Haven’t been burned, but a good number of sitters and hosts have been. I agree that we should all vet, as well as have backup plans. I observe that some folks have bad experiences and some repeatedly so. There’s an element of luck, as well as due diligence.
To me, forums are good for pooling knowledge / experience, because no one can anticipate everything. Plus, better often to learn from others and avoid making missteps unnecessarily. That’s especially so because individuals have different life experiences, are at different stages, have different personalities, etc.
Some people are more trusting than is good for them or lack confidence to stand up for themselves.
To me, we can all help each other.
Note: Had to fix multiple typos as I half-listened to my Lyft driver chat excitedly about crypto, LOL. On my way to a sit.
The grandmother stopping by, the neighbours making a chat, inviting us for a cultural gathering in the evening, in the morning people ask why I am walking “Bruno the dog” and not his boss and a conversation has started … that’s one of the things I like about the THS concept.
If I would stay in a hotel, I really am the tourist and I wouldn’t experience the environment this way. I love it to experience the real live of a place.
It sure isn’t. But that’s one of the benefits of being in that “rare group” of hobby sitters. What is the point of keeping a hobby if it’s no longer enjoyable?
In fact, now that I come to think of it, on this point, we are on the good side of the so called “imbalance”. I mean, I don’t need to take a sit, ever. I choose to do it. A HO doesn’t need to choose a sitter in particular but they need to make some kind of arrangement for their pets if they want to leave their house for a while.
In the case @Maggie8K mentions I think she’s more in a position of “power” than the owners. If they unreasonably insist in changing the terms of the deal last minute, then they should be prepared for alternative arrangements and for the awkward situation of letting their house and pets in the care of someone they are trying to take advantage of.
Anyway, better not to come to that and as @elmi4711 often said, it is more easily avoided if there is good communication and a trust building process from the beginning.
We don’t require, it’s just a suggestion. And we enjoy taking our sitters out to dinner the night before we leave or the day we return. But you are right, to each his own. Safe travels & happy sits!
What about stuff not immediately apparent? I am in a spacious house in LA suburb. Not built well. HO told me dishwasher hookup was a problem and not to use. OK. Two days into sit, I use the garbage disposal, which shakes like an earthquake, undid a connecting pipe under the sink and water everywhere. The connecting pipe would be a pretty easy fix except they made it a little short. So lining it up and making sure it connected tight took me an hour. It just kept slipping out. Ten days later it held, never used garbage disposal again. Leaving today. But what about that kind of stuff? And the puppy started chewing the baseboard. Yes, he has all kinds of chew toys, but why not go for the baseboard. Walks are done, leaving today.
I enjoy both sits and hotels. Like I purposely came an extra day early for my latest sit, so I could stay at a great hotel I’ve enjoyed before. Tomorrow, I’ll head over for an overlapping night and dinner with my hosts.
For me, rarely are things binary. Like I had an amazing sit early days with THS. I had the loveliest hosts in a beautiful home in a charming village setting. Chatted with locals while walking my sweet, mischievous sit pup, whom I loved. Got invited to tea and a lecture. Lived out my daydream to live in a British village. Then after the sit, stayed at two luxurious hotels in Cambridge and went sightseeing without any responsibilities at all. Amazing.
I often do sits with hotel stays tacked on before and/or after. Keep in touch with hosts and get updates about sit pets, whom I miss.
I wouldn’t attempt household repairs. If the stuff that’s broken is what I can live without, then I would. If it were essential, I’d ask the hosts about repair arrangements.
Breakdowns happen with stuff in homes, even ones we live in. If there’s a bunch of stuff that’s been neglected and that makes the place difficult to live in, that would be different. That’s because then the hosts might’ve misrepresented the home, which is part of the exchange. Again, depends on severity.
If significant misrepresentation happened, possibilities are: Get them to arrange a fix. Or you arrange a fix at their expense. If severe and unfixable, then give 24 hours for them to arrange alternative pet care and leave. Those are examples, with room for sitter judgment, as always.
If they misrepresented, I’d mention that factually in my review.