Advice please on how to handle this is situation. We are homeowners and sitters and have done many happy sits ( 27, 5-star reviews) over the past six years and have many repeat sits with wonderful homeowners some of whom have become friends. We know the THS procedure and culture well by now, so we where somewhat taken aback this week to receive a “Welcome Guide” that feels like a job description and is extremely detailed, prescriptive and has an officious tone to it. As we have sitters in our lovely home also we also have a Guide and notes in a file in our home but we see the sitting opportunity as a win- win on both sides and never expect our sitters to clean the oven and tell them in detail which cloth to use for which surface or to take hair out the shower and make sure every window in the house is closed at night - these are just some of the what seems like pedantic examples. We are grown adults with a home ourselves and it feels like we are going to be hired help with many restrictions and demands. Have any of you experienced this attitude and how did you deal with this as my immediate feeling is one of negativity and starting off on the wrong note. Thanks.
It’s difficult to say without reading the guide. The tone is something very important for me and I don’t apply for listings whose tone I don’t like.
The examples you have mentioned by themselves, wouldn’t put me off, unless they mean you should clean the oven that they haven’t left clean.
About windows being closed at night, they may have some safety concerns.
But what really matters here is how you feel about it. You may not be a good match. If you’re not comfortable with it, perhaps you might consider either having an honest conversation with them and see how it goes or just cancel the sit if you don’t feel comfortable going forward.
Whatever you decide, good luck to you.
If this is how you feel, probably better to cancel, because things can easily go sideways.
To me, the host(s) are the No. 1 potential dealbreaker, because you need good partnership for great sits, especially because things can go wrong with any sit.
They are going to be high maintenance - We would cancel
Unfortunately people communicate in different styles and sometimes it’s a “cultural” thing, sometimes it’s an affectation of their work. Either way you need to take it in context to the video call you (hopefully) had. On the call were they warm and welcoming, cold and distant? Edit: And what were the previous reviews like. If no call, no reviews I would seriously reconsider the sit.
Ouch; starting off on the wrong note, indeed.
Assuming you “clicked” during the pre-confirmation call & your gut feeling was good then, I wouldn’t dismiss the possibility that they may simply be poor at communicating via writing…some people are awful at conveying tone. Also possible they may have had one or more poor experiences & are trying to over-compensate.
That said, I admit it would rub me the wrong way as well, even considering how fastidious I am in other peoples’ homes. In addition to reading their reviews, have you looked over the reviews they left others? If they’ve regularly docked stars or seemed unreasonably critical, I’d probably tell them I’d reconsidered and wasn’t sure I could fully meet their standards, & therefore need to withdraw.
Otherwise, as @Newpetlover suggested, a friendly conversation is probably in order. Could start out along the lines of “I notice you’ve been very specific about your housecleaning requirements & some other procedures. It’s great you’ve taken the time to communicate so clearly, but it did make us wonder if you’ve had a poor experience in the past that’s made this aspect of your sits a concern?” and see if their response seems reasonable. Could continue along the lines of “While we’re known for being quite tidy on our sits, we’re a bit concerned about failing to meet or exceed your standards. If the cleaning portion of the sit is a particular emphasis for you, might it make sense for you to consider hiring a professional cleaner prior to your return? We’d be happy to provide them access during the sit if it would make for a better experience for both of us.”
Well when we visit our son and his wife we get a detailed briefing on arrival on using and living in their high tech house and yes it includes x12 colours of cloth/surfaces instructions. Look we submit to this because it makes them happy and relaxed, tbh it’s rubbed off on us a bit too despite us being fastidious clean fanatics. They’re simply sharing what’s important to them. They’re anxious. I think I’d have another zoom chat to ask them about the Guide…. they might laugh about it/themselves so then you’ll know it’s going to be ok. Or maybe they won’t in which case you can let them know this isn’t OK for you. Best wishes.
Did you not have a video chat with them? If so, you must’ve gotten some positive connection with them if you accepted the sit. Their guide may simply be very prescriptive because of past experiences with sitters. Given some of the horror stories shared in this forum, I can understand why they’ve made it that way.
As someone has mentioned, have another chat with them to get an idea what they expect from you. Maybe you’ll want to cancel afterward, but better to find that out now then regret being there.
Best of luck.
We have sat for people that were very par5icular and micro-manageable. It didn’t come across that way during the video call, but did during the handover.
To be fair, I just take it into our stride (my partner less so 
) cause I just see it as anxious owners.
I used to have a doggie and would have been very anxious to leave her with strangers, so I kinda understand.
I just smile, knod and once we are on our own, just get on with it ‘our way’
Never had any issues.
Hi @RuthS
We’ve found over many years and hundreds of sits that Welcome Guides don’t always reflect the people behind them. Some are warm and conversational, others read like an instruction manual written by a compliance officer! 
For us, the video chat would carry far more weight than the writing style of the guide. If you had a good connection and felt comfortable accepting the sit, I’d have another conversation before assuming the guide reflects what the homeowners are really like.
If, after that chat, it still doesn’t feel like a good fit, then you’ll know it’s better to step away before the sit begins.
Many thanks for all these replies, its good to get others perspectives - appreciate them all. Thanks!
One caveat to that – sometimes there are two people with a bit of a “good cop–bad cop” routine going on. I encountered that in a sit where the person in the couple was jovial, warm, and reasonable. That was not the person running the show, and I think this was all quite deliberate.
Some of the examples you list (hair, closing windows) seem reasonable to me, although it depends a lot on the tone of the requests. I have a very detailed WG, and some details might seem micromanaging and/or patronizing, but they are there because of experience with previous sitters. I apologize in the WG for saying things that might be obvious like “please clean the dryer lint trap after each use” but I explain that it is because a previous sitter didn’t do that.
I also wouldn’t be too concerned with the tone in the WG if your video chat went well. I just completed a sit where the HO was incredibly warm and welcoming and told me (in person) that I could use anything in her kitchen. However, the WG said something like “please be prepared to bring your own food and don’t use my cooking oil.” The tone of the WG was completely different to the HO in person.
I wonder if they are being so detailed in the WG to ensure that you have all the information you need for a successful sit?
Like you I’m an owner and sitter so see it from both sides. My WG is very detailed, hopefully the tone is OK, as I want my sitters to have everything they need for a worry free sit, which is what I like when I’m on sits. I include requests like shutting windows before going out as we have very unpredictable storms for a significant part of the year that many people won’t realise when it looks so beautiful outside.
Like others have said, arrange a video chat with the owners to discuss their WG and see how that goes. Written tone can be interpreted very differently to what is intended.
To be honest, none of what you’ve listed sounds that bad to me. We def list out dog vs. Ppl towels vs. Rags, to close the windows and clear all hair from drains (we have hair catchers in all sinks/tub), and to ensure all doors/windows every time they leave the property, along with many other details (we have three separate documents as our welcome guide).
Agree with others as well that it could be a cultural thing and am also wondering if you had a video call. 
Personally I appreciate a more detailed Welcome Guide with clear instructions on which cleaning products should be used on which surfaces, rather than no guidance and a confusing array of products. As for things like keeping windows closed, I’m happy to accept that the host knows the security needs of their home and pets better than I do. Some alarm systems are triggered if windows are left open, and security considerations can vary from one neighbourhood to another.
That said, if the Welcome Guide introduced significant additional “demands” that hadn’t been disclosed before I accepted the sit, I wouldn’t hesitate to cancel.
They’re micro managers-avoid
Thanks for your reply. Appreciate the feedback from everyone.
Thanks for you reply - yes this is my initial instinct also the WG is like a school master guiding our every step 
we need to have a good think about this as maybe it is “cultural” but even then a grateful tone or a thank you never goes unwelcome
Yes definitely we had a video call a few months before