I recently was on a sit that had some issues arise with the house. I ended up having to get in contact with the HO who arranged for service to come out and fix. I spent hours waiting for an electrician and another service person to come out on two separate days. I was wondering what the policy is for this as I do not see anything on the THS site. Has anyone else experience unexpected troubles like this?
@KellyK
During a sit last winter a large window broke in a storm - after contacting the hosts we waited for trades people to come to make it safe , measure up and quote for a replacement and then a week later we were there when they came back to fit the replacement . If the repair is urgent and can’t wait for the host to return then getting it repaired is part of house sitters role . It’s one of the reasons that people have house sitters rather than leave a home empty so that any emergencies can be dealt with promptly.
This is the relevant part of the T&Cs that sitters sign up to when joining
“ 5.3.6. immediately contact the Pet Parent in the event of any damage to property and get their approval for repair. If, in the event of an emergency, you are unable to contact the Pet Parent , you will pay for the repair of any damage caused, and request the Pet Parent reimburse you for all costs incurred (provided you have not caused the damage yourself);”
Most sitters are unhappy with the part of the clause that says we must pay upfront and get the owner to reimburse later. It was discussed on the forums last year.
When it happened to us the owner paid the trades people directly - we just notified them of the storm damage , and obviously had to be there to supervise and keep the pets safe and out of the way whilst the work was done .
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It’s all part of sitting. Yes, it’s annoying to have to waste a day on waiting for service, but I expect being without electricity would be more annoying. Dealing with problems that pop up with both the home and the pets is literally why we are there. Some sits are easy and nothing happens, some sits go to crap and it’s like Murphy’s Law on a daily basis. As long as what needs handling isn’t something that should have been handled before the sit started but the HO put it off for you to deal with instead, I think you just have to suck it up and move on.
I’m on a long sit now and during the sit I’ll need to take the cat to the vet for his jabs, have the boiler serviced (has to be within a certain date range each year for warranty coverage), potentially get the septic tank pumped out, potentially get firewood delivered, etc. It’s just all part of living somewhere.
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Hi @KellyK
As with any home things can go wrong at anytime and that includes during a sit. I was on a repeat sit in Portugal when the boiler not only fed hot water to the property but the underfloor heating too broke. I woke up to a cold home (7c overnight) which was unusual as the HO had a toasty house. I immediately messaged the HO who were mortified such a thing had happened. They asked if I could call an engineer they knew and to take monies from a drawer for him. If over a certain amount then they’d pay him over the phone. Was fixed by day end.
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This is one of the main reasons people have house sitters. We are there to care for their pets and home.
If something happens to the pet, you may waste a day at the vets.
If something happens to the house, you may waste a day waiting for tradesmen
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Sorry, I do not fully understand this post?
You had a couple of issues, the HO dealt with it promptly so why the need for the post?
These kind of house things can happen to anyone at any time, its just part of life and we have to grin and bear it.
Good luck for your next sits.
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It doesn’t seem like the OP understood what sitting can involve. Best bet is for them to review THS terms and rethink whether sitting a good fit. And if so, to tighten up on choosing sits, because they’ve started four threads — about two sits that went very badly and two about what’s pretty common (taking care of homes when stuff fails and dealing with cleaners).
Seems odd that one sitter is struggling with so many issues.
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We’ve had cleaners, gardeners, pool men, window cleaners, trips to the vet, electricians and air con men during sits. Probably a few more too. It’s all part of house sitting life. Too much intrusion is annoying so best to find out who is coming in & out of the property before you agree to the sit @KellyK. We have refused some including all day workmen, paying them out of our own pocket and daily housekeeping. #commscommscomms
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I don’t know, depends on the length of the sit and on the property. Some sitters choose large rural historic properties where things happen all the time. Or it may have been the autumn weather. Or a poorly maintained property.
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Sounds like four separate sits, but not clear. Not sure why four separate threads. Not all about maintenance. Check out their profile for the threads.
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I am new to THS and have done a few sits in a short time. The sits have all been short (less than two weeks). On one sit the irrigation system valve broke on the first day of the week-long sit. Then a couple of days an electrical shock issue arose that required grounding. On two other sits, the fridge was chock full of expired food and there was a major lack of cleanliness that I had to put up with. As far as cleaners or people coming on the property, I wanted clarity on what I should expect. I have not been on any rural or large historic properties. etc. These short sits have all been city sits in the USA.
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We agree @Maggie8K 
If you aren’t up for dealing with issues that can arise on the home front…then HOUSE sitting probably isn’t ideal. As sitters, we are a placeholder for the HO when they are not here. Things break, try and fix best we can. Things need a repair, be here for repairman to come and fix them. Animals get sick, handle with grace and treat at home first, if needed, take to a vet. HO usually have house cleaners, allow them to come in and clean (Why would anyone complain about this?! We appreciate it! 
)
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Hi @KellyK
The valve thing is a normal situation that could have gone at any time.
You mention the fridge being full of expired goods. This can happen but stress you need a shelf free as per the THS T&C’s. Cleanliness can be judged to some extent by previous reviews and during your video call pre-sit.
As for trades people coming during your sit I just ask if I’m to expect anyone during the sit especially anyone that needs access during the sit. If so when and for how long?
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Tradespeople should be coming only for emergencies or for routine upkeep like cleaning, gardening, pool servicing or such. (For the latter, you typically discuss with the hosts and shouldn’t end up surprised as a sitter. Some hosts might be fine with skipping or delaying those services if you ask. Some might not. That’s why you discuss.) Some might have automatic snow removal, as needed. That can be legally required in some places, so members of the public don’t slip and fall on sidewalks in front of a home.
For other tradespeople — like those doing renovations or repairs that aren’t emergencies, for instance when someone is having a house remodeled or improved — that shouldn’t be foisted on sitters as a surprise. If hosts have something like that planned, they should make that transparent in their listing. Otherwise, if a sitter surprisingly ends up having their sit disrupted by such work, they might quit the sit out of it being a bait and switch. Likewise if there’s nearby construction that the host knows is going on or will be during a sit, because that creates disruption as well.
But the key thing is, if there’s an emergency as the original poster described, that’s part of why any hosts would have a sitter, so the emergency doesn’t end up doing greater damage by sitting untended. Like a pipe bursts, a tree falls on the roof, a fire starts, etc. You’re getting accommodations in an exchange — you provide such coverage. If someone isn’t prepared to deal with such, then don’t ever house sit — rent your own accommodations free of responsibilities.
And BTW, sometimes, hosts might end up surprised, too. Like I did a sit in Scotland, where window cleaners apparently clean at a block of homes per quarter in that neighborhood. Well, they arrived after texting my host on short notice, who was abroad. She couldn’t notify me, since she was asleep.
At first, I thought someone was breaking in. (The washers had climbed down into an alcove by the guest room, which was below the sidewalk. No one would normally enter that space. So I popped outdoors to see what was going on and figured out.)
They later did the rear windows, entering the yard with a key they’d been given for repeat cleaning. Afterward, I found they’d left the gate propped open and had left, with the key forgotten in the lock. I locked up and told the host to let them know to pick the key back up. Good thing I realized the gate was ajar, or the dog might’ve run out when I let her out back as usual every few hours.
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House things happening come with the territory of house sitting. I’m on a sit right now where the furnace was having issues and the guys had to come out 3 separate times over 2 weeks to work on it. Thankfully, I don’t sit for vacations, but rather just live nomadically & work from home, so it was fine for me, but this is also why (whispers)…I actually probably would not bank my vacation trip on TH - because you never know what wild house issues (or pet issues) could happen! And if they happen during your vacation time, then, as a proper sitter, you have to give up your vacation time to tend to those matters responsibly.
In my years as a house sitter, I’ve had a freezer go out in the middle of summer, AC, heat, toilet issues, leaks, electricity out, you name it. It’s part of the risk of choosing to be responsible for someone’s home.
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Yes. Things can go wrong with homes whether you sit them, own them or rent them. That’s why I prefer to rent hotel rooms while vacationing — no responsibilities and, if something goes wrong, you can ask for another room.
When sitting, things can go wrong with homes and pets, and your host can end up having an emergency and need to return home early. That doesn’t even account for crappy hosts, who simply change their minds and don’t care if they inconvenience their sitters.
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