Identifying Potential Problems or “Red Flags”
When the red flag is flying on the beach, it usually means no swimming or proceed with caution. We use the term in a similar way as there are some situations that you probably don’t want to get into.
Thankfully most home and pet owners are honest about their requirements, their home and their pets, but sadly not all are completely upfront. Over the years we have identified what we call the “red flags.” These are things that are usually not mentioned at all in the “sitter wanted ad” or alluded to very briefly.
How to catch those “red flags”
Here’s a light-hearted look at the eight types of sits you may want to avoid.
The Shanty Sit: Some homes could be from the cover of Better Homes and Gardens, while others would be a better fit for the cover of Better Shacks and Shelters.
The Zoo or Circus Sit: These are the types of sits where the sitter has to look after 17 dogs, 23 cats, 2 horses, 5 goats and a herd of milking cows.
The Prison Sit: We classify two different scenarios as a “prison sit,” since neither allows you to escape from the property easily. The first is where you are expected to be full time care for dogs with severe separation anxiety. The second scenario involves owners who want their housesitters to provide 24/7 security for the property.
The Slave Labor Sit: Some people look at housesitters as desperate people who are a source of cheap labor and expect you to do additional chores, as well as looking after the home and pets. Or run their hospitality business for free.
The Let’s Shack-up Sit: This is a housesit where you are expected to co-habit with the owners of the property or their friends or relatives, either full or part time.
The Babysitter Sit: This sit crosses the line from housesitting to caregiving. Some homeowners think it is OK for sitters to look after elderly parents, bratty teenagers, or invalid spouses.
The General Contractor Sit: There are homeowners who think it would be a great idea to go on holiday while they have the kitchen remodeled, and even better, to get a housesitter to “keep an eye” on the contractors!
The George Orwell Sit: This is where the homeowner has security cameras in the house and will be watching you.
The good news is that there are often warning signs within these ads if you know what to look for.
The first thing for you to understand is what your show-stoppers are. What is a concern or a no-go for one sitter may be perfectly reasonable to another. For example, we never apply for sits if there is going to be someone else living on the property, or someone who might need to drop in from time to time. Another no go for us is when the owners ask for a security deposit. Take some time and browse the housesitter wanted ads on a platform or two and consider what would be show-stoppers for you.
Now let’s talk about the warning signs… the red flags. Sometimes they are blatantly obvious. Other times it is a matter of reading between the lines or assessing information that is missing or contradictory.
Here are a few things to watch out for on a sitter wanted advertisement.
Is there enough information for you as a potential sitter to make an informed decision?
- Too little information—no information about the house, pets, the location, proximity to amenities, etc.
- Too much information—going on and on about expressing anal glands or the importance of their security system, could mean the homeowner is demanding or a little neurotic.
- No information on the pets—apart from a mention that they have them—could mean they are hiding something, or just too lazy to describe them.
- No photographs at all or just a few of the outside or of the pets. Do remember, though, that the owners have to balance the need for privacy versus the housesitter’s needing information or assurance.
Are the homeowners asking for more than the usual care of pets and home?
- Currently renovating or building their home.
- Need help with their vacation rentals (if you want to test drive running rentals this could be ideal for you, but you may want to ask for some kind of compensation).
- Pet can’t be left alone for more than 2 or 3 hours, or the pet needs walks/care/feeding every two hours, or has severe separation anxiety.
- Large numbers of animals, or mention of livestock; no specifics on the type of animals and the specialized care and time required.
Are they asking for monetary compensation, or are there hidden costs to you?
- Homeowners asking for payment of utilities or staff upfront.
- Isolated location, vehicle necessary (can you use theirs, or will you have to rent?).
- Wifi is available, at sitter’s expense.
Additional flags often arise when you check reviews from previous sitters.
- No reviews from previous sitters, especially if it is obvious they have used sitters before, is definitely a red flag.
- Short reviews that say very little about either the owners, the home, or and pets, could be an indication of sitters not wanting to tell the truth and doing a little “whitewashing.”
- Lots of applicants but the assignment stays unfilled for a long time.
Seeing any of these things in an ad does not necessarily mean it is really a “red flag.” Some people are just too busy to write more or are just very private people. You must also bear in mind that homeowners (especially if they are new to house and pet sitting) have no idea what information is important for enabling sitters to determine if it’s a good fit or not.
What to do about those flags?
We are not saying don’t apply for sits that have potential flags, especially if they look like a good fit for you. But what you must do—as soon as possible—is get your questions asked and answered. Saying that, we do not recommend peppering your application with these questions; they come after you have opened up communication between you.
If there are few or zero photographs in the sitters wanted ad, ask for some and be sure to ask for a tour of the house and introduction to the pets while doing your video chat.
On some of the platforms, you are able to contact their prior sitters, which is a great way of getting the inside scoop on how the sit was for them. This is a great way of getting around the whitewashing issue.
There are a few “red flags” which only become obvious after you have applied for the sit. The one we hate is the owners “accepting” you prior to you being able to chat with them (some platforms allow owners to accept or confirm you as their sitter once you have applied, even before actually speaking with you). We strongly recommend that you never accept a sit until you have spoken with the owners to ensure it is a good fit for all parties.
Another red flag is them refusing to do a video call with you, although there are a few circumstances where this is justified. Not everybody is up on today’s technology, but we do recommend a phone conversation at the very least.
Frosty or tardy communications is another red flag. If requested details, such as photographs or information on the pets is not forthcoming, it could mean they either have something to hide, have trust issues, or like many people these days are so busy that it takes them a long time to get to it.
What to do depends on the concern but the best answer we can give is to…
Trust your gut!
If you have not had your questions answered or received photographs after giving them a reasonable amount of time, the best thing to do is contact them and say that “because you still have not received the information you requested, you are withdrawing your application”. If this was an oversight, they will address it immediately. If they don’t, you have made the right decision and it is time to move on.
The FOMO trap, the fear of missing out, can make you second-guess your decision, but stick with it. There are always good opportunities, and if you don’t get the information you need and someone else gets the assignment, they just might be doing you a huge favor. This sit could well turn out be one of those “eight sits” to avoid.
We realize that as a new sitter it can be hard to walk away from a potential housesit, but we know from experience that something better will come along.