Hello and welcome to my "out loud" thoughts of the moment, thoughts centered around house sitting etiquette that when applied promises a great house sitting experience for everyone involved ..... please read on
Often sitters fall short on detailed information unlike home owners who know oodles about potential sitters right from the beginning of the selection process having access to personal websites and detailed profiles on sites such as http://www.trustedhousesitters.com/house-and-pet-sitters/145-sittingperfected/ Whilst sitters do their best to limit guesswork we rely to a great extent on honesty, trust and the good old fashioned integrity of the home owner. So home owners when you decide to engage a sitter and prepare for their arrival one thing to consider is the "Hotel Room" comparison ...... let me explain;
Say you check into your hotel room only to find it hasn't been properly cleaned and prepared, bed linen hasn't been changed, wardrobe and draws still have previous occupants clothes and personal belongings, bathroom has clutter and toiletries, kitchen, cooker and fridge same deal, what would you do? Firstly complain, you'd be well justified, secondly probably move to another hotel ..... I certainly would!
Sitters don't have that luxury, we give our word and know that the home owner is reliant on us. We don't expect home owners to remodel their homes, put personal belongings into storage, get the decorators in or even have a de-cluttering garage sale, but spending a few hours preparing for your "guest" will pay dividends and be greatly appreciated. We may arrive with suitcases but certainly don't want to live out of them we want to feel comfortably at home, after all this will be our home for the duration of YOUR vacation!! So please, if necessary, clean dust and vacuum the whole house, good opportunity to spring clean, although if you're like us (Hubby and I) that wont be needed we "Spring Clean" every week we're always ready for guests that's exactly how we choose to live, look at "Our Home" here on the website a picture says a thousand words! Putting things away to make space for the sitter isn't a difficult task all that's needed is a box(es) and a place to put it (them) ..... job done. Home owners trust sitters to look after homes with care and attention, we would simply like to be afforded the same consideration. There's a lot to be said for leaving your home the way you'd expect to find it!
When our house sitters arrive and we've welcomed many over the years, they simply unpack and start to enjoy their home away from home, no dusting cleaning or re-arranging to "suit" required just the way it should be!
PETS .... our most important subject. When we had our Holly her bedding used to get washed and changed more than ours and guess what, there was NEVER a doggy smell in our home, when you run a B&B the last thing your guests want is Eau de Doggy, so make sure the furry ones are clean, spruced and smelling sweet and that's how you'll find them when you get home. We've looked after many, many lovely pets it's the part we love the most and pet owners know their pets far better than we do, each one has their own personality and behavioral traits just like humans. If a pet has ANY tendency, no matter how remote or unimportant you the owner think it is, towards being possessive, territorial, even aggressive, inform and forewarn whoever may care for or come into contact with the animal not doing so could have serious consequences, it's also unfair to put that burden on someone who doesn't know the pet, we only like good surprises, not bad ones!! Fortunately this isn't a situation which arises very often but just in case it's wise to ask the question and even wiser to give a truthful answer.
There are times when we travel great distances at our own expense to provide pet and home owners with our excellent service, one we give willingly and from the heart so thank you to all our wonderful clients past, present and future who embrace these and other House Sitting Etiquette Rules .........
Often sitters fall short on detailed information unlike home owners who know oodles about potential sitters right from the beginning of the selection process having access to personal websites and detailed profiles on sites such as http://www.trustedhousesitters.com/house-and-pet-sitters/145-sittingperfected/ Whilst sitters do their best to limit guesswork we rely to a great extent on honesty, trust and the good old fashioned integrity of the home owner. So home owners when you decide to engage a sitter and prepare for their arrival one thing to consider is the "Hotel Room" comparison ...... let me explain;
Say you check into your hotel room only to find it hasn't been properly cleaned and prepared, bed linen hasn't been changed, wardrobe and draws still have previous occupants clothes and personal belongings, bathroom has clutter and toiletries, kitchen, cooker and fridge same deal, what would you do? Firstly complain, you'd be well justified, secondly probably move to another hotel ..... I certainly would!
Sitters don't have that luxury, we give our word and know that the home owner is reliant on us. We don't expect home owners to remodel their homes, put personal belongings into storage, get the decorators in or even have a de-cluttering garage sale, but spending a few hours preparing for your "guest" will pay dividends and be greatly appreciated. We may arrive with suitcases but certainly don't want to live out of them we want to feel comfortably at home, after all this will be our home for the duration of YOUR vacation!! So please, if necessary, clean dust and vacuum the whole house, good opportunity to spring clean, although if you're like us (Hubby and I) that wont be needed we "Spring Clean" every week we're always ready for guests that's exactly how we choose to live, look at "Our Home" here on the website a picture says a thousand words! Putting things away to make space for the sitter isn't a difficult task all that's needed is a box(es) and a place to put it (them) ..... job done. Home owners trust sitters to look after homes with care and attention, we would simply like to be afforded the same consideration. There's a lot to be said for leaving your home the way you'd expect to find it!
When our house sitters arrive and we've welcomed many over the years, they simply unpack and start to enjoy their home away from home, no dusting cleaning or re-arranging to "suit" required just the way it should be!
PETS .... our most important subject. When we had our Holly her bedding used to get washed and changed more than ours and guess what, there was NEVER a doggy smell in our home, when you run a B&B the last thing your guests want is Eau de Doggy, so make sure the furry ones are clean, spruced and smelling sweet and that's how you'll find them when you get home. We've looked after many, many lovely pets it's the part we love the most and pet owners know their pets far better than we do, each one has their own personality and behavioral traits just like humans. If a pet has ANY tendency, no matter how remote or unimportant you the owner think it is, towards being possessive, territorial, even aggressive, inform and forewarn whoever may care for or come into contact with the animal not doing so could have serious consequences, it's also unfair to put that burden on someone who doesn't know the pet, we only like good surprises, not bad ones!! Fortunately this isn't a situation which arises very often but just in case it's wise to ask the question and even wiser to give a truthful answer.
There are times when we travel great distances at our own expense to provide pet and home owners with our excellent service, one we give willingly and from the heart so thank you to all our wonderful clients past, present and future who embrace these and other House Sitting Etiquette Rules .........
