2.13 mandates that the property be vacated for the entire duration of the Sitter’s stay, including the Homeowner.
This becomes problematic when listings include additional days beyond the sit—days that were never part of the sit itself.
In terms of insurance, if the listing is canceled or shortened by the HO after confirmation, the HS may be entitled to claim reimbursement for the entire period, including these extra days.
No, that is not what it says. Of course not.
From the definitions:
“Sit means the arrangement and/or completion (as applicable) of the house and pet sitting arrangement carried out directly between the Pet Parent and the Sitter”
So all this is up to an agreement between owners and sitters.
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I would agree with @pietkuip’s interpretation. In order to agree with @biscuit, the HO would have to be considered a third party which they are not.
Agree though that the sit dates should match the dates a sitter is expected to be present.
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@MaggieUU @pietkuip
In relation to the sit, the HO is a third-party; If the HO confirms a sit and then choose to stay for part of it or returns earlier, that is a third-party presence during the sit - the HS may be able to claim reimbursement for alternative accommodation, to stay elsewhere on those particular dates.
First party: hosts
Second party: sitter
Third party: someone else
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Sorry, the HO is never considered a third party for the cited clause.
The third party is:
- relating to a person or group besides the two primarily involved in a situation.
Agree though that the HO shouldn’t be coming and going from the sit or coming back early. That is a curtailed sit
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@MaggieUU Since I’ve already experienced such situations, I haft to correct you on this. The HO are indeed considered third-party if they choose to stay or come back early during a sit.
@biscuit …I will leave you with your interpretation then. All respect to you
@biscuit if you overlap a night with the host at the beginning and/or end of the sit (which many of us do) the host is not considered as a 3rd party. But if the hosts return during the sit and stay that would indeed be 3rd party interference and against the T&Cs.
Its a bit of a grey area how long the overlap would need to be for the hosts to be considered 3rd party.
We once had the case that some hosts wanted us to sit for two separate trips with a few days gap inbetween. We agreed but, since we had no practical options where to go for the gap days, they invited us to stay on in their luxury guest house. We also agreed we’d create two sits for the actual trip dates. So during the gap days- where the hosts were home -in the main house- and we were 'off duty- we invited them in for dinner as a token of appreciation!
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@Lokstar Those hosts sounds like being truly exemplary and kind, making the idea of overlapping a highly attractive option😊
I always try to do something similar, like leaving toys for the pets, tending to the garden, or preparing a meal that they can easily heat up upon their return:dog:
Regarding insurance, it’s quite straightforward—there isn’t much of a grey area. The procedures for reimbursement in cases of canceled sits or dates affected by host presence seems to be uniform, regardless of timing or whether it’s just the host or additional family members.
Essentially, those days are treated as canceled - costs per night are claimed and reimbursed due to third-party presence.
I’ve tried both scenarios, and the only real difference was that Support informed me of the option to cancel the entire sit.
This led the host to stick with the original arrangement (very quickly), which turned out to be a really good sit.
It would indeed be much more efficient if THS integrated a time window for arrival and departure; this would save both THS and all parties involved significant time and resources and encourage better travel planning🌸
(Note: There is a $150 fee for handling a claim - insurance might not be cost-effective for those only doing short weekend sits.)
It’s what you feel comfortable with at the end of the Day, We as a Family all being Autistic/ADHD struggle to even stay with Family, On the few occasions we have been asked if we would like to come the night before, have a meal go through routines, the owners are very understanding, they understand we are not being rude, we have never had Owners decide against us sitting for them, I would completely understand if they did of course. I will have a good Video/Phone call with them firstly and make sure they feel we are a good fit and that we can meet their Pet’s needs too, we want happy settled Pets first and foremost. Your Pets are aware you are heading away as soon as they see those suitcases come out and usually one of the Beds in the Spare Rooms starts having piles of clothing and toiletries put on it, so they are getting curious/anxious about the change that is coming up anyway, sometimes having more people in the mix doesn’t help the Pets, it might put the Owners mind at rest, it depends on if you are leaving early in the day or later in the Day, the Sitter could arrive in the Morning and spend the Day with you if that’s something you are more comfortable with, it’s not up to you how the sitter gets to your home or your cost it’s ours, just because that’s what they asked doesn’t mean you have to, If you are at Work until lunch time and are leaving in the late afternoon evening, then the Sitter comes in the afternoon. I would be asking them a few more questions about their travel plans, are they finishing a sit the same day and want to come straight to yours? are they travelling from out of area on public transport and it’s a day of travelling? etc.
Wishing you all the best for your travels.
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I’ve been offered to come the night before Where the host said that naturally I would get the only bedroom and the host would sleep on the sofa. I had a red-eye transport and declined as I could arrive very early in the morning and preferred that. 
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Since many replies to this are stating that this is typical I just wanted to tell you that out of my 16 sits only one sit had an overlap and it was baked into the dates by the HO. I found out later about it and it was too late to do anything as I am not interested in staying with HOs in their house. Majority of my sits have been where I never saw the HOs. All sits have been great!
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I begin from the place that anyone - HO’s and sitters alike - can request anything they like. It is then up to the two parties to negotiate what works for each…and hopefully a mutually beneficial conclusion is reached.
In this case, the thing that throws or disturbs me is the presumptuousness of the sitters (I could be wrong but that is the vibe I’m getting). THAT would be a yellow if not red flag for me.
If this request does not work for you, you have every right to decline this sitter.
Accommodation is one thing. Bending to the (near) demands of another is a different thing.
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“Airbnbs are quite pricey here ($400/night minimum for a 1 bedroom)! The free lodging aspect I do see as our gift; and the sitters gift is caring for the animal.”
Just read this and wanted to let you know that as a sitter this HO attitude would be a red flag for me. I tend to choose HOs that feel gratitude 
for taking care of their pets… for keeping them happy. I take my responsibility very seriously. Even if a sitter wanted to use this to save money on AirBnB, THS sits are simply not available everywhere. Just do a search as if you are looking for a sit and you will see how geographically limited they are.
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Okay, I can see your perspective. I didn’t mean it in an entitled manner, rather pulling from the concept of a gifting economy where the gratitude and appreciation is shared between members of a community through acts of service and otherwise (which are non monetary). In this sense, caring for an animal and staying in accommodating lodging are the shared acts of service. The question of the forum is standard expectations and when to go above and beyond. Overall, the feedback is around the right fit between host and sitter, in terms of preferences and boundaries.
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@biscuit where the HO is leaving in the morning it isn’t always practical for the sitter to arrive early enough for a handover before they leave, so arriving the night before is more sensible.
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I don’t disagree; it could certainly be more practical for some, but that’s not the crux of the issue either
Hi I always ask my sitters to come the afternoon or evening before so I can be sure I have shown them everything about the dog and house and local area so they can relax and enjoy their stay. I provide an evening meal and have very much enjoyed meeting people from all over the world.
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