I think you are being over sensitive. This wording is often used. The section in the listing is Responsibilities which in my opinion lists the tasks that the sitter is ‘expected’ to perform.
I love when there is a very clear list of expectations so "you will be expected to” is a win-win for me!
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We sat for someone that said something to the effect of ‘we expect the house to be cleaner than when we left’. It wasn’t something I would put in a profile, but it ended up being a fantastic sit and a clean house, which I always appreciate. So, now I take things like that with a grain of salt.
@Peg While “You will be expected to” doesn’t bother me at all, expecting the house to be cleaner than when they left would be a turn off to me. I can’t say I would have applied for that one even though many of our feedbacks have said that it was cleaner when they returned. It would have to be the perfect sit in the perfect location at the perfect time for me to even consider it. I’m glad it worked out so well for you.
Dan and Nan
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I can understand cultural differences but in my opinion, it changes noting. I speak 3 languages, and it doesn’t matter to me whether the listing is in French, Spanish or English, the tone and wording is everything to me. If I am “required to keep the house clean”, or “expected to …” , I’ll navigate away from the listing most times.
Some homeowners cannot get away from the employer to employee role that they hold or held in their professional life, but in that case, I suggest they might want to hire an employee as opposed to exchange services.
Yes the homeowner might not be great at being diplomatic in writing, but this is their chance to appeal to pet sitters.
“Expecting the pet sitter to keep the house clean” would be like a pet sitter “expecting to have free accommodation”: it is the essence of THS.
I simply love homeowners who understand the true essence of trusted house sitters and are kind in their ad. They want you to be happy in their home, and their personality comes across through their listing. I’m looking fwd to meeting them in person and sitting for them and have to say that we have been lucky to find lovely HO. Our instincts never lied up until now and we are glad we navigated away from certain ads.
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It is a really good question and reading through the responses, I am finding it fascinating how some pet sitters actually prefer wordings such as “you will be required to” or “expected to” and find it clearer, and others like you and me find it off putting. It is amazing because it truly shows that everyone is different on this platform but if we follow our gut feeling, we will find the perfect fit between HO and HS. After all, if every one found it off putting, nobody would apply on these sits and as some said, these HO might be lovely in person, but just use a different way of expressing themselves when writing.
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very well said!!! I found it astonishing sometimes to look at photos, think to myself “oh this is cluttered and looks unhygienic in the bathroom and kitchen area, I am afraid it is not for me” and then read that the pet sitter is required to keep the place…clean.
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Clear expectations should be required of an Owner. What we are talking about is the way that these are expressed.
Not optimal: “You will be expected to X, Y, and Z.”
Better: “Here is a list of our expectations: X, Y, and Z”
Even Better: “We would like you to feed Coco twice per day, around 8 am and 5 pm, and then take her for a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood after each meal.”
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I am in agreement that this comes off a little like you are their employee, not a valued peer as part of an equal exchange. I am sensitive to this as well. Not that I don’t wish to meet their expectations, but it’s a tone thing.
I had one that I applied to had a phone call with, and then the homeowner said “well, we have several other candidates to consider, and then I’ll let you know” and to be honest it felt like I was on a job interview, and I didn’t much like that. Not that she didn’t have the absolute right to talk to a few people and find the right person, but it was just so…formal and business like I felt like I was applying for a job rather than offering a win-win that we could both be part of.
I ended up withdrawing my application on that one, in part because of that, and in part because she took a very long time to choose, which again felt like this weird power dynamic that I wasn’t a fan of.
they are not paying for my services, therefore, I don’t want to be treated like the hired help. 
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I agree, I think we are all here because we want to provide a good service, but the basis for that is a reciprocal agreement. “Valued peer as part of an equal exchange” is an excellent description. 
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I am with you @DianaUK on this. I think people greatly underestimate the importance of tone in written language. After teaching business English to Dutch people for many years the one thing I often came up against was directness of speech (or lack thereof from English speakers) in business comms. ‘I always get my sin’ by Maarten Rijkens has many hilarious examples of 2nd language comms going wrong.
That being said it can also be a personality thing and some people for whatever reason like to have the opportunity to lord it over another. Red flag for me, and I’m off like a shot. Trust your instincts, you are not being over-sensitive.
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You are so right @Tuppence 
The responses here have been so interesting, and it’s apparent that people have different approaches to the homeowner/sitter relationship.
Congrats to THS for creating a great community.
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