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:
Judging their way of living….
The pets getting ill….
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 ’ 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 ). Some people got their priorities in the right order
And of course, when there is serious stuff to deal with you try to find a solution which works for both.
I’m new here too, and this is my first place; if I had to choose accommodation again, I’d check again in the interview all the details listed in the advert, as I’ve realised that the advert and the welcome guide set out different conditions. I accepted the conditions I saw in the advert without any issues, but the reality and the welcome guide aren’t quite as good.
For example, the advert offers a dedicated workspace, access to exercise equipment, the flat for my exclusive use, and the option to take the pet for just one long walk a day. The reality is that, in the end, I have to share the house with someone else; there are workers coming into the house who also get in my way; the exercise machines and the workspace aren’t available for my use; and it’s then specified that I’m required to take the pet for at least two walks. I love walking and going for long walks… but after spending 3–4 hours out walking the pet, I don’t really feel up to a second walk, as I have other plans and activities that require my energy… and the pet has a large garden where it can do its business anyway.
I’d also check before going that the pet is trained, whether it can walk off-lead or needs a long lead, and that all the necessary equipment is provided… I took it for granted, but when I arrived they didn’t have one and I had to buy it. Similarly, I had to buy basic cleaning supplies, as there weren’t any (because they used an external cleaning company and didn’t leave any cleaning equipment in the house)
I also found that in the room I was given to sleep in, there was a wall with what looked like mould, and as I’m allergic, I had quite a rough time on the first night… As other people have recommended, I’d take a look at the photos… If the house looks very untidy, I wouldn’t book the stay.
I’d also like to ask… I booked this house-sitting job quite a long time in advance, but if you realise the conditions aren’t going to be the same as those in the advert… how far in advance could you cancel it without any problems?
You make reference to lots of different situations. It’s important to distinguish between small nuisances, like not having enough cleaning supplies and utter violation of T&Cs.
No, you don’t. That’s against THS T&Cs. You can report that to THS, you can tell them you are not staying, the same goes for
No one can unilaterally change the conditions both parties have agreed on. If they do, you can cancel as soon as you know, it’s up to the party breaking the agreement to find alternative arrangements.
Regarding the time and frequency a dog is walked, that should be discussed before confirming the sit but, ultimately, it’s the owner’s decision, the sitter can’t decide to substitute two half hour walks for a long 3 to 4 hour walk, which, to be honest, seems a lot on a daily basis.
And if the listing says one long walk or two short walks are ok, but the welcome guide says at least two walks? for what I asked while I am here, some things in the listing and in the welcome guide are not updated, but I agree the sitting looking at the listing, and the things shared in the interview…
I suggest always asking for the welcome guide (in whatever format or on whatever platform) early. That way, if there are discrepancies, unpleasant surprises or dealbreakers that were previously withheld, you can discuss and cancel if needed.
If the welcome guide is sent to you on a platform where it can be updated (versus say a PDF), take screenshots as soon as you get it. That way, you have proof if a host later inserts or otherwise makes changes that are dealbreakers or such.
Personally, when I’ve done THS sits, I’ve told hosts during the video chat that I’ll make travel arrangements as soon as I receive their departure and return dates and times in writing, as well as welcome guide. That way, they’re motivated to send me all of that ASAP. (I’ve never had trouble getting such.)
If the WG includes unpleasant surprises, I can deal with that quickly. For instance, I received a WG that said one dog needed letting out overnight and the other was prone to diarrhea. That info hadn’t been shared in the listing or video chat, and I immediately canceled.
I also wouldn’t accept any sit without having a fallback plan. That way, if hosts lied or misrepresented significant things and I didn’t learn till I arrived, I could leave. I also try to overlap with hosts before they leave. If so and there’s a dealbreaker that we couldn’t work out, I would leave even before they started their trip.
I’ve never had to leave, but I consider it self-care to not risk myself being stranded on a terrible sit.
I am not sure if I understand correctly:
You are in the sit now, you askabout specific responsibilities and you just accept what they say? You don’t remind them that what you agreed on was X and they’re asking you to do Y now?
Given that you’re new to the forum, perhaps new to THS too, there are a few things you might like to consider:
We don’t consider sitting to be “accommodation” or “jobs” it’s not just a matter of words but attitude. It’s a mutual exchange that both parties voluntarily agree on but, once it’s been agreed, both sides are bound by it.
As @Maggie8K said, having a backup plan will help you hold your ground but if you need the accommodation desperately and hosts are aware of that, they might try to take advantage of the situation.
@lao You’ve received excellent feedback from experienced sitters. In taking time to read and absorb the Terms & Conditions, you will learn more about what is required of you, and what you can and should expect. Always expect respect from the owners. I’ll just highlight some sections of the T&C:
Read the details by using the link in the Terms & Conditions, at that section.
Be aware of the limitations of what can and can’t be used in the way of monitoring devices (external only), and when all devices need to be disclosed (as in before you agree to any sit). Don’t just agree to cover internal cameras as they may also have audio recording capabilities. This is a complex topic and I’m generalizing somewhat here.
Many sitters, myself included, will not pay any vet expense and then wait for reimbursement. This is a complex matter (including decision-making of any treatment). I suggest you search with the spy glass and read more about this.
I require contact information for a named decision maker, in case the owner can’t be reached. I also require a method of payment be with the vet, as well as the vet being advised that the pet is in my care during the sit dates.
Please write a review within the 14-day timeframe after the sit. Make sure you keep it factual, rather than emotional. This way, sitters who view later listings will be better informed to know what questions to ask, if they do apply.
Thank you very much for all of the advices! I think for next sitting I will pay more attention to those things, and have always a backup plan just in case
The sit is fine to be fair, but I was a bit shocked at first because it was different from the expectations I had when I agreed, but it is also a learn process
I’m going to start asking hosts if their dogs really enjoy two one-hour walks a day. I recently finished a sit where the dog was completely uninterested in walking and moved excessively slowly (with no medical issues). When I messaged the owner during the sit to check about this, the reply was just, “Oh yeah, he can be like that.” It would have been helpful to know that beforehand. I think the dog was sulking because the owner was away.
I follow hosts’ guidance, but pay attention to the dog. I sat one who was dragging toward the end of walks for a few days, so I ended up spreading the total walk time over more walks. That seemed to do the trick. I let the hosts know, because it’s their dog. Plus, neighbors might end up talking to the hosts, so I wouldn’t want them to lack context and potentially make bad assumptions.
@Maggie8K Oh, that’s such a good point. I really liked how you described taking the dog’s behaviour into account while also keeping the homeowners informed.
I also liked that you’re aware that neighbours are sometimes keeping an eye on things. From their perspective, what they see isn’t always the full picture.
We’ve experienced that ourselves. On one sit, the neighbours were keeping an eye on the property while we were communicating with the homeowners via WhatsApp. We ended up explaining the situation to both, simply because they each had a different perspective on what was happening. What people see isn’t always the complete picture, especially when you’re responding to the needs of the pet.
It actually made me think this could be an interesting topic for a separate post: how to deal with neighbours who are keeping an eye on the property. But maybe that’s a discussion for another day. I just thought it was really smart that you were aware of that perspective, because it can prevent misunderstandings.
’ 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.
). Some people got their priorities in the right order 
