What are good questions to ask before agreeing to a sit?

If it’s a new HO I’ll always ask what their biggest fears are about having a sitter. Here’s a few of the replies:

  1. Judging their way of living….
  2. The pets getting ill….
  3. Something going wrong with the house….

Each of these has led to me explaining in more depth how THS works in our experience. We’re honest but reassuring too I hope in our answers. It helps new HOs understand why we as sitters ‘sit’ as well as giving them insight into our thinking about all of these topics.
Regarding No 1 I’ll often reply with, ‘Yes I will be very judgey indeed if you don’t leave me a lovely clean fridge/kitchen/bathroom :smiling_face:’ this allows for a lighthearted chat about the potentially tricky subject of cleanliness. It allows me to emphasise this aspect and puts them on ‘alert’ to prioritise this if they want us to be their sitters.

@BonnyinBrighton Thanks for bringing in the subject of new HO, that is sometimes a bit different compared to people with more experience.

I love this question: What are your biggest fears/sorrows? I wish I will remember this one!

The humor is also important like you said. I respect that some people are more serious, but I don’t think that they are a good match for us.

Today I broke a small white ceramic sauce bowl. Made a photo and said: I will see if we can find a replacement. Answer: ‘Oh, this is from my late late grandmother and irreplaceable! (Just joking :wink:). Some people got their priorities in the right order :heart::glowing_star:

And of course, when there is serious stuff to deal with you try to find a solution which works for both.