I had my first sit recently where the HO advised they’d normally have a cleaner on an day I was sitting and was it ok for the cleaner to turn up. I was happy with that. This was a half day clean and worked fine.
What about your personal security! Shame on HO!
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Oh no, no, no! That is not fair. I would contact THS admin. That likely goes against THS Code of Conduct. We would decline.
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oh great, a happy ending to this story 
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Hmm. I’ve done sits where an entire new part of the house was being added on and the construction couldn’t stop. I had to sign for material deliveries, give directions, let people inside (builder, workers, security person, etc.), take pix of the progress. It was a lot, but other sitters raved about it, and I just thought that’s how it is sometimes (?)
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It’s convenient for home improvements or building work to be scheduled when the owner is not there. They don’t have to put up with the noise, the mess or the parking and toilet issues. Not to mention the endless rounds of tea and biscuits!
We have been caught a few times with this dilemma. The worst was when they were adding an orangey onto their home which meant the fenced garden was out of bounds for the dogs so we had to find somewhere else for them to go to the toilet between walks. Not a happy sit! Now, it’s one of our 20 million questions (slight exaggeration)we ask on the video call.
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We’ve also had this happen and been told (not asked) after we arrived at the sit but not to this level of intrusion. It totally breaches THS policy. You should contact membership services and pull out. Hopefully @Angela_L can help you out.
Glad it worked out for you and also glad you raised it here. It’s good others can benefit from your unfortunate experience and the discussion. Thanks.
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Open communication is crucial for all.
Nothing should be done to make anyone feel that they are being taken advantage of on both sides.
Your feelings and response is to be respected and you have done well in adhering to your own standards above anything and anyone else.
I commend you on handling the situation honestly and openly whilst remaining in good terms with them. It will come back to you in a very positive manner.
Enjoy your sit, your pets, your comfort and peace.
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Great that you had good advice and made contact with the HO in a way that resolved this for you.
Think sometimes people just don’t think things through and the amount of issues this would have caused for you.
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I think like you I might have found it hard to say no, however we have to say no. You wouldn’t be seen as cancelling because the owner has broken one of the rules - not to have third parties in the house when there’s a sitter. It really is a cheek, going away and leaving you with workmen to deal with. Personally if it was my house I’d want to be there to make sure the work was done to my specification and standards! If the cat disappears you can hardly be held accountable. I hope this gets sorted out by membership services and the owner is spoken to.
Just seen the work was rescheduled.
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I really wish THS would send a reminder to ALL homeowners about this rule. Last year we arrived to a sit, and just a few days in, we were told workmen would be arriving.
It was not comfortable, and I truly don’t think many Homeowners realise it isn’t allowed.
As a seasoned housesitter, we really hope THS sends a reminder of this to all.
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@RoseC Therese is currently offline, so I am happy to pass this feedback on. Owners do accept on the code of conduct that there will be no third parties present during the sit. It can be frustrating if this becomes an oversight. I too have had unexpected building work and third parties show up to a sit and know how unsettling it can feel. Now it is one of the questions on the top of my list before I confirm a sit. However, I will pass on your feedback about if there are other avenues that we could remind owners of this.
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Thank you so much!
@Carla Like many forms we are asked to sign in life, just how many of us actually read thoroughly the T & C’s I wonder. I know I don’t! It’s easy to say when we join THS that we are accepting the Code of Conduct and T & C’s but in honesty, the majority of members probably have never read them, excluding members of the Forum, of course, who know of their existence! The Third Party Policy seems to be being violated in a number of cases as brought to the Forum. The No Internal Cameras and Devices policy is visible when new owners are doing their listing; so should the Third Party Policy. These two policies could well feature in the Trusted Times instead of the fluffy articles that do.
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I do agree with you regarding terms and conditions in general, I too have been guilty of not always reading the fine print! The code of conduct is clearer, with only a few points and you need to read and tick that you agree with them before you complete your listing, so I always hope that these will be read and digested in more detail, but alas with human nature that is not always the case either. Thank you for your ideas of where it might be more helpful to place this information. I will pass your feedback on for the other areas that it could show up. I agree it’s something that owners and sitters need to be aware of.
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Thanks @Carla for responding. Yes, it is clearer in the Code of Conduct but as we both acknowledge, human nature is a big factor in whether it is read, digested and acted upon! Let’s hope it can be highlighted in some form for all members to be made more aware of.
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Well, it happened to me and they told me after I arrived. I just driven for 10 hours.
It all worked out just fine, but there are so many ways it might not have. I’m glad now to know that it is against THS and would report it to management if it happened again.
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This is interesting that an employee of THS had had workmen turn up and it sounds like you (@Carla ) allowed it to progress during the sit?
The Forum tells us to contact THS if workmen show up. What do THS advise the sitter to do?
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@Itchyfeet That is a great point as even though I work behind the scenes for TrustedHousesitters if I choose to housesit then I still need to apply, build reviews, learn as I go and experience everything that everyone else in the community experiences and that can include unexpected things such builders turning up. I could have also reached out to Membership Services, however, in the example that I gave above I spoke directly to the owner and explained the situation and they worked with me to rectify it. I always try and communicate directly with the owners first, as in this case they were fairly new to the site and we were their second sitters, but had there been any issues then I would have passed it to Membership Services for them to deal with it in line with the T&C’s.
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