TRUST House-Sitters? 7 reasons to avoid it...

Рет қаралды 7,458

Күн бұрын

There are well documented benefits to housesitting. Today we look at what can go wrong, 7 issues that could make your life as a Sitter maybe more work or stressful than you are willing to take on.
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Пікірлер: 66

@freetowandernow 11 ай бұрын

This year we did 4 housesits and have one more yet over Christmastime. We travel full time and also miss having pets and so it's a great addition to our various types of accommodation. We find that the video chat before agreeing to the sit is crucial. We can get a good idea of balance of power and the expectations. Concerning the dog off leash thing. We would tell the owner that we wouldn't be doing that with the dog, explain why and work out an alternative. We are presently sitting with a 10 year old greyhound in Toronto and we were offered the services of their dog walker if we wanted to be away for a longer time!

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Absolutely. That video call can tell a lot about the relationship before you get started.

@DrCrystalHarris 11 ай бұрын

I have been enjoying house sitting for about 6 months and I plan to continue while traveling internationally, but you are correct it's not a perfect system. I learned the hard way not to commit anything until there is a video chat. I want to stay in homes of people I actually feel I would like and respect as people. It's an intimate arrangement - especial as my preferred sits are 7 - 14 days now that I have great reviews. Thanks for the list. I am going keep going for now.

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing! You are right. Video Chat is critical.

@mamajudesays6912 11 ай бұрын

Trust is paramount as you've noted. I've had some crazy stuff happen, stuff I don't talk about for the sake of client privacy, but woo wee!

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

I bet, there are things that make your toes curl! :-). Thank you!

@Beepbopboop19 2 ай бұрын

Oh no really? I've only done one, please tell me what I should look out for. We're there clues that I should notice?

@robinferguson8911 5 ай бұрын

I have been a dog sitter through TrustedHousesitters and have done 16 sits now. I've leaned a lot doing it. I now know that I love sits in the countryside and a dog who loves to walk for hours. I dont like sits in the city. Dogs are constantly finding things they shouldn't eat on city sidewalks and it can be very stressful keeping a reactive dog away from other dogs without wide ooen countryside. All in all I have loved dog sitting. Most of the families who bring a stranger into their home to petsit are trusting and generous people with a certain worldview that matches mine very well, and they love their pets. Exceptions exist of course but after a few sits you get very good at reading people from the profile they put up and from other sitters reviews. We have just adopted a dog ourselves so I'm not doing sits anymore and I miss it!

@getrealrae4273 20 күн бұрын

My two cents... you were right to be concerned with letting that dog off the leash. I have seen dog owners in NY enter enclosed spaces that state (no dogs) and let them run around. I've seen dogs off leash in IN, PA, and NJ in areas where either the law says dogs must be on a leash or it's clear the owner has little control over the dog and kids are walking by. That playground may actually have had a rule about dogs and that dog owner may feel comfortable going at certain times of day to let the dog be off leash. I dog sat for a friend and was told the dog could go off leash at times. I spent a ridiculous amount of time in my own backyard trying to plug up spots that I had never thought were diggable areas for the dog to get under the fence. Stressful 4 days. You were right to be concerned and you are right to stick with cats. Great video.

@MadeNCda 11 ай бұрын

Hi Guys ✌🏻 Enjoying this video - as for young dog off leash, personally, I wouldn't let her/him off. When I got my 18 mos old rescue Ridgeback, I trained him on tennis courts w gate shut, just so he couldn't get beyond my control. Also, good means of getting your dog used to recall is a training lead, then get them to chase you ie get their attn, then turn in opposite direction and they will 9/10 follow. Then reward w a treat 😊 So yeah, I can definitely see why that would have been stressful 😅 The cat who wanted an all night rave gave me the giggles 🤭

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Thanks Kate... Scary responsibility when you hardly know the dog. Cats all the way for us.

@melhenline8438 11 ай бұрын

A few years ago Richard and I did three housesits over a couple of years. There are some good things but definitely some challenges. I could see us doing it as we travel though. Like you, however, we would probably limit ourselves to homes with cats. We love dogs, but they do require a lot more care. Two of the sits we did had multiple dogs and allowed us to bring our dog along as well. At one point, we were walking a group of five dogs at a time! It went well but it was a lot of work. 🙂

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Hey Mel. Yes Cats are the way to go for us. Dogs are far more complex aren't they.

@oneworldspokane 11 ай бұрын

We always picked up our house sitters from the airport or bus station.

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

That is really good and it a great way to start a sit. We once ran the hosts to the airport to save them the cost of an Uber.

@shannonmann5501 11 ай бұрын

Thank you! Really look forward to your videos, I always learn something ❤

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Thank you so much Shannon

@denise-stevens 11 ай бұрын

Well now you’ve talked me out of ever considering doing this. Plus, I assume everyone would have hidden cameras in their home to check on you to make sure you’re being nice to their pet.

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

That is another point we didn't get to Denise... there was a sit where they did have cameras and we had to ask to turn them off. That was a bit weird.

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

That gives us chills!

@denise-stevens 11 ай бұрын

@@2GoRoam don’t know where you were when that happened, though it’s not unusual around here in SoCal to have cameras inside the home and at the front door. I know plenty who do. I don’t know anyone who uses cameras for spying, although I’m sure those kind exist. Regularly they are installed to check in on a pet and for security reasons only. I’ve never owned any of these accessories myself, but it’s normalized here. That’s why I assume there are cameras everywhere you housesit. And because I’d pretty much expect there to be cameras, and for other reasons, I don’t think this is for me. I hope they disclosed to you they had cameras!

@dastevens11 11 ай бұрын

@@keepingitreal-sd7un sure, obviously. My point was it’s common for homeowners to have cameras for non-creepy reasons.

@GlobetrotterGranny 11 ай бұрын

I’ve thought about house sitting, but I’m absolutely not in favor of exposing ourselves to any type of liability. Very cautious of anything like that. Your experience sounds great though.

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

We are the same... and sometimes, it is only in the moment that you realise you kinda made a mistake. Thanks for the comment!

@tunemistress8433 10 ай бұрын

We also did a housesit where we felt like employees, it was miserable. There were also more animals there when we arrived than when we originally spoke for a total of five dogs, two cats, and two kittens. After that sit we vowed to never take another that was clearly work. Your dog issue would've traumatized me also. I don't know that I'd let a dog that belongs to someone else run off-leash. Great info, looking forward to watching past house sit videos! - Anne

@TravelThoughts 10 ай бұрын

We have done around 35 houesits since we started our world travels in 2017. Our first was in Costa Rica, and lately we have also been housesitting in the UK after 4 months travelling in SE Asia. Housesitting certainly provides a better standard of accommodation than AirBnB and hotels - so long as you're discriminating. We sti both cats and dogs but have also looked after chickens and on one occasion a 10-ft long corn snake that fortunately wasn't allowed out of its home. We thoroughly recommend it. Just make sure you ask all questions you need the answers to about the sit and "get on" with the people in the interview. Most of our sits are in Western economies, where accommodation is pricier. We did our own THS videos, too, about 6 years ago now but haven't revisited the subject.

@oldfartsadventure 11 ай бұрын

We had a housesitter stay at our place for a year. Who does that? We didn't know her that well but she stayed and took care of our cat and dog, plus she mowed our 4 acre area that required it. Looking back, it went really well, not perfect but good enough. We've had several sitters before and after. On our latest use of a sitter, we got Covid while on a cruise and had to come home early. We felt so bad. We've learned a lot about selecting a housesitter, but never want to housesit.

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

That is amazing! A whole year! If it works that can be a great arrangement I am sure.

@erinaustin9968 11 ай бұрын

We almost never let the dogs off the leash. We’re too conservative to take the risk.

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Us too Erin... Never again.

@tootietatum8737 11 ай бұрын

I did a sit for a friend 30 years ago when I was in graduate school - it was the first time I'd taken care of a young, athletic border collie. It went about the same as your experience. I was truly amazed at how fast that dog could run. It was almost like a cartoon. My heart still jumps when I think back even now. Funny enough - I've owned 6 border collies of my own since that time (only a masochist does that to themselves). I can't imagine asking anyone to watch these crazy dogs unless they've owned border collies themselves. In my mind, housesitting means watching the house. Petsitting means watching animals. A world of difference. Also the reason I fly private (or should I say, the dog flies private - I just accompany).

@drthomason7043 11 ай бұрын

Shepherd are genetically programmed to herd sheep so that's the type of exercise they require,. Stalking. Chasing.

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Border Collies are great aren't they, so intelligent and funny. But sitting for them... No thanks! Thank you for the comment Tootie, hope you are well x

@joeschu7794 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Our pleasure

@pauladuncanadams1750 4 ай бұрын

In the US, you aren't allowed on school grounds unless you are a student during sessions or have permission, like a parent. The exception is for school functions. People have been pretty freaked since Columbine and all the consecutive school shootings. It wasn't always like this, but it's to protect the school, staff, and students. NEVER wander onto a school in the US, regardless of what anyone tells you.

@drthomason7043 11 ай бұрын

Heard of someone who had to sit 🐍 a snake at one place and it had a sleeper requirement, another was a home with pet rats.

@lindadorman2869 11 ай бұрын

You were very lucky - what if the dog bit a child or ran off? I don't want to be responsible for someone else's property or pets. When I'm traveling and something happens in an Airbnb or hotel, I can call the host or concierge to take care of it. Too many things can go wrong for me to ever consider housesitting. I love pets too and look forward to having a cat or dog when I settle down years from now.

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

You are so right Linda, we were very lucky!!! It has certainly made us think again.

@thelifestyledigs Ай бұрын

I've not signed up with Trusted House Sitters but am with other sites. I prefer dogs, but I can get a ton of cat sits! An overabundance of caution, but I never let a homeowner's dog off leash. Too many things can go wrong. I'm housesitting in the UK again this summer - was in London and other towns last summer, and not warm and sunny. I'm still wearing jeans and a hoodie and we're a week into July. Last year it wasn't until the end of August and September that things heated up in the UK. So expect gloomy weather in the UK in the summer, and that's not a problem for me when I see other places in Europe and North America suffering with heatwaves.

@whatsitlike6392 11 ай бұрын

Wow, you look at things the way I do. I always imagine what's the worst that can happen and try to operate from that space. I've been thinking about doing some house sitting and have been leaning toward cats that are just inside cats. We had a TV just break on us at an AirBnB while in Spain. It was the last night we were there and it just stopped turning on. I called the host and felt so bad like we should replace it. I don't know how it turned out but he thanked us for leaving the place so clean so maybe it was fine? I too am fairly technical and when I couldn't make it work I assumed it was dead.

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Haha you had the TV thing too. We like it :-). Sounds like you are doing a good job of being a great Airbnb'er so all good when things go wrong.

@cornishhh 11 ай бұрын

How would you demonstrate that you were trustworthy before you'd done it?

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Good question, I think when it came to us having the video call, it is about being open and pretty transparent. You can also ask friends to write a character reference for you to go on the site which can be good if they aren't too gushing of course.

@wanderingsofalanandcaz 6 ай бұрын

Trust is the big thing. We’ve done 40 sits around the world over the past 2 yrs and we started it by doing local sits and gaining 5 star reviews which gives the future sits big confidence. Also the video call is crucial in our opinion. We also go into that video chat with a lot of questions that we’ve learnt to ask after so many sits.

@ChrisLivingInYork 11 ай бұрын

Funny watching this video and was about say only house sit CATS and you beat me too it. I’ve probably housesit around 20 times and it’s only ever been cats as dogs come with so many issues. Ideally house cats are the best

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Cats are the way ahead Chris for sure!

@omrouk 10 ай бұрын

I’ll have to keep you both in mind if you ever want to house sit in Canada for 2 Siamese cats and a German Shepherd lol.

@Annahita7523 10 ай бұрын

One other issue not mentioned is that some of the homes are very dirty or smell. Pictures don’t show all the dog hair on the furniture or the smell of mold. The pictures can be deceiving. We have done several sits now and have learned quite a bit. Sitters need to be more honest on the reviews, but I understand the hesitation due to the current review system.

@oneworldspokane 11 ай бұрын

Our house sit had two dogs who insisted on sleeping on the bed. Not a problem except there wasn't enough room for my husband and I so I slept in the other room for two weeks. Not ideal but part of the job.

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Haha that is brilliant :-)

@louiseperry6920 11 ай бұрын

When you come to Dunedin, New Zealand you will have your own space and bathroom. I will annoy you both though and our cat Hestia will sleep in your room because it’s really her room

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

We're on our way lol! Well we will be back for sure.

@Stchristopherofatlantis 11 ай бұрын

You can have our house for a week if you look after Claire

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Is she potty trained or does she do danger 'sh*ts', that would be a deal breaker for us :-0)

@danielodonoghue3529 11 ай бұрын

What about Falcons? I'm not sure if I will get a house-sit in Dubai...but....

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Nice thinking.... Always thinking outside the box Daniel :-)

@Suz52 11 ай бұрын

You weren’t being overly concerned. Many cities have enclosed dog parks. School playground, especially unfenced, is irresponsible by the homeowners😤

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Thank you Susan ❤️

@leonieduplessis4467 2 ай бұрын

But you get free accommodation, can't deny it up to. $200-$350 per day. But we like the Idea thay you guys can house sit our precious dogs❤

@travellingwithcrowsfeet 9 ай бұрын

This might fill a gap in February for us.

@apostlerosemaryartman8051 2 ай бұрын

Im thinking of putting my apartment in St Vincent and the Grenadines out for house sitting.

@amiek9226 10 ай бұрын

Cats are generally easier to care for than dogs. Except when it comes to medication. I wouldn’t consider any pet sit that involved giving a cat medication. It’s difficult enough when it’s your own cat, I have the scars to prove it. lol I respect your decision to limit pet sits to cats but I think I’d also consider a smaller less active breed of dog, one of the pampered house dog types such as a Maltese or Shih Tzu. I’d research the breed first. I would forego a young or highly active kind of dog such as one of the herding or sporting breeds. I’d give a pass to any dog big enough to cause me physical problems if it strained at the leash. I dog sat a relative’s Weimaraner for two months one summer and it nearly dislocated my shoulder. It took weeks to get leash discipline established with that highly strung dog. I would also not be comfortable letting a dog off leash anywhere except within the confines of its own enclosed backyard. There are just too many things that could go wrong from the dog running off and getting lost or abducted to it getting struck by a car. Not worth the risk.

@findinghunna 11 ай бұрын

I wouldn't discriminate against responsible dog/homeowners based on that horrible experience you had. Your experience sounded awful and I can totally understand how mortifying it must have been however, I use a house/dog sitter and would NEVER put anyone in that position.

@2GoRoam 11 ай бұрын

Agreed. Thanks for the comment.

@froggy9811 10 ай бұрын

You were not too cautious to have concerns about setting the dog loose. That whole situation was risky for the dog and nearby children. I don't think the owners should release the dog there either.