I have seen lots of discussions, by home owners, about the age of sitters but as a sitter are you influenced by the age of the home owner?
If so, what age do you prefer or avoid, and why?
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No, never. Why?
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Not directly. Indirectly, because I look for a certain level of comfort in homes, which older people tend to be better able to offer, since they’ve been earning for longer. I don’t want to live like I did in my early 20s, or like a student once again, not even during a sit.
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I’ve experienced last-minute cancellations from senior hosts due to health reasons, so perhaps a little bit more cautious in that matter
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I have to say that so far, all of our hosts have been between 30 and 80 years old. Rarely younger, but that’s simply because we only look for detached houses – and in the UK, it’s quite uncommon for people under 30 to live in one. From my experience, people under 30 in the UK tend to travel a lot, explore different paths, and figure out what suits them before eventually buying a house later on, usually after turning 30.
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No age hasn’t been a consideration for us .
We have sat for hosts age range 20s - 70s.
We prefer long sits , many of these have been for retired couples as they have the time and funds to travel for longer periods .
There have also been many hosts who are not retired but run their own businesses which gives them the flexibility to travel often .
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Don’t specifically look for older HO, but do find they have better equipped houses. One young couple we sat for didn’t have any basic cleaning stuff, bin bags, washing up bowls, hardly any cutlery etc.
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I am simply curious if age factors into decision making.
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That’s a good point, although, as you say, you may not look at age directly, rather you would assess the photos of the home.
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This is something that has occurred to me too. Thankfully it hasn’t happened but it’s definitely a possibility.
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Occasionally I have found this to be the case but I’ve managed to improvise (like using a saucepan to wash dishes in). It’s not much different from a poorly equipped Airbnb but if it’s a long sit it gets tiresome.
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I never give it a thought. I think the eldest owners I’ve had so far have been mid 70s. Probably a lot of much older people would likely be more nervous about having strangers in their home.
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I hadn’t thought of that, you could be correct in that assumption.
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And maybe less likely to go away
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Don’t shoot me, this is my personal opinion and I’m allowed to have one 
In our experience (44 sits), we have found that younger aged pet owners seem to have slacker cleanliness standards. We will never again sit for a young couple going on their honeymoon, as twice now we’ve seen that the wedding planning takes up all their mental and physical energy, and preparing for housesitters are quite low on their priority list Same with a household with very young children (4yo and below). Not judging, because it’s fairly natural, but we prefer very clean and tidy homes.
We tend to gravitate towards 40 years and up. Most of our sits are for retirees.
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Now I have found that age makes no difference to the cleanliness of homes. I’ve found very dirty and very clean homes in all age brackets in 101 sits
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This is an interesting question and made me realize the difference between my sits for younger hosts and older, which I had not thought about before. I myself am older so probably more comfortable with older hosts. Personality-wise we seem to hit it off more, and I’ve occasionally felt like some of the younger hosts view me like their mother! Because I’m old enough to be.
I’ve found that older hosts have things I value, like stepstools to reach high shelves and long-handled litter scoops (those are SO great) so I don’t have to stoop as much to clean the litter box. Younger hosts tend to NOT have things I value. I went on one sit last year for a lovely young couple in their twenties. They had every video game known to man, every advanced electronic gadget, the best television and sound system - and nowhere to eat a meal. NOWHERE. The only place to eat in the house was on the couch. They had lived there for four years. And as @CathyCat mentioned - they didn’t have basic cleaning things. They had cats and didn’t own a broom!
On the other hand the younger hosts, in my experience, have been more seamless in terms of the overall sitting process. They’ve never asked for an early arrival or late departure, they tend to be completely comfortable just giving me a code for an automatic lock versus requiring some crazy key handover, and they never overexplain the obvious. Their welcome guides have been quite thorough.
On one level I enjoy sitting for the younger folks - I see it as an opportunity to show them what true generosity and hospitality is. I tend to leave nicer departing gifts for them, partly because I know they need more, and partly to nudge them in the direction of kindness to others in the future. On the other, I’ve run into more problems with their pets. For example many of them don’t seem to understand the importance of regular brushing and nail trims for cats, so I’ll arrive to “razor cat”, litter boxes that clearly aren’t regularly emptied (based on the odor), and automatic water fountains that have never been cleaned.
@botvot made me laugh! Because I, too, have experienced the horror that is sitting for the honeymooning couple. If you are a host planning to go on a honeymoon, for Heavens’ sake hire a cleaning service before you depart. If you are a sitter applying for a sit where the hosts are going on their honeymoon - ask them if they hired a cleaning service first! This is part of the value of the Forum - learning that we are not alone.
Funnily enough, many of the younger hosts I’ve sat for have recommended me to their parents, aunts, and uncles. So I’ve ended up with multi-generational sits in cities I enjoy.
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Thank you for your very detailed reply, you have made some excellent points. I must try and keep them in mind.
I am with botvot. No younger children. Too much clutter.
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I have lived a long and varied life in many cities and countries. Some of my own family members younger and older are total grotts and some are over the top OCDC including moi 
Some of my friends are the same as this and I have sat for both older and younger households who display the same traits. So I could never generalise about this topic. I’ve been to older persons homes to meet them and withdrew immediately and been to younger persons homes to meet them and accepted readily. Some of my younger homeowners have even put me to shame with their cleanliness and tidiness.
The general conception is that older people are “cleaner and tidier” but I don’t think that is always the case. As sitters we have to make decisions by profiles and pics and hope for the best, not generalise by age. Also some of the least desirable sits I have done through not being up to my standards have turned out to be my best experiences ever. And @botvot , I’ve had the exact same experience 
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