The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Share Your Badassity => Topic started by: meatgrinder on June 17, 2019, 12:09:54 PM
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Leaving on a two week vacation and needed someone to take care of our dog and cat (both low maintenance). Listed the house on CL under short-term rentals at 1/2 market rate noting they need to feed the pets.
Half-hour later get an email from someone saying they will take it and want to stop by and check out the place. Met the future tenet and cash has been paid. Seems like a reasonable dude. Hopefully the house isn't burnt down when we get back.
Financials breakdown:
Rent = $800
Not having to board pets = $300
Net = $1,100
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Did you factor theft, house damage, vet bills, and insurance deductible in to your breakdown?
This can't be serious right? Nobody would possibly let some random person from Craigslist stay in their house for 2 weeks while they are out of town... right?
By the way, when my sister in law let an AirBNB guest stay in her apartment for a week while she was out on vacation, the call from the police sure was interesting. Apparently, sis was the proud new owner of a brothel. And replacing the bed/furniture sure was fun and not cheap.
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This can't be serious right?
Not in my own financial life, but one time I had a good friend from my youth share some of his world with me. It included a lot of casual, creative, and off-the-books financial arrangements of all varieties and kinds.
Oh, and almost all of the time AirBnB situations go off without a hitch. If they had a serious brothel problem and not just a one-off occurrence, I think it would probably make the news.
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Why would somebody pay $800 to rent a house for two weeks if they live in the area anyway?
I hope nothing bad will happen, I just find this a bit weird.
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This can't be serious right?
Not in my own financial life, but one time I had a good friend from my youth share some of his world with me. It included a lot of casual, creative, and off-the-books financial arrangements of all varieties and kinds.
Oh, and almost all of the time AirBnB situations go off without a hitch. If they had a serious brothel problem and not just a one-off occurrence, I think it would probably make the news.
And my mom who hired someone to watch her house, recommended by a friend.... they went "shopping" during that week and took all sorts of valuables. Why anyone would let random people stay in their house is beyond me. I don't know very many long term positive stories.
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This can't be serious right?
Not in my own financial life, but one time I had a good friend from my youth share some of his world with me. It included a lot of casual, creative, and off-the-books financial arrangements of all varieties and kinds.
Oh, and almost all of the time AirBnB situations go off without a hitch. If they had a serious brothel problem and not just a one-off occurrence, I think it would probably make the news.
And my mom who hired someone to watch her house, recommended by a friend.... they went "shopping" during that week and took all sorts of valuables. Why anyone would let random people stay in their house is beyond me. I don't know very many long term positive stories.
Kind of off-topic, but what valuables do people have today? I would think if I moved across the country, I probably would donate 95% of my stuff and probably only be able to sell a few things (TVs, beds, etc). My wife and I don't have priceless antiques or jewelry.
I do airbnb, some minor annoyances but nothing major. My house also isn't totally updated and I really can't think of anything I own that I would miss/has value. I have paintings from travel that are worthless, 4 TVs but they are easily noticed if missing, I have too many clothes.
Also letting a co-worker live with me for 4 months. Really depends on how you define random.
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This can't be serious right?
Not in my own financial life, but one time I had a good friend from my youth share some of his world with me. It included a lot of casual, creative, and off-the-books financial arrangements of all varieties and kinds.
Oh, and almost all of the time AirBnB situations go off without a hitch. If they had a serious brothel problem and not just a one-off occurrence, I think it would probably make the news.
And my mom who hired someone to watch her house, recommended by a friend.... they went "shopping" during that week and took all sorts of valuables. Why anyone would let random people stay in their house is beyond me. I don't know very many long term positive stories.
Kind of off-topic, but what valuables do people have today? I would think if I moved across the country, I probably would donate 95% of my stuff and probably only be able to sell a few things (TVs, beds, etc). My wife and I don't have priceless antiques or jewelry.
I do airbnb, some minor annoyances but nothing major. My house also isn't totally updated and I really can't think of anything I own that I would miss/has value. I have paintings from travel that are worthless, 4 TVs but they are easily noticed if missing, I have too many clothes.
Also letting a co-worker live with me for 4 months. Really depends on how you define random.
Everything from jewelry to toiletries, paper towels, tools in the garage, all sorts of stuff. I just couldn't imagine allowing some stranger access to my house so they can snoop around to their hearts content. How could anyone enjoy vacation this way? And this isn't even taking the pets in to account. I'm not the "my pet is my child" type, but I would think lots of people would be horrified leaving their beloved pets with a stranger like this. Everything about this seems insane to me!
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Meatgrinder, I seriously hope you rethink this arrangement. This spells bad news all over it. I wouldn't want to have to board my animals but the money will be well spent for peace of mind.
Too many crazies out there. They might pull a truck up to your house and empty it out. They might let the door open and kick you animals into the street or worse not feed them or give them water. They might have wild parties and smash the walls and do extensive damage. Nope, nope, nope...don't do it!
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Did you factor theft, house damage, vet bills, and insurance deductible in to your breakdown?
This can't be serious right? Nobody would possibly let some random person from Craigslist stay in their house for 2 weeks while they are out of town... right?
By the way, when my sister in law let an AirBNB guest stay in her apartment for a week while she was out on vacation, the call from the police sure was interesting. Apparently, sis was the proud new owner of a brothel. And replacing the bed/furniture sure was fun and not cheap.
100% serious. Would it be better if it were from AirBNB or vbro?
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Why would somebody pay $800 to rent a house for two weeks if they live in the area anyway?
I hope nothing bad will happen, I just find this a bit weird.
The house is being used so a divorced spouse can spend time with their kids. Their current living situation is only one bedroom and their ex will only let them spend consecutive nights with them if they have a larger place.
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This can't be serious right?
Not in my own financial life, but one time I had a good friend from my youth share some of his world with me. It included a lot of casual, creative, and off-the-books financial arrangements of all varieties and kinds.
Oh, and almost all of the time AirBnB situations go off without a hitch. If they had a serious brothel problem and not just a one-off occurrence, I think it would probably make the news.
And my mom who hired someone to watch her house, recommended by a friend.... they went "shopping" during that week and took all sorts of valuables. Why anyone would let random people stay in their house is beyond me. I don't know very many long term positive stories.
Kind of off-topic, but what valuables do people have today? I would think if I moved across the country, I probably would donate 95% of my stuff and probably only be able to sell a few things (TVs, beds, etc). My wife and I don't have priceless antiques or jewelry.
I do airbnb, some minor annoyances but nothing major. My house also isn't totally updated and I really can't think of anything I own that I would miss/has value. I have paintings from travel that are worthless, 4 TVs but they are easily noticed if missing, I have too many clothes.
Also letting a co-worker live with me for 4 months. Really depends on how you define random.
Same, I have nothing that is worth stealing except for a couple of TVs which are not worth much. Who knows, they might be a weirdo and want to take my wife's panties?
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Meatgrinder, I seriously hope you rethink this arrangement. This spells bad news all over it. I wouldn't want to have to board my animals but the money will be well spent for peace of mind.
Too many crazies out there. They might pull a truck up to your house and empty it out. They might let the door open and kick you animals into the street or worse not feed them or give them water. They might have wild parties and smash the walls and do extensive damage. Nope, nope, nope...don't do it!
All good points and maybe this makes me a fool. We are taking some precautions: Anything that is worth something will be locked in the garage. They also own a service dog they are having stay in the house so I have some kind of sense that they care about animals. This is a parent and two younger kids so I doubt they are going to be doing keg stands. If it were a group a dudes in their early twenties it would be a different story.
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Did you factor theft, house damage, vet bills, and insurance deductible in to your breakdown?
This can't be serious right? Nobody would possibly let some random person from Craigslist stay in their house for 2 weeks while they are out of town... right?
By the way, when my sister in law let an AirBNB guest stay in her apartment for a week while she was out on vacation, the call from the police sure was interesting. Apparently, sis was the proud new owner of a brothel. And replacing the bed/furniture sure was fun and not cheap.
100% serious. Would it be better if it were from AirBNB or vbro?
With AirBnB and VRBO, you can at least vet your visitors a little better. See what their rating is from other renters, for example.
I mean, I hope this works out for you meatgrinder. But personally, I don't think I'd be at all comfortable letting total strangers who may or may not be who they say they are stay in my house. At the very least, please make sure you have all valuables out of it and any information regarding account numbers, passwords, billing info, credit card statements, etc. locked up very solidly.
I don't think I could leave my pets with people I hadn't more fully vetted, either. At the very least they could come in, steal your stuff, and leave without ever feeding or watering your animals.
May I ask, how you know for sure this is a parent and two younger kids with a service dog? If I had criminal intent, that is exactly the kind of scenario I would invent to lower someone's defenses.
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Even discounting the other (many) concerns, I would not allow someone with a service dog to watch my own dogs without some serious getting-to-know-you between the dogs ahead of time.
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Did you factor theft, house damage, vet bills, and insurance deductible in to your breakdown?
This can't be serious right? Nobody would possibly let some random person from Craigslist stay in their house for 2 weeks while they are out of town... right?
By the way, when my sister in law let an AirBNB guest stay in her apartment for a week while she was out on vacation, the call from the police sure was interesting. Apparently, sis was the proud new owner of a brothel. And replacing the bed/furniture sure was fun and not cheap.
100% serious. Would it be better if it were from AirBNB or vbro?
With AirBnB and VRBO, you can at least vet your visitors a little better. See what their rating is from other renters, for example.
I mean, I hope this works out for you meatgrinder. But personally, I don't think I'd be at all comfortable letting total strangers who may or may not be who they say they are stay in my house. At the very least, please make sure you have all valuables out of it and any information regarding account numbers, passwords, billing info, credit card statements, etc. locked up very solidly.
I don't think I could leave my pets with people I hadn't more fully vetted, either. At the very least they could come in, steal your stuff, and leave without ever feeding or watering your animals.
May I ask, how you know for sure this is a parent and two younger kids with a service dog? If I had criminal intent, that is exactly the kind of scenario I would invent to lower someone's defenses.
AirBNB will generally pay to replace stuff and fix damage as well if that does happen. I am almost certain my sis got a bit of money to replace her bed and couch after her AirBNB pimps used it to turn tricks.
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This doesn't sound all that crazy to me. My first thought was actually 'that's a great idea!'.
I've found most of my roommates as complete strangers off craigslist. I'm still friends with many of them.
You can do basic vetting like making sure their name matches their email and verify some of the basics of their story via google. You can check in and ask for pictures of your pets to make sure they look ok - that's what I do even when I hire a pet sitter. You could ask for references but meeting their own pet will probably tell you alot too.
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This is certainly interesting, and so long as you have a way to follow up with the guy after, you're fine, which you most likely do because it's through Craigslist.
CL gets a bad rap, but a partner in a CPA firm I knew, actually got the original job of part-time accountant through a CL ad.
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Meatgrinder, if you had babies would you just leave them with total strangers and hope they fed them and changed their diapers. Plus, not hurt them or traumatize them? My dogs are like babies to me and no way I would trust a stranger to care for them. It is bad enough to leave the dogs in a kennel, but at least if it is an established business you can figure your dogs will be cared for even if it is minimum care. They will be safe, fed, watered and exercised a little.
If nothing else, I would rent out the house and put the animals in a kennel. Put the valuables in the locked garage. I am not a fan of renting out my house but others do it and have no issues.
But that is just me. I am over the top when it comes to the care of my animals.
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This could turn out just fine, or it could be a "valuable learning experience". Either way, you'll come out ahead.
LOL
Keep us posted. We all love to learn from the mistakes of others. ;)
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Has this person asked you what vet you use, and what you would like him to do should one of your pets become sick or injured? Would you trust him to take your pet to the vet, and handle/facilitate the payment? Any responsible dog-sitter would, at the least, discuss this with you, and have your animals meet theirs.
Good luck, but I'm with those who say this sounds like a very risky arrangement.
I own a condo that I rent on VRBO, but I would never rent my primary home to a stranger. When I go away, I leave my pets with friends, or have a friend house-sit/pet-sit in our home.
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Meatgrinder, if you had babies would you just leave them with total strangers and hope they fed them and changed their diapers. Plus, not hurt them or traumatize them? My dogs are like babies to me and no way I would trust a stranger to care for them. It is bad enough to leave the dogs in a kennel, but at least if it is an established business you can figure your dogs will be cared for even if it is minimum care. They will be safe, fed, watered and exercised a little.
If nothing else, I would rent out the house and put the animals in a kennel. Put the valuables in the locked garage. I am not a fan of renting out my house but others do it and have no issues.
But that is just me. I am over the top when it comes to the care of my animals.
As I alluded to in a previous comment. We were on a vacation and my sister gets a call from the police at 11PM at night. Her AirBNB guests turned out to be pimps running a brothel in her apartment. If the neighbors didn't complain, I guess she wouldn't have known and gone home to sleep in her hooker infested bed knowing none the difference. I just couldn't possibly fathom the idea of allowing strangers in to my house while I'm away, let alone allowing them to care for my animals. Absolute insanity. The only positive was that AirBNB did give her money to replace the couch and bed....
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Meatgrinder, if you had babies would you just leave them with total strangers and hope they fed them and changed their diapers. Plus, not hurt them or traumatize them? My dogs are like babies to me and no way I would trust a stranger to care for them. It is bad enough to leave the dogs in a kennel, but at least if it is an established business you can figure your dogs will be cared for even if it is minimum care. They will be safe, fed, watered and exercised a little.
If nothing else, I would rent out the house and put the animals in a kennel. Put the valuables in the locked garage. I am not a fan of renting out my house but others do it and have no issues.
But that is just me. I am over the top when it comes to the care of my animals.
As I alluded to in a previous comment. We were on a vacation and my sister gets a call from the police at 11PM at night. Her AirBNB guests turned out to be pimps running a brothel in her apartment. If the neighbors didn't complain, I guess she wouldn't have known and gone home to sleep in her hooker infested bed knowing none the difference. I just couldn't possibly fathom the idea of allowing strangers in to my house while I'm away, let alone allowing them to care for my animals. Absolute insanity. The only positive was that AirBNB did give her money to replace the couch and bed....
No need to disparage sex workers like that.
Either way, anyone who rents their apartment should be aware that their furniture is getting fucked on. If that's not okay, they shouldn't list it for rent.
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Unlike some of the posters, this does not strike me as an unreasonable idea. The risk seems very small (assuming you do very basic vetting), and that is a nice sum of money (when and how is money exchanging hands?).
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Unlike some of the posters, this does not strike me as an unreasonable idea. The risk seems very small (assuming you do very basic vetting), and that is a nice sum of money (when and how is money exchanging hands?).
Everything turned out fine. We met before hand and receive the full payment prior to staying. The pets and house were well taken care of. Going to call them again when we are out of town. Was a win-win for all!
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Glad to hear that it all worked out. I know that I couldn't have done this if I was in your scenario but kudos and congrats.
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Unlike some of the posters, this does not strike me as an unreasonable idea. The risk seems very small (assuming you do very basic vetting), and that is a nice sum of money (when and how is money exchanging hands?).
Everything turned out fine. We met before hand and receive the full payment prior to staying. The pets and house were well taken care of. Going to call them again when we are out of town. Was a win-win for all!
Glad to know it. My husband and I do a lot of pet sitting as a way to travel. No way would we ever pay to stay in someone's house if we were watching their pets for them. I'm glad you found an arrangement that works for you.
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Unlike some of the posters, this does not strike me as an unreasonable idea. The risk seems very small (assuming you do very basic vetting), and that is a nice sum of money (when and how is money exchanging hands?).
Everything turned out fine. We met before hand and receive the full payment prior to staying. The pets and house were well taken care of. Going to call them again when we are out of town. Was a win-win for all!
Russian Roulette has a high probability of turning out fine, too.
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This can't be serious right?
Not in my own financial life, but one time I had a good friend from my youth share some of his world with me. It included a lot of casual, creative, and off-the-books financial arrangements of all varieties and kinds.
Oh, and almost all of the time AirBnB situations go off without a hitch. If they had a serious brothel problem and not just a one-off occurrence, I think it would probably make the news.
And my mom who hired someone to watch her house, recommended by a friend.... they went "shopping" during that week and took all sorts of valuables. Why anyone would let random people stay in their house is beyond me. I don't know very many long term positive stories.
We just spent a week in an AirBNB in Copenhagen. It was clearly a couple's home, and clearly during the summer they rent it out for money and live "somewhere else" because they can make good money (friends there said it's not uncommon for many couples to bunk up for a couple of months to do this).
It was the first AirBNB that we've stayed in where it wasn't a full time AirBNB - obviously they live there. Their stuff is there, the closets have their clothing, and the pantry has some food.
It never occurred to me to steal things or snoop. The house rules clearly state that if you break something, you will have to replace it. Long before AirBNB I had friends who did housing swaps with strangers. The host met us to give us the key and show us the parking spot, and we left the key in the mailbox on the way out, so he could clean for the next people.
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This can't be serious right?
Not in my own financial life, but one time I had a good friend from my youth share some of his world with me. It included a lot of casual, creative, and off-the-books financial arrangements of all varieties and kinds.
Oh, and almost all of the time AirBnB situations go off without a hitch. If they had a serious brothel problem and not just a one-off occurrence, I think it would probably make the news.
And my mom who hired someone to watch her house, recommended by a friend.... they went "shopping" during that week and took all sorts of valuables. Why anyone would let random people stay in their house is beyond me. I don't know very many long term positive stories.
We just spent a week in an AirBNB in Copenhagen. It was clearly a couple's home, and clearly during the summer they rent it out for money and live "somewhere else" because they can make good money (friends there said it's not uncommon for many couples to bunk up for a couple of months to do this).
It was the first AirBNB that we've stayed in where it wasn't a full time AirBNB - obviously they live there. Their stuff is there, the closets have their clothing, and the pantry has some food.
It never occurred to me to steal things or snoop. The house rules clearly state that if you break something, you will have to replace it. Long before AirBNB I had friends who did housing swaps with strangers. The host met us to give us the key and show us the parking spot, and we left the key in the mailbox on the way out, so he could clean for the next people.
Copenhagen is where my sister-in-law had her apartment turned in to a brothel, care of AirBNB. She doesn't do that anymore...
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Meatgrinder, thanks for sharing your story, and eventual everything is fine (as one would expect)
I think it's a great idea, and it sounds like it worked out well for you. Of course one should be careful, but you can't imagine the worst case scenario.
It's funny, because I think this is the MMM forum, and somewhere way back in time, MMM had a post on Making Money while Taking Vacations (https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/08/05/making-money-while-taking-vacations/) and shared that his family did something similar. An example of Safety is an Expensive Illusion (https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/06/07/safety-is-an-expensive-illusion/) ?
We had a similar-ish experience when we lived in a HCOL living area. We would occasionally list our second bedroom on AirBnB. Then, near a planned vacation, on our company bulletin board I came across a post from an incoming intern who needed extra housing for a couple weeks before her summer sublet started. I reached out to her and we made a deal where we would have her stay in our second room for a reduced rate for one week, and she would watch our dogs for free for the second week while we vacationed. I thought it was a win-win.
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Unlike some of the posters, this does not strike me as an unreasonable idea. The risk seems very small (assuming you do very basic vetting), and that is a nice sum of money (when and how is money exchanging hands?).
Everything turned out fine. We met before hand and receive the full payment prior to staying. The pets and house were well taken care of. Going to call them again when we are out of town. Was a win-win for all!
Russian Roulette has a high probability of turning out fine, too.
Okay, and? AirBnB runs hundreds of thousands of successful transactions and people do it full time for years with no ill effect. Sometimes bad things happen in all sorts of situations that we all consider safe enough (or safe enough compared to the potential benefit) to engage in. This is like saying nobody should drive through Ohio because I had a friend who once got in a bad car accident there. Furthermore, these low-probability events are fairly easily insured against -- most renters' or homeowners' insurance policies guard against theft and property damage, and Airbnb has a lot of protections for broken stuff.
I have been traveling a lot for the past few months and so got a roommate (stranger from Craigslist, but met and vetted online) to save on rent and so he can watch my cats while I'm gone. It's been no problem. Sure I could have had bad luck, but if I made all of my decisions based on whether it is technically possible for it to go disastrously wrong, I wouldn't do anything.
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From all the judgemental comments in this thread, i think it does indeed fit the Forum name of "Badass". I am planning a 3+month trip out of the country within the next 5 years and plan on having someone watch my home and my kitty. I am sourcing ideas like this one, but hope it will be a friend or family member in the end.
Thanks for sharing a successful story of Badassity.
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Unlike some of the posters, this does not strike me as an unreasonable idea. The risk seems very small (assuming you do very basic vetting), and that is a nice sum of money (when and how is money exchanging hands?).
Everything turned out fine. We met before hand and receive the full payment prior to staying. The pets and house were well taken care of. Going to call them again when we are out of town. Was a win-win for all!
Russian Roulette has a high probability of turning out fine, too.
Okay, and? AirBnB runs hundreds of thousands of successful transactions and people do it full time for years with no ill effect. Sometimes bad things happen in all sorts of situations that we all consider safe enough (or safe enough compared to the potential benefit) to engage in. This is like saying nobody should drive through Ohio because I had a friend who once got in a bad car accident there. Furthermore, these low-probability events are fairly easily insured against -- most renters' or homeowners' insurance policies guard against theft and property damage, and Airbnb has a lot of protections for broken stuff.
I have been traveling a lot for the past few months and so got a roommate (stranger from Craigslist, but met and vetted online) to save on rent and so he can watch my cats while I'm gone. It's been no problem. Sure I could have had bad luck, but if I made all of my decisions based on whether it is technically possible for it to go disastrously wrong, I wouldn't do anything.
I guess AirBNB can just replace your pet. No biggie.
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You say everything turned out fine. How do you truly know that? Do you know if this person set up hidden cameras in your home so they can view everything you and your family do? Do you know if they used your house for any multitude of nefarious things? Do you know if they possibly contaminated any of your household products or you or your family's personal products? Do you know if they used your house to perhaps hide drugs or stolen property that they will come back for at a later date? Do you know they didn't abuse your animals? I understand that all these things are not probable but they are entirely possible. And that's just to much chance to take for me. I am all for saving a buck but not at the risk of the safety and privacy of my family.
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A different arrangement, but I have been house-sitting on and off for the past 10 years. Mostly repeat clients but some never met me before. Of course, I have a long list of references, as well as a recent copy of my criminal record check. I don't ask for money because this is a beneficial arrangement for both the house/pet owner and myself (I have not paid rent in over 6 years), but most people will leave a couple of hundred dollars per week for my services. This year, I started housesitting on May 1 after returning from a road trip to Southern Mexico, and I am almost fully booked until the end of October at which time I will take the road again, direction Mexico. I live full-time in my camper so I fall back on the camper on the rare times I don't have a gig.
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You say everything turned out fine. How do you truly know that? Do you know if this person set up hidden cameras in your home so they can view everything you and your family do? Do you know if they used your house for any multitude of nefarious things? Do you know if they possibly contaminated any of your household products or you or your family's personal products? Do you know if they used your house to perhaps hide drugs or stolen property that they will come back for at a later date? Do you know they didn't abuse your animals? I understand that all these things are not probable but they are entirely possible. And that's just to much chance to take for me. I am all for saving a buck but not at the risk of the safety and privacy of my family.
I don't know any of these things, but it would be hilarious if they posted a youtube of my naked ass running around the house
How do you know that the tap water you're drinking isn't contaminated? How do you know that you won't get into a deadly wreck when you get into a car? How do you know the person waking down the street isn't going to pull out a knife? etc. etc. etc. Best to stay inside a bubble and die avoiding these nefarious things.
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A different arrangement, but I have been house-sitting on and off for the past 10 years. Mostly repeat clients but some never met me before. Of course, I have a long list of references, as well as a recent copy of my criminal record check. I don't ask for money because this is a beneficial arrangement for both the house/pet owner and myself (I have not paid rent in over 6 years), but most people will leave a couple of hundred dollars per week for my services. This year, I started housesitting on May 1 after returning from a road trip to Southern Mexico, and I am almost fully booked until the end of October at which time I will take the road again, direction Mexico. I live full-time in my camper so I fall back on the camper on the rare times I don't have a gig.
That's a great setup! In my case I don't think feeding a dog twice a day and going for a walk warrants free rent ($200/day) since our place has a good location and is a decent size. There are plenty of people out there that are willing to pay a below market rate AND take care of the pet.
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I have used a service called https://www.mindmyhouse.com (https://www.mindmyhouse.com) that matches house sitters with people going on vacation. The house sitters don't usually pay but it saves paying a pet sitter.
I did have some qualms but it worked out well. I would consider using it again if I was traveling for more than 2 weeks and need a house/pet sitter.
Congrats on finding someone to pay for looking after your pets! Badass indeed!
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You say everything turned out fine. How do you truly know that? Do you know if this person set up hidden cameras in your home so they can view everything you and your family do? Do you know if they used your house for any multitude of nefarious things? Do you know if they possibly contaminated any of your household products or you or your family's personal products? Do you know if they used your house to perhaps hide drugs or stolen property that they will come back for at a later date? Do you know they didn't abuse your animals? I understand that all these things are not probable but they are entirely possible. And that's just to much chance to take for me. I am all for saving a buck but not at the risk of the safety and privacy of my family.
I only know 2 people that have used strangers to watch their houses (or AirBNB). One got turned in to a brothel, the other, a highly recommended person from the local community, went on a shopping spree in the house and stole all kinds of stuff. I think a lot like you. It's my home, I put an alarm on it for a reason. I couldn't imagine strangers having all that access to my home, my pets, my private stuff, etc. It just seems crazy. All for a few bucks?
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Glad it worked out for you but my dogs are the most precious thing I own. I would never take a chance and put them at risk.
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You say everything turned out fine. How do you truly know that? Do you know if this person set up hidden cameras in your home so they can view everything you and your family do? Do you know if they used your house for any multitude of nefarious things? Do you know if they possibly contaminated any of your household products or you or your family's personal products? Do you know if they used your house to perhaps hide drugs or stolen property that they will come back for at a later date? Do you know they didn't abuse your animals? I understand that all these things are not probable but they are entirely possible. And that's just to much chance to take for me. I am all for saving a buck but not at the risk of the safety and privacy of my family.
I don't know any of these things, but it would be hilarious if they posted a youtube of my naked ass running around the house
How do you know that the tap water you're drinking isn't contaminated? How do you know that you won't get into a deadly wreck when you get into a car? How do you know the person waking down the street isn't going to pull out a knife? etc. etc. etc. Best to stay inside a bubble and die avoiding these nefarious things.
The difference is you invited the possible and probable trouble into your house. No one said anything about living in a bubble. Your home is the place where your family should always feel safe. You clearly said "our" in your post, so to me, that means you have a family and if you don't care about your naked ass on the internet maybe you should consider that your family members might be out there on the internet.
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You say everything turned out fine. How do you truly know that? Do you know if this person set up hidden cameras in your home so they can view everything you and your family do? Do you know if they used your house for any multitude of nefarious things? Do you know if they possibly contaminated any of your household products or you or your family's personal products? Do you know if they used your house to perhaps hide drugs or stolen property that they will come back for at a later date? Do you know they didn't abuse your animals? I understand that all these things are not probable but they are entirely possible. And that's just to much chance to take for me. I am all for saving a buck but not at the risk of the safety and privacy of my family.
I don't know any of these things, but it would be hilarious if they posted a youtube of my naked ass running around the house
How do you know that the tap water you're drinking isn't contaminated? How do you know that you won't get into a deadly wreck when you get into a car? How do you know the person waking down the street isn't going to pull out a knife? etc. etc. etc. Best to stay inside a bubble and die avoiding these nefarious things.
The difference is you invited the possible and probable trouble into your house. No one said anything about living in a bubble. Your home is the place where your family should always feel safe. You clearly said "our" in your post, so to me, that means you have a family and if you don't care about your naked ass on the internet maybe you should consider that your family members might be out there on the internet.
In terms of considering family members "out there on the internet", I don't think its worth the time considering I've made the decision to put my children in cars where they could be seriously injured or die. Both low probability but drastically different outcomes, however, the outcome that is far less drastic receives more scrutiny since its more unorthodox.
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Can't believe someone will do all this things to put hidden video cameras. I understand that its just an example, but should the regular cleaning help to find those things?
Yes, you could mitigate a lot of the risks even if you're not paranoid. People can find negatives in the most positive situations. Some which need to be considered and most others which don't.
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If you are set on renting the place out I would recommend not involving the pets. Rent the place out at a higher price and use the extra money for boarding both pets with a trusted sitter/boarding place. Lowering thr price on CL just because of petsitting invites a lot larger sort of tenans. “Usually” the lower the price the lower quality of tenants.
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Seems that some people are a lot more trusting than others. I host couchsurfers, and I've never had any problems with strangers staying in my home, I just make sure to vet them as much as possible beforehand. I've also worked out mutually beneficial arrangements where a couchsurfer stayed at my place while I was on vacation and looked after my cat. I think it's much better for my pet to be at home because she gets so stressed at the vet or at other people's houses, and I had already hosted the couchsurfer and thought he was a good guy. No problems, no hidden cameras, no theft or damage. Sure, there was a small chance of that, but to me it was a risk well worth taking and it paid off.
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This is kind of interesting. It would be my hypothesis that the people on the extreme ends of the "It's 100% definitely going to be fine!"/"Dear God, they're going to steal your stuff and murder your pets!" probably generally parallels the Left/Right political divide. People on the Right end of the spectrum tend to have a much more intense disgust response to some things (https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21528731-800-the-yuck-factor-the-surprising-power-of-disgust/) , and to have a larger amygdala, while people on the Left tend to have a larger anterior cingulate gyrus (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3092984/).
Without turning this into a political thread, I am curious where respondents fall on the political left/right spectrum? Obviously you don't have to answer if you don't want to! Just curious. Maybe I'm totally wrong!
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Some people view animals as just pets and replaceable. They are family to me and I really grieve when one dies. I wouldn’t have left my kids with a stranger and I won’t leave my fur babies either. I have some friends that I wouldn’t trust to provide the care I expect. I only have a few people I trust with them. When I care for other people’s dogs I treat them like my own and send pictures and updates.
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I care about my cat a lot and I would never put her in a situation that I thought was unsafe, but I would still value the lives of my human family over her if I absolutely needed to choose. I definitely fall on the left of the political spectrum and am generally fairly trusting of others, but I should qualify that by saying that when I do trust someone, it's based off their actions and words and my feeling about them, and I would not give my trust to any random person without a certain level of vetting, or allow a random person to look after my pet and home without making sure to the best of my ability that they would do a good job.
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25 years ago a retired couple rented my husband and I and our four (at the time) children (aged 1-6) their brand new and fully furnished home in a very nice area while they travelled out of the country all based on an ad in the newspaper placed by us. (days before Craigslist) We were moving across country for my husband's job and weren't sure if the move would be long term.
During the stay we met the owner's brother who thought his brother was absolutely crazy for doing it. The neighbors raised their eyebrows too about the sudden arrival of us, but in the end who was crazy? I don't think it was the one's who made $$$$$ for those four months while they travelled.
Oh and when they returned from their trip, and they found out we needed a few more weeks before the home we bought closed they offered to stay in their parked RV at a campground until we could move in.
Lock up your valuables and why worry about it, if you've done your proper vetting? As for the brothel comments. That's disturbing, and yes, of course I'd want the bed replaced, just because, but seriously do any of you stay in hotels or own vacation rentals, that you occasionally use etc.?
Guess what happens in those beds, you sleep in?
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Without turning this into a political thread, I am curious where respondents fall on the political left/right spectrum? Obviously you don't have to answer if you don't want to! Just curious. Maybe I'm totally wrong!
Let us know the results once you compile our responses if you even get any. I definitely fall on the left side of the political spectrum, although on one specific issue (i.e. the TransMountain pipeline in Canada which I fully support for a number of reasons, with a couple of caveats), some would say I squarely fall on the right.
Update: I just completed yesterday my 6th season of full-time house-sitting. I will be returning to Canada in May 2020 and stay until the end of October, and I am already booked for most of the summer.
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This is kind of interesting. It would be my hypothesis that the people on the extreme ends of the "It's 100% definitely going to be fine!"/"Dear God, they're going to steal your stuff and murder your pets!" probably generally parallels the Left/Right political divide. People on the Right end of the spectrum tend to have a much more intense disgust response to some things (https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21528731-800-the-yuck-factor-the-surprising-power-of-disgust/) , and to have a larger amygdala, while people on the Left tend to have a larger anterior cingulate gyrus (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3092984/).
Without turning this into a political thread, I am curious where respondents fall on the political left/right spectrum? Obviously you don't have to answer if you don't want to! Just curious. Maybe I'm totally wrong!
I'm quite "right" I guess, but left on many social issues. My family member whose apartment was turned in to a brothel by AirBnb, she is way left. And yet after the experience, she would absolutely never rent out her apartment again. Maybe you are proving that the "right" are right, and the left just have to learn their lessons the hard way, lol. :)
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I've been renting lower level in my house for 5 years to visiting students, and now, since I RE and don't get many student referrals, I full time Airbnb (I guess I have started too cheap for the area on Airbnb- my first Airbnb tenant told me, so I'm booked till mid January now without breaks). I'm new to Airbnb (I allow booking without my approval), so it's a learning curve, but my first two were better than my typical student-tenant. In my arrangement, my tenants don't have an access to my quarters, and I give them privacy in theirs, but leave the right, in case of an emergency, to access their lower level without their permission (if I can't get the permission soon enough).
It's a mitigated risk, there is not much they can steal, but a few small items "walked away," like a pair of wireless earphones (I would have not even noticed, but they were on one of the pictures I post to advertise), then one time it was an iron, but they sent it back, so I guess an "accident." One of my student-tenants left me her TV for free, she didn't want to drag it with her across the country. Actually tenants leave behind many usable items; I did a "final walk-through" with my student-tenants, so they do leave those items.
I'm surprised that so many people voice their fear of strangers, when in fact most murders, rapes and such are committed by family members, friends, or someone who victims knew. Police always starts with family members and friends. In my case, the biggest mess I had to clean in my lower level was left by a tenant who I personally knew very well. I had to actually help him move out, load things into his car, patch walls that got somehow damaged (not a big deal for me), touch up some paint and spend significant time returning the place to my level of cleanliness. The second place takes a student who brought a friend and the friend brought his wife and... drum rolls ... a baby, without telling me. I knew about the friend, but the wife and the baby were a surprise. Wasn't that big of a deal overall, but since then I introduced mandatory lease signing, first, with a provision - no guests without my approval, second. Those tenants also left some mess (baby wall paintings) that required some walls touch up paint.
Otherwise, for 5 years my house only got better because of the tenants.
-I have installed Nest thermostat for the tenants (was rebated by our local electrical company, plus an annual discount). Not only it saves energy, but it also gives me a piece of mind when I'm out of town and a storm passes my area, I always know if the power in my house is out. This is also my first step to the smart house upgrade.
-I have found out that I had mice infestation (without tenants I didn't go to the lower level often enough to notice). I got two farm kittens who took care of the problem and now keep the whole neighborhood in shape; my neighbors told me that their flowers that were not blooming for years, are finally blooming again - our rabbit population got under control.
-I got a clone for my Internet (tenants complained enough that some places in the house are dead). Now, with the clone, the Internet got stabilized throughout. $50 investment, and everyone's Internet improved tremendously. The clone is on the opposite to the router side of the house and now I can get a desktop for my son that he can plug into the clone directly to have a wired connection. Before the clone there was barely any wireless connection and it seemed pointless to buy him a desktop.
-Tenants also complained about my loud sprinkler system, which bugged me too, but without the tenants I wouldn't have been on to "solving the problem" so much. I finally figured that I needed to replace my water meter and while doing that also installed a pressure reducing valve (now standard in any new builds). And that solved the problem of phantom toilet flashing and leaking faucets throughout the house, in addition to very quiet sprinkles.
-Plus, there is less of a chance when I'm out of town, that someone would break in, since my tenant's car is in the driveway.
In short I'm left (politically speaking), but I do NOT trust people. I do a thorough google check of all my tenants, but to be fair it's a very poor predictor of messiness, or how clumsy they are, or if they are going to use a white towel as a floor mat, or wash it with their dark clothes. My fault, no more white towels, dark grey it is. I can write a book about all my tenants, weird things they did, or left. But those are mostly amusing stories, nothing that would make me stop renting. And the person who I knew very well, who left a huge mess, in life is very clean (more than me even), but in my place was a total mess (maybe he was depressed, who knows, overwhelmed).
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Hi Meat grinder. I'm a bit curious, how much details did you write into your original CL post?
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I'm also surprised how fearful many are here about this.
I've often rented out on airbandb, both a room and the whole place. Probably had over 100 people stay, without one single issue. Granted, as a Moustacian, I don't waste money on expensive crap, so there really isn't much to steal..
I've also stayed at 10s (maybe 100s) or airbandb places, and never one thought to steal anything.
I've pet sitted many times, without any issues. One lady did ask for a police report, and I did try to organise one, but it took so long that I had finished the sit before it arrived.
I've also done long term rents of IPs, mostly been fine, but I did have one tenant disappear mid lease with a month due and left the place in a mess. Those ones had been vetted through an agency, with good references, so you never no.
As others have said, bad things can happen to anyone anywhere.
Maybe the difference for me is, I don't have personal attachment to stuff, and I don't have other family members to think about.
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Hi Meat grinder. I'm a bit curious, how much details did you write into your original CL post?
@CanuckExpat Sure. Here is the full post. My goal was to be as transparent as possible?
$75 / 3br - 2000ft2 - house for rent 7/3 - 7/17. $75/night (wallingford)
© craigslist - Map data © OpenStreetMap
(google map)
3BR / 2Ba 2000ft2
furnished
house
w/d in unit
no smoking
street parking
private bath
private room
Wallingford craftsman for rent. We are leaving on vacation and thought it would be a win-win if we list our house for rent at a below market rate to someone who loves dogs. We have a 60lb Labrador that requires to be fed 2 times/day, let outside and walked once every other day. She is an old lady (14 y.o) and is very calm, friendly and full of face licks.
House has 10ft tall ceilings, fir floors, updated kitchen, back deck with grill and yard, washer/dryer, wifi and hottub. Less than 5 min walk to either Greenlake or Wallingford.