I’m looking for advice because I’ve found myself in a situation that I don’t think was handled appropriately.
During my video interview with the homeowner, I specifically asked whether there would be any third parties coming onto the property during the sit. I was told there would not be. I also was not provided with a Welcome Guide or any information before the sit. Instead, the night before my arrival, the homeowner sent me a two-page document with instructions. That was the first time I learned there would be landscapers working in both the front and back yards during the sit.
They are scheduled to be there from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
I’m very disappointed because this significantly changes the experience I agreed to. It means there will be workers on the property for most of the day, the dog may be barking or be stressed, I won’t be able to enjoy the outdoor spaces while they’re working, and I have no idea what the noise level will be. Had I known about this before accepting the sit, I would have had the opportunity to decide whether it was a good fit.
I’ve already contacted TrustedHousesitters and am waiting for guidance, as this is my first time encountering this situation. I’m wondering what options are available if the conditions are substantially different from what was disclosed.
I also think this raises a broader question: shouldn’t homeowners be expected to disclose any major landscaping, construction, renovation, or other projects involving third parties before a sitter commits to the sit? To me, that’s material information that could reasonably affect a sitter’s decision to accept the assignment.
Has anyone else experienced something similar? Would you have accepted the sit if this had been disclosed before you committed?
Depends how large their grounds are, if it’s a huge place then it’s different, or if it is something that needs sorting as there’s been a drain issue etc, then personally I’d see that as acceptable.
However, if it’s a normal sized area and normal landscaping project, then they should have mentioned it before now so that you were given an option as to whether you wanted it either taking place while you were there, or give you the chance to opt out.
We’ve had gardeners that were undisclosed before but given the size of the grounds each time, we were happy about that.
Afterwards you get to rate them on communication and accuracy of listing, which this seems to fall under.
As for not receiving the welcome guide until late, we’ve had plenty like that, every owners different, I wouldn’t let that bother you too much, it’s likely to be getting to you more because the home and garden you thought you were enjoying, isn’t what it seems.
I’ve never had problems getting welcome guides (I don’t care in what form) well ahead of a sit.
During video chats, I let hosts know that I would make travel arrangements after receiving their departure and return info in writing and after getting their welcome guide. That automatically motivates them to send ASAP. If they didn’t, I wouldn’t be showing up.
Ask hosts to clarify where the work will be taking place . Ask for a video call so that they can show you the part of the garden where the landscapers will be working . Then with that information you can determine if that will have a negative impact your enjoyment of the home and garden .
If it’s going to have a big negative impact - ( building site noise dog unable to access garden etc ) Then you can tell the owners that you would not have agreed to the sit if you had known this before . You can ask them to reschedule the work for when they return home .
The third party policy does state that hosts should stipulate the potential for any third parties such as gardeners to be present during a sit by putting that information in their listing. Any arrangements must be shared with a sitter before confirming the sit.
That type of work is likely to kick up a lot of dust both in and out of the home. Are these workers going to want to access the home to use the washroom? The whole thing is a no-go from me.
I am sorry to hear about that and I would be irked too. I have been sitting a long time and have had many sits where I did not see a guide until very shortly before the sit or until I got to the house. So far, this has never proved a problem for me, but if it ever did, then I may feel differently and inform hosts I needed the guide soon after confirming.
So if you were okay with not getting the guide at an earlier time, I can understand if you didn’t ask about it as I would not have . But if you did find it important and you hesitated to ask, then know wanting to see it as soon as possible is perfectly reasonable and you should ask.
That you asked them directly and they said no leads me to believe this project was not in the works at the time you initially spoke. Of course they may have outright lied but I think for most people, the latter scenario is more likely.
Regardless however, it is really up to you how to proceed. If aspects of the sit change in ways that you would not have agreed to whatever condition, request,etc…at the time you originally confirmed, you are well within your rights to cancel. It doesn’t sound like this is something you are considering, but you could and if you choose to go ahead with it, that is a valid choice too. But just recognize you are making the choice to stay and it will help you feel less annoyed about the situation.
You are also within your rights to let the hosts know you will only proceed with the sit if they cancel the landscapers for the duration of your stay, though not sure if you are comfortable making such a request. And of course they are under no obligation to grant the request.
Whether I would have accepted the request depends on the specifics for this sit–is it a really big property where I won’t even know they are there or will it be noisy and will I feel like I have no privacy? It would also depend on things like the length of the sit, how desirable I find other aspects of it, etc… One of the first sits I did in Bali had two people working the property 6 days a week for about a similar amount of time, a bit longer maybe–one of them also cleaned the house daily. It was a 6 month sit so I didn’t love it and wouldn’t do that again. If it was just landscapers for a few days, I would be more amenable to that.
And yes, hosts should absolutely disclose such information
I wondered if they planned it this way so they don’t have to deal with the inconvenience. 7:30 to 4:30 three times a week is a definite project that would have been known about before the homeowners looked for a sitter. I would not be happy about this and I would cancel or if that is not an option for you, @ Silversitters suggestion to ask them to reschedule is a good idea. If they say no, find out exactly what is being done and you can decide if this is a livable situation for you.
Really unless it was urgent work or couldn’t wait for some reason, then the Job should have rescheduled for a different time. Sometimes not all work can be known far in advance but as soon as they knew they should have told you and given you an option to cancel.
Definitely review accordingly if you continue with the sit.
I recently was at a sit where the homeowner arranged to have a backyard fence installed. It was just one guy working part-time on the project for 3 days.
Overall, it didn’t make much of a difference in my activities since the carpenter was working outside. I sent photo updates to the homeowner.
If I had felt any discomfort at all, I would not hesitate to contact the homeowner and ask them to suspend the project.
What I think is missing from your perspective is the context:
How long is the sit, and how long will the work last?
There is a big difference between staying for three months while repairs take one week, and staying for only one week while work continues throughout the entire sit. Sometimes repairs are unavoidable.
What kind of work is being carried out?
If there is a serious leak and major repairs are needed to resolve the cause, then it may simply be a case of something unexpected happening that has to be dealt with. At that point, the sitter can either accept the disruption or decide to leave.
What type of property are we talking about?
As others have already said, there is a considerable difference between major maintenance taking place somewhere on a large estate and construction work happening directly beside you in a 25-square-metre studio.
In the specific situation where someone is staying in a small studio for one week and the work causes serious disruption, my advice would be to leave as soon as possible and contacting PP/HO and TH sharing the reason why (maybe personal/physical). If leaving is genuinely not an option, noise-cancelling headphones may at least make the situation more manageable.
When choosing to stay, I would still leave a factual, fair and proportionate review afterwards.
Have I ever been in a similar situation? On one sit, the HO told me in advance (though I cannot recall if I’d already accepted TBH) that the next-door neighbors were putting an ADU (basically an addition for the purpose of Airbnbing it) literally feet from HO’s house. She then told me that there was no love lost between them, and part of the reason she was traveling at that time was so she didn’t lose it on the neighbor. She did say the workmen might be there all day and be able to look in the windows.
I was working remotely at the time, and yes it was somewhat intrusive/loud, but not terrible.
With projects like that, there’s a possibility that the HO has been trying to get this project done for months and finally yesterday the landscaper called and said “I can show up next week”.
That puts the HO in a position to either lie to you and hope for the best, or tell the truth and then possibly lose you as a sitter at the last minute, or have to postpone the landscaping.
It might not be that bad. If I were sitting, I’d step up and be their eyes and ears on the project while they’re away, but that’s because I enjoy stuff like that. If you don’t, it’s totally understandable.
I don’t think it’s grounds for walking away from the sit at this point, but can be mentioned in the review after.
We arrived at the house to be advised that the painter was arriving next day to paint the owners bedroom. We told them that this was not going to happen and they needed to re-arrange the dates. Fortunately the painter could juggle his dates around. We mentioned this to the gardener who said the owners always organised decorators while they went away.
Funnily enough we received a superb review
We were told in advance that they were having the garden landscaped and the house painted, we wrongly assumed that it was the exterior. This was the second sitting but the owner had moved, so a different house. The dogs were great.
Upon arrival, the painter was painting the landing so we could not get into our room. The landscapers walked through the kitchen with a wheelbarrow from the front to the back of the house. Then they started to make a cup of tea. We sat there amazed. Then Mr Itchyfeet used his best assertive manner, telephone the host and told her to postpone both jobs or we would leave the pets with them. She soon cancelled the work. We apologised to both sets of workers and informed them that we were not being paid for this. They understood.
We now ensure that we ask during the application stage that there will be no third parties nor tradesmen.
I empathize with you. As a solo female sitter, I do not like having workers around the house, even outside. If it’s an emergency fix of something, sure. But having landscapers outside for 3 days, should have been rescheduled. They probably scheduled it then because they would be gone, and not have to deal with the noise. So many homes I sit in, do not have proper window coverings, as well. They should reschedule it.
