I’m currently on a three-week house sit in the UK and facing some unexpected issues. The house wasn’t cleaned to a reasonable standard before my arrival: the fridge, in particular, was dirty, and there’s no cupboard space for me to store any essentials. The homeowner left space in the fridge but didn’t clean it beforehand. I can’t use the freezer because it’s full.
Additionally, she asked me to limit heating use, but it’s February, and it’s very cold. The house is poorly insulated, and the heating system is outdated, making it difficult to keep warm. There’s also a display showing energy consumption costs, and I can see they rise quickly. I’m concerned that the owner might react negatively when she sees the bill and leave a bad review.
I reached out to TrustedHousesitters’ customer service, and they advised me to contact the owner first, which I plan to do. However, I’d love to hear from others. How would you handle this conversation? Have you been in a similar situation?
This has been really stressful for me, as I’ve never encountered this issue before. I’ve always stayed in places that were cleaned before my arrival, so this experience has been quite frustrating. Any advice would be much appreciated!
Our lovely members will hopefully be along soon with some advice and support for you, but in the meantime, I wanted to let you know about some advice I got from Membership Services in December, when another member reported being on a sit where they experienced similar issues, particularly with regards to keeping the heating on.
Our code of conduct states that pet parents need to provide a livable home to the sitters. Failure to do this is a breach of the code of conduct. Here’s the relevant clause:
Hopefully our members will have more advice and support for you, so you can reach out to the owner, please keep us updated on how things are going.
Unless you want host to do something - like sending a cleaner - I’m not sure what would come out of saying it to her now. If she is not likely to act on it, I would document with photos, clean to be comfortable and leave it to the review.
For heating I might say it is really cold inside and tell her how I handled it, so that she is able to give advice. For instance keep doors closed, mainly heating x room, using the heating blanket/ other. Then she can’t say afterwards it was wrong if she was told.
If she expects lower than normal temps one can at some point also discuss possibility of leaving sit because of breach of terms. I would say for my part of the world at least 18° C is expected indoor (many prefer 20+).
I’m sorry this has happened to you.
The fridge you can clean yourself to a standard that suits your needs. It wouldn’t take long, but do take before and after photos and mention it in your review.
As for the heat, use it. If it’s cold, warm yourself up. No one has the right to make you suffer in the cold. That is absurd to me.
If the owners give you a bad review, you can reply under it with a clear calm outline of what you experienced.
I hope things improve for you.
I’ve had hosts leave their home in conditions that I didn’t feel best suited me, so I cleaned the areas that I would use to my liking. I’m very organized and clean, so this is something I typically do at the start and end of the sit and hosts often say that they returned to a home that was cleaner than how they left it. If it takes me a considerable time to get the home to my liking, then I’ll mention it in my review and remove stars for cleanliness. To date I’ve completed almost 30 sits and only had one home that required hours of cleaning/washing.
As for the thermostat, it should be set at a reasonable setting for both the sitter and pet. I’ve disabled several thermostat schedules, so that I and the pet remained comfortable during the sit.
Lastly, if the home is extremely filthy and extremely cold, I’d contact THS regarding what steps need to be taken for ending the sit early. Also, save adequate photos and videos and texts.
It’s always a tricky thing. Many Brits have a device that shows the energy consumption or cost. I’m not sure how accurate it is, but I often wonder. Since I don’t know what the normal consumption for people who usually live there is, I actually don’t worry about it too much. No homeowner has ever mentioned that I should keep an eye on this device. So, I ignore it, also because I know I’m not the type to leave the fridge open with the air conditioning on and the windows open at the same time. But of course, I like to be comfortably warm. That means I do turn on the heating, and if it was too cold, I’ve written to the homeowners asking how I could make it warmer, and it has never been the slightest issue. Even with people who have asked me to turn down the heating when I’m going away for a longer period. However, I must say, I rarely go away for long. We are two people and usually, there’s always someone there. And for the 2 hours we might be at the pub in the evening, I don’t turn down the heating. I find that inefficient. But there has never been a problem where someone approached us saying we consume too much—I don’t believe that. We don’t leave lights on when we leave a room and we don’t wash every single underwear daily. I believe overall, it should balance out. Freezing in winter is out of the question for me. I would just say it as it is. If they want you to take care of their pets, then they also need to provide a proper environment. If it’s dirty, that’s obviously bad. I know it, my standards are also different than what I often encounter and I often say to my husband that we are probably the cleanest people on earth and we would probably always have an excellent job prospect as cleaning staff. I clean everywhere I go because then I am sure that I feel comfortable and I don’t feel disgusted. I have only once given a star less for cleanliness, but the sit was great overall.
Over Christmas my sit never rose above 17, mostly it was 16, even though the HO had set the thermostat to 22. I wondered of their air-source heat-pump underfloor heating combo wasn’t up to the job. When I asked the HO how I could get more warmth I was told to use the kitchen wood burner which didn’t heat as far as any comfortable seating. I was glad that my next sit was at 24!
Mention that in the review to alert future sitters that the home may be colder than expected during the winter. Most sitters may avoid that sit, especially during the winter months.
If misery loves company, I am also in a house sit that has been challenging from a cleanliness and preparedness stand point. Key to the front door didn’t work and I was locked out of the gated community without a code to get in. I cleaned the dirty dishes and left over food left around the kitchen. I couldn’t find a vacuum that worked, so used a broom found in the garage. Fridge wasn’t clean, so I cleaned up a shelf for my things. Just kept scrubbing as I moved about. Fortunately there is heat and the dog and location are terrific. Well below freezing but sunny, which helps make up for the rest.
I’m on a sit in a historic home that was updated and it’s forecast to start snowing. Before leaving, my host showed me how to work the thermostat to stay comfortable. Also showed me where many extra blankets are, if needed.
I packed layers, plus winter house slippers. I’ve been perfectly comfortable.
@cris1989, suspect issue relates to Pet Parents and upfront expectations rather than properties and heating facilities. We’re currently in Western Canada in two locations that have regularly been -20C and yesterday -30C. That’s pretty darn chilly by most standards, even if it’s sunny. But we’ve been toasty warm. Good heating, properties and expectations.
Takeaway … if considering housesit in winter months and/or cold location then ensure video call includes discussion re heating and ensure Welcome Guide states reasonable expectations. While cleanliness is variable then, on sits of reasonable length, we also ask upfront about space in fridge, freezer and pantry.
16.5c . I realise comfort levels (like cleaning) can vary but I need to remember this when we sit in the UK. As someone who lived in the tropics for many years we would be very uncomfortable at those temps.
I did a Scottish sit and that host regularly had her thermostat set to 18 Celsius (64.4 Fahrenheit). She also told me to set it to what I needed. Plus, I could use a log burner in addition. And she left me an electric blanket.
My current host has their thermostat automatically set to 68 Fahrenheit (20 Celsius) and said I could adjust it if I needed. I haven’t so far. Left me a bunch of extra blankets, too. So far, it’s snowed a bit, but the house is cozy.
I will comment just on the heating. My advice is, turn it up to the level comfortable for you! Don’t be freezing just for fear of a bad review. A good review is not guaranteed anyway, even if you sit there feeling cold.
I had one 3 week sit where hosts told me not to use the heaters, but to use the fireplace instead, but neglected to leave me enough wood. Long story short, I did not use these heaters, but they found other things to complain about, and never left me a review in the end. If that happened again, I would just put on the heaters.
I clean everywhere I go because then I am sure that I feel comfortable and I don’t feel disgusted. I have only once given a star less for cleanliness, but the sit was great overall.
. I realise comfort levels (like cleaning) can vary but I need to remember this when we sit in the UK. As someone who lived in the tropics for many years we would be very uncomfortable at those temps.