When it comes to trusting someone new with your pet, different things matter to different people.
What makes you feel most confident?
For example:
A quick chat or video call before the sit
Meeting in person first
Clear routines and expectations
Sitter references/reviews
Regular photo updates
What helped you feel more confident about leaving your pet with a sitter for the first time? What advice would you give to a new host who was a bit nervous? Share your tips and advice in the replies.
I like this question. Iâve now had 6 X 5 experiences as a HO. Shortest was 3 nights, longest was 3 months. Looking back, these steps worked for me. (Your location and desirability of listing needs to be âattractiveâ to sitters so you can have choices) :
offer a short Housesit 1st (mine was only 3 nights)
be very responsive to the applicants (communicate desire to do vidoechat or decline with brief reason)
read the application notes carefully
read each applicants past reviews (or many if they have say 50)
set up video chat and check compatibility
find right fit for you and confirm
do an in person handover
Make sure your Welcome Guide is actually complete (so important yet takes A LOT of time)
Set most important expectations again in person (ex. one update per day with pics, set house alarm anytime you leave, stick to established walking route, never off leash, etc)
Here are things I now find off putting during the choosing a sitter phase, and I decline:
applicants that do not reply to my messages within 24 hours
applicants that do not read my entire listing and apply and are not a fit due to obvious stated reasons in my listing
What made me feel comfortable the first time is still what makes me feel comfortable now:
Video chats prior to confirming - I am looking for overall friendliness, tone, and level-headed communication. And showing up for the chat at the agreed on time.
Scour past reviews, obviously. Donât have to be all 5 stars but there shouldnât be issues that I regard as fundamental breaches of trust (unauthorized guests, smoking or drug use in the home, leaving pets unattended for long periods, mistreatment of pets, etc)
Make sure via the listing and video chat that sitters have past experience with large breed dogs and are physically capable of managing a 70 lb dog, including the one hour per day of walking.
One day handover prior to our departure. This lets them meet the pets and the dog can get acquainted with them before we leave.
During the sit, a regular âallâs wellâ text. Sometimes photos but really just a check in so we know the sitter didnât have a heart attack during their sleep.
This one is my responsibility as a HO. Provide the sitter with a thorough welcome guide that covers emergencies, and make sure we as HO have made payment arrangements in case of vet or home emergency. This gives me peace of mind that if something happens, sitters wonât need to hesitate to take my pets to the vet as they wonât be out of pocket any money themselves. I also leave a note authorizing them to make care decisions with the vet if we canât be reached (with guidance that we prefer to follow vet recommendations).
7). Also my responsibility - make sure my emergency contacts know they are emergency contacts, make sure they know the sitterâs names, and that weâve given the sitters their phone numbers so please answer the call/text if they reach out as itâs an emergency.
8). Make sure the sitters have our contact info and travel itineraries, including hotels, etc.
The Welcome Guide is constantly changing/growing depending on the length of the sit and due to changes concerning the house or pets. I work on it before each sit.
@MTBer I like what you have set up for what works best for you. One thing I will ask is you mention you read the application carefully plus their past reviews but do you also read their whole profile? In the section âabout meâ, I have listed my expectations of owners and sometimes it is quite obvious that hosts have not fully read my profile. I expect them to just as hosts expect their full listing to be read.
Yes I read it all, Even if i didnât particularly care for the application note. (Itâs really Short, says theyâll write more later and donât, etc.)
Also - one more thing I do that gives me comfort leaving our pets. Make sure sitters have a way to get in the house if the coded entries we have donât work (and this happened once in a sit and we were so glad to have thought about a plan B - a physical key in a lockbox - our vacation was unhindered and sitters were able to get into the home again).
Really I think the things that give me the most comfort are things I have a lot of control and responsibility to provide!
@ABGM Things like Welcome Guide completed and sent promptly; emergency contact; vet arrangements and payment in place; read and will abide by Third Party and Recording Devices policies; clean home; prompt communication.
Yes, I raise these in a video chat like many others but you know whether it comes as a surprise or not to them.
What made me comfortable about leaving my home and pet with a stranger the first time was:
having couchsurfed, both as a surfer and a host. This gave me insight into exchange, how expectations and âhow things are doneâ can vary greatly, and how finding the right match is more important than just âbooking someoneâ.
having used Airbnb (mostly the OG version, actual homes of the people listing it, not full time rentals) a ton, which combined with #1, has given me a pretty good ability to examine profiles and reviews. Has also exposed me to a lot of different cultures and homes, which has made me pretty flexible abut style differences.
Crafting a profile that is designed to attract folks who will enjoy my home and my pet.
Video call! Definitely where sitter and HO can get a sense of each other. Itâs not perfect, but I would never set up a sit without it.
Communication. So many questions on this forum could be solved or avoided if either party asked questions when they arise. I ask ahead of time a sitterâs preference on perishables (esp milk or dairy products), work desk set up, Iâve even asked a sitter about their general height, because I am tall and all my most used kitchen items are up high and Iâm happy to move them down for shorter folks.
Risk management and perspective. I pack away anything that I really donât want a sitter using or would be upset about losing. I hold my mail, no exceptions. Informing all emergency and local contacts of who the sitter is and that they have their info. In-person handover. And I keep in mind that keeping my cat alive and hopefully healthy is the #1 priority. I understand there will be things that arenât done the way I do them.
Every sit is an opportunity to learn.
There are other things I do to try to be a good host for sitters, but these are the ones that are why I feel fine about leaving my most precious things in the hands of a stranger.
Oh, and my first sit on THS was 6 weeks (referring to MTBerâs post above)!
This is really important and I am surprised that itâs me as a sitter who has to ask about it half of the time. It gives me peace of mind but, given that itâs the HOsâ pets and home that I am looking after, I would think it would be even more important for them. I guess itâs just about different personalities.
I think having had these experiences are incredibly important for feeling at ease with strangers in oneâs home. We did simultaneous house exchanges in different countries 20 years ago (when there were no reviews and you had to have phone conversations first) and I used Airbnb in its early years when most accommodations were spare bedrooms in peopleâs homes. The most frequent adjective appearing in Airbnb reviews about me was ârespectfulâ, which made me realise how important that attitude is for most people. As a HO I strive to demonstrate my respect for the sitterâs comfort, starting with the reply to their application right through to the end of the sit. If youâre kind and anticipate their needs (and have had a vibe check with a video chat before confirming), the sitter is more likely to treat your pets well and your home with respect.
As a sitter, this is always appreciated â although Iâll always treat pets well, & your home with respect. But when the hosts are thoughtful, kind and/or gracious, Iâll go the extra mile for them and also do âextrasâ (asked or unasked) that I might not agree to for someone who acted as if it was an entitlement.
Hi there, maybe I am being paranoid but my biggest worry is some sort of identity theft, perhaps they find my SS number or financial info or whatever and sell it. Something in a way that cannot be traced back to them. Even if a sitter has great reviews, how can I reduce the worry that they are doing something untoward behind the scenes? I have previously always dropped my dog off with Rover dot com people due to this worry. Help?
Get a safe that you can place your important docs in. This may result in a large safe but if this is what it takes and you still want to use THS, perhaps its an easy solution. Also, my SS is out on the internet as the various identity theft service companies tells me so. Think about ALL the data breaches by SO MANY companies - your various info is already out there. (banks, health insurance, mortgage companies, utility companies, the list goes on and on). As someone from the U.S., we can lock our credit via all the 3 credit bureaus meaning no one can open a new account under my info. Banks protect your money against fraud for the most part, unless someone gets into your Zelle or gets your debit card AND PIN. So you can safeguard a lot of things with other steps rather than locking up A LOT of docs in a safe.
Yes, I froze all of my accounts with credit scoring companies years ago, because of a breach like you described, which led to my being notified. With credit scoring locked, no credit or mortgages can be issued. I can manually unfreeze them if I choose, for a certain timeframe, say if I want to open new credit cards. But they otherwise stay locked. And even if someone steals my social security number, they canât commit financial fraud with it.
Thanks for sharing your advice so far, everyone! There are some really good tips here.
A few of you said that prepping and clear chats make a big difference when leaving pets with a new sitter. It sounds like video calls to see if you click, reading full profiles and reviews, and doing in-person handovers can make everyone feel more confident.
Some hosts also mentioned how helpful a detailed Welcome Guide is, especially when it includes routines, emergency contacts, and pre-arranged vet payment information so sitters can act fast if needed.
Itâs so lovely to see so many folks sharing helpful advice! If anyone has more tips for feeling confident when leaving pets with a new sitter, please keep sharing.
experiences as a HO. Shortest was 3 nights, longest was 3 months. Looking back, these steps worked for me. (Your location and desirability of listing needs to be âattractiveâ to sitters so you can have choices) :
