Should homeowners treat dogsitters like guests or clients?
Five must-ask questions before dogsitting someone’s home
Merriam Webster defines a guest as “a person to whom hospitality is extended.” Skip a few pages over to hospitality, and the dictionary defines it as “generous and friendly treatment of visitors and guests.”
In hotels, motels and inns, there’s a checklist of things that must be readily available in order to be a guest staying at these company locations. But in a tech-savvy and stranger-friendly world of Airbnbs and dogsitting, homeowners can either pay someone to watch their homes in exchange for watching pets or make a profit on space in their homes while they’re away.
Recommended Read: “Your Airbnb host is not your maid ~ From dog housesitting to vacationing, treat their home like your own”
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While Airbnbs should certainly make sure they’re presentable for guests to live in, do the same rules apply if a homeowner (or apartment dweller) is paying someone to be in their homes? Or, should the person (such as a dogsitter) be responsible for each item needed during their stay?
Recommended Read: “Mi casa, tu casa, but legally maybe not with Airbnb”
There is no right or wrong answer here. However, if you are a dogsitter who believes the answer to the latter question is “no,” then you should be very careful about which dogsitting assignments you accept. Otherwise, that dogsitting and housesitting assignment is going to feel much longer than it needs to. Here are five questions that dogsitters should always ask their clients before booking a new gig.
Do you have an indoor security camera?
(Note: I am not a lawyer nor am I qualified to give legal advice.) Recording laws vary by state. In Illinois, for example, the state eavesdropping statute formerly required all parties to consent to the recording of any conversation or communication, or potentially face felony charges and/or civil liability. But according to Justia, in 2014, the Illinois Supreme Court declared the law overly broad and unconstitutional. The statute was amended later that year to allow recording in public places, but still requires all parties to consent to recording conversations where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.
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There appears to be a blurred line about that “privacy” within a person’s home. While a dogsitter may feel (s)he can have a private conversation or walk around without being monitored, this is really a decision that leans more toward the homeowner. This person owns the property; the dogsitter is only there temporarily. If the dogwalker is uncomfortable with being filmed by audio or video recording devices, let the owner know ahead of time. Maybe you two can agree on a timeframe to stop recording, but more than likely that homeowner is going to opt for a dogsitter who is OK with being filmed. Be ready for the “What do you have to hide?” look.