We’re hosts with a pending sit in 2 months, this will be our 5th house sit, the 3rd via the THS platform.
Every time, there has been damage to an expensive item and with the last 2 sits from THS, the sitters were cautioned in advance specifically regarding these items which were broken by prior sitters. It’s now all covered in the Welcome Guide.
I don’t want to come across as unreasonable, but I do want sitters to know that they are responsible for damages that occur due to their own actions, especially those detailed in the Welcome Guide as it’s happened before and is completely avoidable.
This next sit is a bit tricky because I made all these updates in the Welcome Guide after the last sit, and I haven’t discussed them with the pending sitter. I figure I’ll either drop them an email to please read the updated Welcome Guide especially as it pertains to those particular items, or do it during the walk through when they arrive. But I don’t want to sound like a paranoid, picky, over the top unreasonable homeowner and get off to a bad start.
How would you approach this situation? Or would you not approach it at all and just accept any damage as part of the process? Or wait and see if there is damage and then say “you’re paying for this!”. Truth is, what’s a couple of hundred euros compared to the thousands we save during a long sit.
It’s almost more about accountability than the costs. But not entirely.
Three large umbrellas in a round concrete base on the front patio. When heavy winds suddenly start blowing, the umbrellas can fall over and be damaged. We warn sitters to not leave the umbrellas open when not in use due to unpredictable rapidly changing weather conditions as we on the mountains overlooking the ocean. It’s happened twice, replacement cost 100 euros.
Accordion style screen door on second entrance on side of house. If the glass doors are left open but the screen door closed and the main entrance door is closed, thus blocking the pet door, our large dog may try to break through the screen to get in or out. We advise sitters to either not use that door at all, or make sure to never close the screen and leave the glass doors open while at the same time the dog is not given access to the pet door at the main entrance. Replacement cost of the door is 300 euros, it’s happened twice now, the second time the sitter was warned in advance. Nothing was said to us, we discovered the damage after she was gone.
3- There is a large, heavy ceramic cooking pot that we keep on the stove. It’s slippery when wet. We came home to a cracked fiberglass sink which the sitter denied knowing anything about but it is my wife’s contention the only way it could have happened was dropping the pot in the sink. 350 euros replacement cost.
The sitter can avoid the possibility of damage by simply not using any of the above items or using them with care and heeding the warnings provided.
This has not happened yet, however if the sitter is given use of the car, we would hold them responsible for any damages they incur that are not covered by insurance.
Is there anyway you could remove the umbrellas and replace them after the sit, lock the door with the screen and remove the key so the screen door cannot get damaged and remove the heavy ceramic pot and place it somewhere safe. The first two workarounds, in the first few days of the house sit may be confusing for the sitter when they are getting familiar with your pet/s and their schedule. I may look at your welcome guide and think this is too much responsibility and be tempted to find a way to not do your sit.
Hmm.. Not a bad idea at least as far as the pot goes. As far as the umbrellas, during the hot season the sun is unrelenting, seems unfair to penalize a few sitters due to the past actions of others but it’s something to consider. The screen door doesn’t have a built in key lock, it locks from the inside with a latch system. I could latch it and simply tell the sitter not to use that door.
I’m a sitter who is respectful of others’ property but still a little clumsy especially when in strange surroundings. I’m increasingly choosing sits where HOs take the view that what matters most is whether the pets enjoy their staycation with me and would look forward to me returning.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but what you’re saying (while not actually saying it) is that you may cause damage during a sit due to your clumsiness, but you won’t accept responsibility for it because all that matters is that the pets are happy and well cared for?
No, when I did break a bowl I offered to and did replace it.
However it did stick in my craw that they couldn’t overlook the considerable saving of having me sit compared to the cost of boarding the pet and the fact that their pet was much happier with me than in kennels.
We have not charged prior sitters for the damage, for exactly the reasons you stated. But after this has happened several times after explicitly warning the sitters about these items, we decided enough is enough.
I mean, I totally get where you’re coming from, but if a host said “close the umbrellas when not in use because of unexpected high winds” and you forget to close them and they blow over and break, do you think it’s reasonable for the host to pay for it because everything else was ok with the pets?
@idocsteve I’m curious about the fact that you said this has happened more than once and you say that the high winds can be unexpected. If people are not from the area they may not understand the weather there. If someone is outside enjoying your outdoor space and all the sudden there are high winds, would they be able to get the umbrella closed quickly in the midst of the high winds? I’m just envisioning sudden gusts of wind and a sitter frantically trying to close the umbrella while also worrying about the animals.
Good question! I suppose it’s conceivable that the wind could suddenly blow the umbrella over while a person is sitting there but it doesn’t usually happen that way. It starts getting windy… then more windy, the umbrellas start ruffling around along with trees and plants, and quickly builds to the point that the winds are strong enough to topple the umbrella. But that’s over a period of say, 10 minutes or more, it’s not a sudden gust out of nowhere like a Tsunami.
@idocsteve A sitter may not expect that a light breeze is going to quickly build up to a strong wind. Where I’m from a little wind it just that, I wouldn’t expect it to suddenly blow over an umbrella. They may not be careless, they may just be from a different climate and not expect that type of wind. Maybe be very clear that they should close the umbrellas immediately even if it’s just a light breeze.
I had a sit where the owner told me very clearly that umbrellas need to be shut when not in use. That probably makes it as clear as possible. Unless you are sitting under them, have them closed
I had a phone call with a PP to sit for them on THS. She started complaining how the last sitter left a finger print on an expensive lampshade and about her expensive coffee table and she could tell he had his feet on it. She sounded so picky I did not take the sit. I want a comfortable sit. I like sits with comfortable furniture and not like a showroom where I can look and not touch. Put less expensive umbrellas in the holder for the sit. Remove the big pot on the stove. Put a lock on the that door and ask sitter not to use it. You have heard of childproofing your home. You need to sitter proof your home.
You’d think explaining verbally and in writing that the umbrellas are to be closed when not in use is clear enough, but nonetheless the umbrella was left open, forgotten about, the winds picked up and blew it over, the pole snapped, and there was no accountability.
@Seniorsitter Yes, it seems the best course is to “sitter proof” the prenises as much as possible to avoid damage.
Definitely it is annoying when you have tried to explain clearly what has happened in the past, costing hundreds of euros, and then it happens again!
Not only does it cost money, but it is such a hassle to replace things.
Agree with others about putting the pot away, locked up.
The screen door—I would explain to the new sitter (in person) how nice it is to have the screen door, but the dog might break it. I think if you went over that a couple of times with the sitter, explain exactly the situation with the dog, and make sure they understand you, then there will not be a problem. Can you also place a sign near the screen door, with a reminder: “If using screen door, make sure other doors are open for the dog.”
The umbrellas—again, I would explain to the sitter (in person) and of course, explain how much each one costs, and that they have broken in the past when people were not very careful. “Umbrellas up only when in use.” Perhaps a sign taped to the table?
Personally, I think it is OK to expect sitters to pay for this sort of damage, but it should be mentioned in your listing, not a surprise in the WG or upon arrival to your home.
Does THS provide some sort of assistance when sitters damage homes? Insurance?
As a sitter, I am learning literally hundreds if not thousands of new facts each time I take on a new sit. Some of them are understood in a “blink,” while others need to be learned through experience (like walking a reactive dog). Proper emphasis should be placed on extremely important details, otherwise they can get lost in the shuffle.
@idocsteve Please let these future sitters know now about your changes (in the Welcome Guide).
Do not wait until they arrive and there’s a walk through. If they discover something has changed dramatically, they are in their rights to not sit for you. And then you’d be stuck.
I updated the Welcome Guide to reflect that the side door is to remain closed, I will remove the heavy pot and leave only 1 umbrella prior to the sitter’s arrival. If that one umbrella is left open and is damaged, I will expect but not require the sitter to pay for a replacement if it’s a result of their own carelessness.
@Alicatorze I completely get what you are saying here. And it is not necessarily “clumsiness” - it is just that it takes time to adjust to an unfamiliar home environment, while also carrying out pet-caring duties. On one sit - I tripped over a high door bar on the floor between one room and the next. Ended up in A&E - I didn’t tell the HOs while they were away, as I didn’t want to spoil their holiday. However, I discretely mentioned it to them on their return, that the area was a potential tripping hazard for anyone not familiar with the home. (Omitted the part about being stuck in A&E for 10 hours during the night!) That was a fabulous sit with wonderful HOs otherwise!
