Unacceptable house sit

I am not sure that I agree with this. I am leaving my home and my cats in the hands of virtual strangers and flying half way across the world.

On the first sit I had I allowed a child to come along even though my house isn’t suitable for children. A few things got broken but nothing I couldn’t live without. I just think on both sides of the equation we really have to be clear on what is the best fit for the situation.

I do believe this is a two way street.

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@Itchyfeet @Adoptacentaur thank you for your comments.

The forum was created so that owners and sitters could exchange, share and connect and learn from one another, which is happening and brilliant to see. Having positive discussions will encourage more members to join and engage in the conversation.

There are sits which could have been a better experience for sitters and owners, we need to find ways to prevent those from happening, we strive to do just that and implement improvements based on member feedback, this is where the Forum is a vital resource.

With THS since 2010, I’ve completed over 200 sits and hosted numerous sitters and can count on one hand the number of sits that could have been improved. It’s been almost 15 months since doing a sit and like so many members I speak to, we are all missing it SO much. Adorable pets, special people and great places, we can’t wait to get back to the lifestyle we’ve come to love, testament to the amazing experiences happening all over the world.

Every member is important not one more than the other, positive conversations and taking the opportunity to share the good, as well as the not so good, is community working at its very best and is how we will all benefit.

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first sit was bad garden had massive death due to the lack of deep watering during long heat wave. the sitters left my pet for more than one night alone & left my front door open while gone I didn’t learn this till weeks later as my elderly neighbor didn’t tell me. I complained about the garden & rotting fruit & they promptly gave a review about too much garden work. I was awaiting knee replacement weight bearing only 6hrs a day. I was having no problems as I had hoses & timers setup. thankfully my next 2 sitters were fabulous the covid hit. I suggest looking at more than one review. home owner Leona

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It is absolutely a two way street but HO’s have more control over the situation. They are choosing to leave, they choose how to leave their home (in what state), they choose the sitter they want, they choose what information to share, they choose when to come back. Sitters are far more vulnerable in this respect, they definitely have less control over the situation at any time.
If you leave your home with strangers at any time in any forum you risk minor happenings, if you have friends visit things can get broken. That is a very minor and a known risk not one that affects your daily life. You are using a free service and benefiting from that whilst you are on holidays, I suggest using the reviews to find someone more suitable.

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Its a strange thing about human beings. They all have different views on things. Well thank goodness for that.

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Our 1st sit was over 2 hrs away. We meet the HO’s prior to the sit and I quite liked them but my partner was a bit unsure. They had security cameras outside (ok with us). On arrival the kitchen was untidy so we made the place impeccable for their return and got a glowing review.

15 mths later HO called accusing us of stealing a very valuable ring. I thought the call was for another house-sit but when she made the accusation I was shocked, saying I had no idea where her ring was. She said they had security footage of me going through the bedroom drawer where the ring was kept then threatened to contact the police with her ‘evidence’ so I said to go ahead as we had nothing to hide.
A week later police came to question us about the alleged theft. They admitted the HO had no evidence of a robbery and left.
This incident has left a nasty taste. Should we now ask HO’s if they have hidden security cameras in bedrooms/bathrooms, etc?

Both in our 70’s, being accused of this has shaken our confidence and my partner is now leery of doing housesits. In future I will ALWAYS trust my gut when agreeing to a house sit. If I feel uneasy, I will decline the job.

All our other sits have been great so hoping this experience was a one-off.

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@Georgi i am so sorry that happened to you, it’s horrible! HO’s are required to disclose all cameras and recording devices. As I mentioned earlier, I even disclose my Amazon Echo. I hope you reported this to THS so they can look into it. It sounds like these people should be banned immediately so they can never do this to someone else. Take heart, 99.9% of us are good people who will treat you with respect and gratitude. :two_hearts: Here’s a link with more info.

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HI @Georgi welcome to the forum and I’m so sorry you had to go through that experience, was this a sit through THS and if so did you contact Membership Services to advise.

It certainly would make one very reluctant to pursue another sit, especially being your first and it’s so unfortunate as the vast majority prove to be wonderful experiences and many friendships are built along the way.

There are many members here on the forum, sitters and owners with positive stories to share of great pet and housesits they have done around the world, some enjoying the lifestyle for a number of years.

10 years, 200+ sits, across 5 continents and I can’t wait to get back to pets, people and places. Perhaps a chat with one of our Membership Services Team members could help you get your confidence back … and yes do trust your instincts because it’s about getting the right sit not a sit.

Thank you for joining us.

Angela & The Team

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I didn’t make an excuse but the only housesit that didn’t work was because I arrived the night before to get acquainted and her Shepherd/Chow mix attacked my senior Jack Russell Terrier, drawing blood. My dog was a nervous wreck after and so was I. We mutually agreed that it wouldn’t work out and we both made alternate arrangements. The rest of my sits, however, have been amazing!

I have done several HouseSits with cameras. One was a regular sit, where a camera was installed on top of the TV without telling me. I let if run while I had their elderly Jack Russell on my lap in the mornings with my cup of tea, so they new I gave him lots of TLC. Then in the evenings when he was perched on the sofa beside me, I let it run for a bit so they would see me sitting there with him, then I would put a hanky over it.
Another sit last year, the owner was busy replacing flat batteries in the outside cameras before he left. I noticed them the first day there, and commented that I might want to sunbathe naked!!! Then I vaccumed and washed the floors after he left, when the power cord accidently came out of the powerboard on the floor. He then sent messages saying cameras weren’t working. I had to connect them again, and explained what happened.
I let the cameras run in the mornings when I was doing the two hour watering job, which I had to do every 2-3 days, and then turned the WiFi off after that, as he was in Europe. I turned it back on, at the time I knew he would be awake in the afternoons, when I was inside studying.
Eventually the batteries went flat again, so then I didn’t have to worry about them!

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WoW. Too much for me. I wouldn’t mind cameras outside against any intrusion but inside ? What’s the point ? Unless I turn them on while I am gone, I wouldn’t appreciate being watched.

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Surely inside cameras are against the Code of Conduct unless agreed beforehand?
I think a sitter is justified in telling the HO this and saying that you will turn them off or cover them up.

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@karenfay @Itchyfeet Hi on the subject of cameras and recording equipment …

Owners are obliged to declare any and all surveillance equipment (audio and visual) both internal and external in their listing so that sitters have complete knowledge before they apply or confirm a sit. Full transparency is required from the very beginning of any communication.

I hope that answers your question.

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Yikes! Those are some horror stories. I’ve never had any problems like that with TH. Pre-TH, I had one person with a camera in their living room but they told me about it. The only unacceptable housesit was a would-be regular customer but the house was just too filthy. She wanted me to stay there but the bathroom was covered in grime, and there was literally nowhere to sit down except for on the bed. There was a sort of camp cot in the living room but it, like the floor, was always covered in stuff. I confess, I couldn’t come right out and say that her house was too filthy for me to be comfortable, I just told her I was unavailable. (This was in the days of my doing local house sits so I lived nearby and could pop in to feed the cat - I just couldn’t stay there.)

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My first sit wasn’t unacceptable but was certainly not my ideal in terms of being a clean home. I spent two days deep cleaning (my friends at home said I had to draw the line at cleaning the oven), but the pets were fun and we made it work. After that, though, I always insist on inside photos or a video chat.

For me, knowing that people are going to be staying in my home, gets me motivated to update some things, secure personal papers, and to clean my home thoroughly. I figure that if I want someone to leave my home as they found it, I owe it to them and to myself, to leave it clean for them. In general, the homes of the places where I’ve sat, were similar.

As far as video cameras in a home, I consider it an insult and wouldn’t sit where there are cameras.

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I’m a HO and it would not bother me in the least to be asked questions by the prospective sitters, it is a two way streak after all…

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Gaslighting is in fact an old term used way back from the 30’s & 40’s

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I will do so when I arrive home from work this evening.

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Thank you to everyone who contributed to this topic.

The most important aspect of any topic on the forum is that we learn, grow, become better informed, and more successful at achieving our pet and housesitting goals and that as a company we listen to the feedback from our community and strive to make TrustedHousesitters the best possible experience for every member at all times … sitter, owner and pet.

We will take on board the leanings from everyone’s contribution about their experiences and the one point that we can all take away from this discussion is this … If you find yourself in an unsatisfactory situation, of any kind, the team at Membership Services are always the first stop for help, advice and support.

While the topic is now closed it will remain on the forum for reference.

Thank you again