**Subject: Looking for Feedback: Guest House on property -- Is THS Still a Good Fit for Me?**

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
1

Hi!
I’ve been on THS for a little over a year and have had 13 great sits. All but one have left five star reviews (one left no reveiw).

I have a beautiful property in a very desirable destination and get LOTS of applicants within hours every time.

My property has a guest house on it. I came to understand that THS policy says that there should not be ANYBODY else on the property (other than gardeners, etc.) during the say. I understand and respect this.

My guest house (which is rented to visiting university professors for short periods on occasion) is a completely separate building (there’s more space between it and the main house than there are between separate addresses in many neighborhoods)! SO, I have followed my own conscience and not worried too much about breaking rules about “others on the property.”

I do let sitters know there is a tenant (when there is one) … but NEVER have any of my tenants entered my main home - period. I have not had any issues at all with having an occupied guest house. When it’s not occupied, I let sitters use it to fill in empty time between sits (sometimes weeks at a time).

This summer, my daughter and her husband are moving into the guest house. They’ll be there for a year.

They have a well-behaved dog who gets along wonderfully with mine. The two dogs are close companions and enjoy spending time together.

The Property Layout:
There are four separate fenced yards:

  • The main house’s front yard
  • The guest house’s yard
  • A pool area
  • An orchard

Gates can be configured to give the dogs access to shared space or restrict them to their own areas. They are used to moving freely between spaces, and we’d like to maintain that freedom when possible—though we can make adjustments if it would make a sitter uncomfortable.

Here’s what I’d love feedback on:

  1. From a sitter’s perspective:
  • Would you be okay with the owner’s dog spending time with the guest house dog (unsupervised, but very familiar and compatible) in a shared yard and my house?
  • Would the presence of the owner’s adult children in a separate guest house (with no access to the main house) be a deal-breaker or a comfort?
  1. From anyone familiar with THS guidelines:
  • Am I crossing a line with this setup, even with full transparency and sitter consent?

I feel confident that with complete disclosure and mutual agreement, this could still be a great experience for sitters. But I want to be sure I’m not bending any rules or making anyone uncomfortable. I value this platform and the trust it’s built on.

Thanks so much for your thoughts.

*edited to add:

YES, in most cases the we will likely just take care of one another’s dogs.

They both will be working 12 hour shifts (she is a small animal emergency veterinarian and he is a police officer) and while while my dog CAN be left for that long if he has access to the yard, I prefer he have companionship. I’m hoping for a win-win situation for all involved.

(edited by Forum team to fix the layout :slight_smile: )

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2

I agree that full transparency is great. However, if the two dogs get along so well, why would there be a need for a sitter? I guess I’m just thinking since it is your daughter and her husband, they could take care of your pup, too, and have access to the larger house while you are traveling.

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3

I was thinking the same? Why would they not look after your dog for you if they are living right next door?

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4

@DogMomster
For me, as a sitter with 100+ sits, so long as you describe the sit (as you did in this posting), I’d have no problems with what you descrribe.

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5

Cheezymanders, It will likely work out for them to sit for my dog on most occasions. I don’t know yet how often their 12 hour shifts will overlap, etc. and I don’t want to make too many assumptions. I do take comfort in knowing someone’s hanging out with my dog all day and can reliably walk him. Their dog is used to being home alone more than mine is. But yes, they can likely take care of him.

I do have a week in September when my daughter is joining me on a trip and want to at least offer to have a sitter for my own dog but I wonder how the logistics can work out in that case as well as when both of them are in town. Thanks for your feedback!

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6

Of course. See my response to cheezymanders. :slight_smile:

7

Wouldn’t bother me. Would enjoy seeing the dogs play together. Also comfort in knowing your daughter is a vet if dog gets sick.

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8

Depending on other factors, this probably wouldn’t be a rule out for me, but I could see potential issues with the shared dog space, pool etc. I’m wondering in part why you would even need a sitter as it would seem to make more sense for your daughter and her husband to watch both your dog and theirs probably in your house while you’re away. I’d be slightly weary that it could be tempting for the guest house residents to ask a favor in watching their dog while I’d be afraid to ask a return favor.

I don’t believe it would cross a line in terms of third party even if some space – pool, orchard, etc are shared, but I’d have to see the layout. I’m not a big swimming pool fan to begin with but I’d probably be more self conscious about using the pool if others were there. And i could see concerns about stuff like who cleans the yard if a dog poops in it if both parties are sharing the space?

Hard for me to judge without seeing the listing.

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9

As long as this the separate home is described in the listing and your daughter and husband don’t expect the sitter to look after their dog when they are at work ( 12 hour shifts ) this can work as a THS sit . Sitters who aren’t comfortable with the guest home on the property won’t apply .

If the sitter is expected to look after both dogs then both dogs should be on the listing - if the sitter would sometimes be looking after both dogs and sometimes not then there would necessarily be a lot of interaction with your daughter to arrange this . Similarly is your dog likely to disappear into the guest house with your daughters dog ( leaving the sitter searching and having to go to the guest house to get the dog back for example if they are going out ) or would the sitter be left with both dogs in the main home and your daughter or SIL popping over to fetch the dog back for dinner or at bedtime ?
As your SIL and daughter haven’t moved in yet - you may not know the answers to these questions but it will impact on a sitters stay so you may need wait until you know before listing dates for a sitter .

Some sitters might be ok with this , others wouldn’t as they choose privacy for the whole stay .

If the pool is shared , it would be best not to include it as an amenity that is available to the sitter. Is the pool overlooked by the guest house ? Or could your daughter and SIL agree not to use the pool during the week of the sitters stay ?

If all this information is disclosed in the listing then sitters have all the information and can choose to apply or not .

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10

Thanks Marion,
Yes, there would be many details to work out! This is helpful for me to know what to include if and when I modify my listing. I have learned the hard way not to make too many assumptions! I appreciate your perspective.

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11

Thanks Silversitters, What does “look after” mean to different sitters!? I bet there’s a hundred different answers. :slight_smile: In our case, there would be no feeding of their dog involved and no mandatory walking (thought sitters would be welcome to take him too!). If the dogs are sharing the yard and the sitters sees their dog get hurt, then yes, there would be the expectation that the sitter would notify someone! I would absolutely have both dogs (with pics) in my listing.

The sitter would always be able to have my dog in the house and close access to the other dog (I feel like I need to draw a a map!) If the “back main house door” were open to the pool area AND the side pool gate to the guest house yard were open, then yes - my dog could disappear into their house if their doors were open too. His recall is pretty good though! I strongly suspect the dogs would hang out with the sitter if daughter and SIL were at work AND they both had access (again optional). I don’t think there’d have to be much interaction - and occasional texting may be all that is needed.
You raise lots of good questions, and yes… many are unanswerable now! I knew it could get complicated which is why I appreciate a sitter’s point-of-view about what’s important to share. Thank you.

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12

This is exactly what I’m thinking

13

The fact your dog can’t be left long would likely limit your choice of sitters also tbh. A dog should be able to be left for 4 hours at least after a good walk

14

I wouldn’t be bothered… and it might actually be a perk. I don’t know exactly where you live, but for example, if a sitter is on a longer-term sit and wanted to do a weekend away (at a nearby attraction), and if there were an option to coordinate with your daughter/son-in-law to have them look after your dog for an overnight, that could actually be a nice perk for a sitter. It’s also great that she’s an emergency vet.

If you weren’t so conscientious about the issue, it might be a yellow flag for me as a sitter. But it sounds like there are plenty of boundaries in place, which would remove all concern for me personally.

I once did a long-term sit (2 months) where the owners had three sons with their families all within 5-10 minutes’ drive from the property (which, granted, isn’t the same as being on the property), but it was very reassuring having them so near. Any time I needed anything – including when a huge storm passed through the area, knocking over a few trees around the house and taking out power for several days – they really helped me navigate through solutions and even let me work from their home while power was still being restored. In addition, I always think it’s nice on sits when the owners introduce me to people in the neighborhood, whether friends or family. I love getting plugged in a little more to the community. (Of course, that all depends on how open your daughter/son-in-law are to meeting/getting to know/being available for the sitter!)

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15

@DogMomster, bravo on open integrity. From perspective of experienced international housesitters then we’d agree with your assessment provided that listing is fully transparent with relevant information. We have come to appreciate, through THS Forum, that the housesitting community is remarkably diverse in regards demographic, preferences and objectives of housesitting. Local vs international. Short vs long stay. Dogs vs cats. Remote workers vs travelers. There’s all sorts. For Pet Parents that offer a fair trade are likely to find housesitters. You noted ‘desirable location’ - that seems a positive component of the trade. Heck, if it’s a nice spot in viable country then we’d take a look ourselves!

In regards THS policies then suggest you become familiar with “Third Party Policies”. This mostly relates to third parties staying in same property as housesitter. In other THS Forum threads then there are challenging comments about Pet Parents that seek housesitter to operate a short-term rental business (e.g. airbnb) during housesit. But neither seems to apply to you.

Good luck. From Italy :slight_smile:

https://support.trustedhousesitters.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360001881117-Third-party-policy

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16

This all sounds too complicated for me.
Due to the vast number of sittings available, I go for the simple life

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17

This set-up wouldn’t worry me, especially as you are being so open with sitters. In fact, it reminds me of a recent sit that I did where a family member lived in a separate dwelling within the huge garden and their dog was included in the listing as the HO provided doggy daycare along with her own dog. The fact that you have so many 5* reviews would also be a huge factor.

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18

Smiley - He can be left for four or five hours! Plus, there’s an option to leave a door to the yard ajar for him if it’ll be a little longer. I prefer he not be left for 12 though - and I also like for him to have company (in the form of a human, but dog-friend is good too!)

19

I would take a pass on this sit but mostly because I want to be solo, not have anyone around.
If they’re on the same property, even in a separate building then I’m not alone.
Also I have a one dog only rule so having the other dog around would be an additional deal breaker for me.

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20

This would be a pass for me too. I’d be worried about the relatives snooping/spying/jumping to erroneous conclusions. I’d also be wondering why they can’t look after the HO’s dogs when they have pets of their own.

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