r/trustedhousesitters

A couple weeks ago, I had a zoom call with some hosts for a month-long sit in the area I live. Everything seemed fine, so when they offered it to me, I accepted and we agreed I'd come over for an in-person meet and greet.

A few days ago, I went for the meet and greet. They actually live about 20 miles outside the town where the site is listed (red flag #1), so it took me 45 minutes to drive there. I pulled up, met the dogs, we exchanged greetings, and they let me know they had an "orientation" planned that they'd budgeted 3 HOURS for. Well, I had other plans that afternoon and told them I'd need to leave in 1 hour. They were very disappointed, but said they'd "try their best." Um ok (red flag #2.. entitlement showing!!).

So I spent a mind-numbing hour with them going through every. single. detail of their home, how to sanitize the counter after preparing the dogs' raw food, lists and lists of contacts and backups, where all the cameras were (at least 5 outside and 2 inside red flag #3), etc. Finally, I got to leave, but before I did, they asked if I could come back AGAIN before they head out in a month for a full hike with the dogs since they had to cut their originally planned orientation short.. um, no (red flag #4 just. so. entitled).

As I left, I had a bad feeling that their entitlement and anxiety would be waaay too much to deal with for a full month, not to mention they'd lied about the location and it really wouldn't work for me. I thought about it for a couple days and then I sent them a kind note that I'd enjoyed meeting them and their dogs, but that the location was too far for me, so I was going to have to cancel, which I did on the site.

No response from them, but this morning I got a note from THS saying I'm now "being monitored" for canceling. What about hosts that lie about their location, have cameras inside, and make unreasonable demands on sitters' time as if they're paying them?! They should be monitored!!!

https://preview.redd.it/ndp3000mcryg1.png?width=851&format=png&auto=webp&s=42b9dd90fdbaa08bbbc11483d721f37ebb0bc977

We booked a 3 month sit last year, sitter has just informed us they are cancelling the sit. One month before the trip starts. Chances of getting another sitter are almost zero at this short notice and for such a long time.

Has anyone else been through a situation like this? What are our options here? Are we just screwed?

I’ve utilized THS for the past two years as a pet parent and this is my first sit for someone else. we arrived a little later than planned due to traffic and not realizing there was a time difference. got there, let the dogs out, fed them and gave them meds, etc. we were starving and had no food so decided to go grab a quick bite, but the restaurant ending up taking forever. the HO messaged me saying she saw us on the ring camera and hopes I’ll be more honest tomorrow about how long we’ll be gone. do I have a right to be annoyed? I thought that cameras weren’t allowed?

edited to add- yes, I did let them know we were running late and the listing said their dogs can be left up to 6 hours. they were not crated more than 6 from when they left and we arrived.

I get so stressed about leaving the place on time, cleaning, and packing my stuff!

I get almost unreasonably stressed, I get paralysed and procrastinate.

The worst is when I’m actually working (remotely) that day, that’s one more thing to do.

That’s all. Just wanted to vent 😅

For anyone who hasn’t been following along about the THS sitter who stole a dog and car while the owner was deployed, there is an unfortunate update. The car has been found with the dog deceased inside of the vehicle in Colorado. I don‘t have any information about the sitter.

hey all, I hope this doesn't seem inappropriate- I live in Maine and just finished a local sit for a really great HO. Sit was incredibly easy in a brand new condo and I feel bad she has not been getting apps, but her marketing is not great. Her Frenchie is truly one of the very easiest dogs I've ever sat for (if you look at my previous posts you will know I am not one to be even a little dishonest about dog behavior), and shes close to Portland, lighthouses, beach, so if you've ever considered vacationing in Maine, please favorite her as I think she will have some summer dates coming up. Shes just 15 minutes from the Portland Airport. Her condo is brand new and she keeps it incredibly clean.

https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/house-and-pet-sitting-assignments/united-states/maine/portland/l/2741752/

As a sitter, I’ve always wondered: do homeowners meticulously clean their houses before someone comes to sit or are they just normally that clean or do yall hire maids or what? It’s like crazy how clean some of these places will be.

Has anyone else experienced theft by a pet sitter? I've been on the site for about three years and haven't had any issues before. But on my way home today, I started getting alerts on multiple credit cards for suspected fraud. These are cards I keep in my desk because I don't use them regularly/only use phone tap to pay. When I got into my apartment, I found my desk, which I leave locked, was unlocked (antique skeleton key). All my cards were gone, as was several thousand in cash that I leave in there for emergencies. I immediately reached out to THS, and they're "looking into it" and "will get back to me", but I'm shaking. All the money I've saved by using the site essentially lost in one four day sit. Likely nothing I can do to recover the loss, because it's cash. I'm so disappointed and angry and I don't know what else to do. Luckily none of my jewelry, electronics, or other valuables were stolen. Just all my cash, and some weed

I have an interview for a member support specialist at Trusted house sitters! Does anyone have any tips on the interview process?

I guess I just want a bit of a vent, but also interested in others experiences.

I really pride myself on cleanliness. Now I have twin 3.5 yo boys so our house can get messy! But before a sit I do a deep clean a day or so before, and a final clean and check before departure.

I just received our sitter’s review and they docked stars for pretty much everything, including cleanliness and hospitality. Their comments mentioned that aspects of the home needed additional attention upon arrival.

I messaged them to ask for them to elaborate. They had messaged during their sit to advise the drains in their bathroom had a strong odour (which I have also just come to realise and will rectify) but no mention of any other concerns.

They said they had to clean the kitchen sink and sweep the living room and their bedroom floors.

I’m just so confused as the last thing I did was scrub and dry the sinks (I even bleached the drains). And had vacuumed and mopped all floors.

Regarding the pet, the sitter advised in their review that he had swiped and hissed on occasion and was territorial. He can be temperamental which I specify in my listing (more anxious or wary and doesn’t like to be picked up) , but I haven’t had that feedback from previous sitters.

Im just so bummed this review is now on my listing. No one has ever complained about the cleanliness of our home. I want any sitter to feel completely comfortable in our home and with our pet. But I also feel the review isn’t entirely fair particularly around the home and hospitality??

Hi everyone,

Tried to Google this but I guess i typed it wrong or something as I can't find much. So I'm hoping to get everyone's thoughts/tips on being a sitter.

For reference, I'm a 30 year old male, 5'8, big beard guy whos got a 7-3 WFH job. I've got plenty of experience with dogs and a decent bit with cats and have both on my profile on top of pics and a few reviews from friends (posted Height and beard size as I wanna make sure I don't come off intimidating but idk if it's relevant)

That said, idk where to go from here. Ive seen a LOT of horror stories on this subreddit but I also recognize they're not.... Neccesarily (?) the broad experiences of others. Still, I want to be prepared I guess

What do you all think? Any thoughts are appreciated 🙏🙏🙏

Hi, I’m a homeowner and posted my first sit yesterday. Of the five applications, four are local. I expected them to be more like the fifth one, which is someone international who is looking to visit a friend in my city.

I’m curious why we have so many local applicants. Our place is clean, tidy & comfortable but by no means luxurious. We live in a large metropolitan area that attracts a lot of tourists so I expected our location to be the main draw. If we had a pool or nice yard I could understand why someone would be interested in housesitting locally. Hell, I’d be tempted to housesit locally if it meant I got access to those things. 🤣

I looked through the reviews and it looks like the local applicants go from sit to sit to sit. Most of the houses in their reviews look nicer than ours.

Are people looking to get a break from uncomfortable roommate situations? (understandable.) Maybe they don’t have permanent housing and sleep on friends couches in between sits? (also understandable.) Or is there something else going on that I’m not thinking of?

I don’t really wanna ask because as long as they take care of my pets and respect my home, it’s really none of my business.

I guess I’m just a bit nervous because this is my first time using this service and wonder at people’s motives.

Update: Thank you all for your replies. All those reasons make sense. I had no idea that people did this full-time. That’s actually pretty smart given our insane housing costs. Anyway, thanks again. Reddit won’t let me turn off comments, but I’m probably gonna stop reading because I feel like I understand now. :-)

What is the HO responsibility to the sitter? Any food or drink? Toiletries? No problem supplying Internet, tv with streaming, hot tub. Do we need to heat the pool or is offering a community pool sufficient?

Hi everyone,

Would love some advice! I just had my first experience with TrustedHousesitters. Overall, it went pretty well, but the sitter left such a strong body odor smell in my mattress that I ended up covering it in baking soda to get the smell out. Definitely not the most pleasant experience, and it made me a little hesitant about having another stranger stay in my home.

That said, I travel a lot for work during the summer and was hoping to use the platform regularly. I booked a new sitter for my next two trips. We spoke over FaceTime, I offered her the sit, and she verbally said she’d take it, but she wouldn't actually confirm online. I kind of got the feeling she didn’t want to commit in case something “better” came along.

Now we’re about two weeks out, and she messaged me today asking whether I have parking and a washer/dryer, even though both are already listed in my profile. She has great reviews, but I’m feeling a little uneasy. I get the sense she may be more focused on finding the best place to stay than on the pet care itself.

Am I overthinking this, or would this make you hesitant too? Would love any advice from more experienced users. Thanks!

When I came back home, I found my cat in the living room with a bunch of tulips 😅. Almost had a heart attack and rushed to throw them away. I appreciated the flowers as a nice gesture, but it would’ve been nicer if they were a more innocent type of flower…

Looking for advice on a situation that's been stressing me out for the past month, with one month left to go.

I'm from out of state on a two-month sit in a sleepy fisherman town. No car, no Uber, no rideshare of any kind available. I asked the homeowner about neighbors or anyone local who could help in an emergency — she said she has no support network here, no neighbors. It's a sleepy vacation town and most houses sit empty. 

Before I arrived, the homeowner mentioned there *might* be the option to use her car, and asked if I'd be okay without one. I said yes — but made clear I'd need a real emergency plan for the cats in place no matter what. She agreed.

When I arrived, she reacted as though a car had never been mentioned as a possibility, and there was no emergency plan discussed. When I asked what to do if a cat needed urgent vet care, she said "the vet is just around the corner, you could walk." I took that to mean literally nearby since there are a couple businesses around the corner two doors down, so I thought maybe that works. But when I actually went to see, it's not around the corner. It's a significant distance to carry a cat in a soft carrier with no solid bottom, where the cat shifts around and the whole thing destabilizes. That's hard on anyone's body, and I have some physical limitations that make it an impossible option for me.

I'm watching two cats — a 5-year-old and a 15-year-old with kidney disease. Both are indoor/outdoor. The younger one who came home one evening with a serious neck wound, blood all over his neck. I immediately notified the homeowner, who's in another country, and I looked up all vets since the nearby one was closed. Nothing was open locally. The only option was a vet in the next town over, about 45 minute drive away, and they weren't open until the following day. The homeowner's response was "wait, don't do anything yet" — she wanted more photos to assess, but her wifi was too spotty to receive them. I ended up calling the vet by phone and got advice, researching online, and monitoring the cat closely for a week. She recovered. But I was managing all of that essentially alone and didnt have a way to get him to the vet if I wanted to and her not approving to do so if I could.

Here's the broader context that makes this hard to resolve: the sit was described as fairly low maintenance — the cats go outside, litter box barely used. The reality is I'm cleaning up vomit and feces almost every day.  I ran out of cleaning supplies to keep up with it and flagged it to the homeowner — no response. There's no mop, which became a real issue on rainy days with cats tracking in and going on the floor. When I asked about it, again no response. When I asked about a toilet brush because I couldn't identify what was there, I sent a photo — and got a reply that basically said it took half a second to Google this, it's right next to the toilet. So the communication dynamic is: she responds well to pet photos, but when I raise anything about maintaining the house or practical concerns, it either gets ignored or I get a snarky response. 

That's why I haven't pushed harder on the emergency plan. By the time the wound and another issue around the house was resolved I was completely spent, and I just didn't have it in me to start a conversation that I wasn't confident would go anywhere. Every time I raise a practical concern it doesn't land well, and I don't have a the energy to spend on conversations that go nowhere. But I also can't sit here for another month with no real plan if something happens to either cat — especially the 15-year-old with kidney disease.

I want to be fair to her — I don't think she's acting in bad faith. I think she genuinely didn't think it through, and some of it is a perspective gap: when you have a car, "the vet is just around the corner" is true. She's not wrong from where she's sitting. But I'm the one here without one, and I need an actual plan for the next month.

**What I'm looking for:**

• Is this situation enough to justify ending the sit early under THS terms? I want to honor the commitment I made, and I would never take that lightly — but I also would never have signed up for a sit like this had I known. This isn't about inconvenience. To me, having no emergency plan for a elderly cat period but one with kidney disease in a rural area with no transportation is a matter of paramount importance.
• If not, how would you approach bringing this back up with a homeowner who tends to minimize and doesn't respond well to practical concerns?
• Are there workarounds I'm not thinking of for rural sits with no transportation?
• How would you handle the next month?

I might find the post-sit time difficult. I've adored many of the pets I've taken care of. But this little nugget...wahhhh! We've bonded.

Anyone else have their faves?