Coronavirus | A guide for owners

If you’re planning to welcome a sitter during this time, it’s important that you follow your local government's guidance on social distancing and sanitisation. All members are also asked to read the following guide on how to conduct safe and responsible sits right now.  

Keeping each other safe 

• As with any sit, it’s vital that you communicate with the sitter and make sure you’re both comfortable before confirming anything.
  
• Before you confirm a sitter, be sure to ask whether they have felt unwell or been around anyone with coronavirus symptoms in the past two weeks. If they have, you must not confirm the arrangement. 
  
• Make sure to also monitor your country's government updates regularly, as local travel restrictions and advice are still subject to change. 

Sitter confirmation

• The impact of the coronavirus has caused many people to feel continually worried. All members are asked to bear this mind while talking to one another and are encouraged to be as understanding as possible. However, if you are made to feel uncomfortable in any way while talking to a sitter, please do not confirm or continue with the arrangement. 
  
• You should also aim to organise any pre-sit interviews online, either via phone or a video calling platform.
  

The sit handover

• While owners are always asked to ensure their property is clean and comfortable for the sitter’s arrival, it’s more important than ever to thoroughly disinfect the accommodation. Equally, sitters must do the same before they leave. For this reason, all owners and sitters are asked to read and follow our official cleaning guidelines. 
  
• Try to adapt your usual sit handover process to remove any person-to-person contact. So while you may usually greet the sitter at the door and then give them a tour of your home, we advise you to leave the keys in a safe place and do a video handover instead. This, along with an up-to-date and thorough welcome guide, including updated information on your local vet practice, should be enough to help the sitter settle in while keeping you both safe.
  
• However, in instances where this isn't possible (and you are permitted to meet with another household), you must follow social distancing rules as governed by the country you are in.
  
• In these instances, if you can wear a mask, you should do so to further limit any potential spread. These steps should be discussed with your sitter ahead of the handover, to make sure you are both comfortable before the sit takes place.

For more information and advice, please refer to our house sitting during coronavirus guide.