Thanks for your reply. I agree with you re the tone used and I also use the words please and thank you and refer to previous sitter issues so the new sitters understand a particular instruction in the WG. I guess we always want the sitters to feel welcome and enjoy their stay and we’re grateful for them being there so our tone is more friendly.
If that happened to me now, I would cancel. I’ve gone ahead with such sits in the past and did not enjoy them.
In particular, I did a 3 week sit in Norway which started just like that. Unwelcoming, bossy welcome guide. Then several date changes. I was treated poorly during the sit and even after the sit got rude messages from the host. It was stressful and upsetting rather than the joyful experience I was hoping for.
The apartment was stunning and the cats a delight, but overall it was not worth it.
I don’t get it, you said you are a homeowner, why don’t you just cancel it, what are you thinking about
I’m a pet owner only, and have been with THS since 2017. I take pride in my Welcome Guide. However I have added what seem to be “common sense” suggestions based on past experience . For instance, remove dryer lint after every load, no grease down the kitchen sink, don’t hang things on the shower rod. This platform is definitely a win win and I describe sitters as new friends who are visiting for the first time. Maybe say something to the owners?
The responsibilities listed in the Welcome Guide must match the responsibilities in the listing, so get in touch with THS support if a gazillion responsibilities have been added after agreeing to the sit. This is unethical and should be raised before the sit starts, so you have time to cancel and find another sit.
They shouldn’t contradict (as they often do), but I don’t feel the listing needs to go into detail about locking windows at night and which cleaners to use where.
Exactly!
They are meant to have different levels of specification. Even at handover, some things are shown or specified. It’s OK, as they don’t add new tasks.
Anyway, I think @RuthS is more concerned with the tone and level of specification than the tasks themselves.
Using the wrong cleaning substance on the wrong surfaces will leave permanent marks, now ask me how I know……
the homeowner guidelines state:
“Your listing should include plenty of information about the place they’ll be staying, along with accurate photos. Remember to also detail any of the home responsibilities you would like to hand over, such as watering the plants or filtering the pool. But bear in mind, you mustn’t ask your sitter to perform anything that could be considered a professional service, like redecorating the house or running your home business.”
Some modern kitchen surfaces like quartz are ridiculously easy to damage so maybe that’s an issue. On everything else I think I’d just smile and nod - they won’t be there during the sit to micro manage you.
Depends on how bad you want the sit and how easy it is for you to get a different one.
Sitters in demand with established history may have more of a choice than a new sitter with little to no reviews. Sometimes you gotta take the tough ones in the early going.
A detailed WG might be a yellow flag but not necessarily a dealbreaker.
Thanks for your reply - yes exactly the tone is like a job description and very officious but appreciate all the responses it good to know there are others who have had a similar experience.
@RuthS What have you decided to do?
We always say:
No sign without a past reason/experience.
We had a sitter who put meat in our compost bin.
They were city folks and did not know.
So I will add this ti my WG.
Someone who well knows what goes into compost might now be offended?
Hope not. 
One would hope the tone is welcoming and helpful. However, speaking from experience as a home owner, most new additions to the basic information in my Welcome Guide come from experiences and unforeseen issues that have come up with previous sitters - things I also took for granted that responsible, experienced people would know or do. One should view these things from that perspective and not take offence. Remember that, while some things may seem obvious to you, the guide is written for all potential sitters who may be coming from a wide range of ages, levels of experience, and cultural backgrounds.
With that in mind, rely on your gut instinct during the video call. Also keep in mind there may be sound reasons for things and it pays to simply ask!
I’m a HO with a very detailed Welcome Guide, so I’m a little taken aback with some people commenting here to see that as a red flag.
I generally struggle with shortening my writing, and every sitter, just like every HO, is different - different people ask different things to be specified. I update my guide before each next sit, and, honestly, it gets longer, not shorter, every time, because I add information that the previous sitter was lacking. That includes things the sitter doesn’t have to do, and I’d prefer them not to do, but they well-meaningly have put in the effort and done to show appreciation.
Our guide also includes things like “close windows before going to sleep,” and that’s necessary because we keep our cat indoors during the night for safety reasons, and she doesn’t know how to use the kitty door even though it’s installed, so it might not be obvious to someone who comes here for the first time. We don’t have things like “remove hair from the shower” included, however. We only write to put things back where you found them before you leave. I don’t really care how tidy or clean the house is while we’re away, as long as I know where my things are when I come back home.
I think what’s more important than length or the level of detail in the guide is communication, clear expectations, and general demeanor on both ends. I can’t know what someone might find difficult or confusing, so rather than assuming too much, I feel safer assuming nothing. So, if something in the guide feels obvious to you, that’s great - feel free to skip that part. It might not be obvious to someone else, and, possibly, someone else before you may have needed to hear it.
Remember that we have finished writing the guide before we have gotten to know you, so it can’t be taken personally in that sense - they’re general guidelines. Ask -always ask - if anything is unclear about anything at all, including their expectations, and judge your compatibility from your direct interactions with the person, not from something they’ve written before they ever met you. If you have an icky feeling about the sit and don’t feel like you have a good match, it’s always better to withdraw your application as soon as possible and let the other party know why, so they could change something for the next person if possible. It’s not rude - it’s necessary and ultimately better for everyone involved.
Hope that helps.
To me, there’s a difference between content and tone. Some hosts might benefit from stepping back from their welcome guides and just considering tone, separate from content. And it doesn’t hurt to be polite, like using friendly wording and “please” or such. Even when I manage people whom I pay a lot, I consider that, and I’d do that even more so if someone were doing something unpaid for me.
We’ve had some further e-mail correspondence and have asked a few questions and seems like all is sorted now 
@Loveandkitties In keeping with the title of the post, I want to comment that I really appreciate the tone of your post, as well as the content. I’m one who appreciates a detailed Welcome Guide. A host once told me they were sending me a video of how to find the elevator in their apartment building. I chuckled at that, until I was there and then appreciated it as it was not obvious.
After many years of house sitting, I’ve recently come across something I wish was in a Welcome Guide. Single-handle faucets (taps) are more commonplace these days. However, In three homes recently (one wasn’t a sit) there’s been no indication as to which way to turn the handle for hot or cold. I thought perhaps there was some standardization I wasn’t aware of (all in Canada) but by trial and error, I’ve found that’s not the case. Also, for each home there was quite a distance between the faucet and the hot water tank. I hated to run both options for extended periods of time to figure out which was which. Then to remember which is the case for each house, or for the kitchen compared to the bathroom for example, can be quite a challenge.
I really have to remember to ask each time, even if I feel a little foolish. Better than wasting lots of water. 
I welcome detailed Welcome Guides like you provide @Loveandkitties. I think the part re tone of the Welcome Guide raised by the OP is important. Responsibilities can be expressed in a friendly way, not laid down as if a sitter is an employee. Unfortunately, there are those hosts who don’t recognise this is an equal exchange.