House sitting Etiquette
House sitting Etiquette
Guidelines for home owners and house sitters for a great house sitting experience
For great house sitting experiences for both parties, it´s important to have some guidelines in mind. Those should go and come both ways. After all house or pet sitting involves people of different age, life styles and/or cultures.
Appreciation
Appreciate the other party. It starts with answering all applicants, respectively all inquiries. Nothing is more frustrating than not getting an answer on your two pages long sit application. Appreciate the other´s time, nice gestures, provided information, etc. Nothing should be taken for granted. Everything should be seen from both perspectives.
Respect
Respect privacy. Respect cultures. Respect life styles. Respect age. Respect wishes and concerns. Respect decisions.
Communication
The key to a great experience for both parties, is great communication. Before, during and after a sit. Get all the contact info – Email, phone, whatsapp, skype, etc. It also establishes trust.
Make sure, you understand everything right. Especially language and cultural barriers can result in misunderstandings. So keep in mind different countries, time zones, climates, cultures, generations, life styles and languages.
Trust
Trust goes both ways. The home owner trusts the sitter with his/her home and pets. Big Deal! They trust that a sitter is organized, will arrive on time and to be devoted to this sit 100%.
The sitter trusts the owner that all the provided information is correct. It starts with the house details, the safety of the neighborhood and the details about the pets. Especially with trustedhousesitters, it’s the sitters holiday/ free time. And there is no money charged. So to all the homeowners out there, please no hidden cameras! It´s the one of the most invasion of the privacy there is. If you do not trust your sitter, don´t get a house sitter in the first place.
Talk about expectations
Don´t let the other party guess what you expect. Make it clear. It´s the only way to avoid disappointments. And the best way to have a house sitting experience all enjoy.
For me most important is the expectations regarding cleanliness. That´s maybe a German thing. But the experience taught me, it happens to so many sitters and owners that the definitions of neat and respectful are divided. And it really can cast shadows over a sit.
For most home owners its important a sitter keeps their home tidy and clean. Some even explicitly write in their listing they are neat and want neat sitters. But sitters expect the same when arriving at a sit. Nothing is worse than arriving at a dirty house sit. Where you don´t feel comfortable. And maybe need to clean a whole day before you can enjoy yourself (believe me, we had that more than once, where we even had to clean the vacuum cleaner and washing machine first to can even start cleaning).
So talk about expectations, preferably before confirming a sit. So both parties know if its the right fit.
"The struggle is real"
I hope this post helps all house sitters and home owners to understand each other better.
If you have any other questions on house sitting, please feel free to contact me. Either on Social Media or via Email ([email protected]).
If you like to do house sitting, I highly recommend TrustedHousesitters. They are the best platform and house sitting community worldwide. I checked!
Sign up here now and join us in the biggest house sitting community worldwide!
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Trust. Respect. Appreciate. Understand. Communicate.
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