What to Do If a Homeowner Is Drunk at the Handover

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Quick Facts

If a homeowner is visibly drunk when you arrive at a handover, you have two options: read the situation carefully and proceed with caution, or leave and contact platform support immediately. What you should not do is assume the worst without evidence, or stay in a situation where you feel unsafe. The pet's welfare matters, but so does yours.

Caro and I have done 20 sits across 12 countries and never arrived to find a homeowner severely intoxicated at the handover. But we have had adjacent experiences that taught us how quickly you can misread a situation, and how important it is to stay factual rather than make assumptions.

On one sit, we brought a bottle of wine as a welcome gesture. The owner mentioned quietly that she had not been drinking for a while. We did not connect those dots immediately. It was only at the farewell dinner, when we offered to pick up drinks, that she mentioned the books about alcoholism she had around the house.

We apologised for the wine, offered to take it back, and the evening ended with tea and water. It was a non-event because we stayed calm and she was gracious. We share that story because this topic is more nuanced than it first appears.

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Do Not Assume Alcoholism From One Observation

The first thing to hold onto when you arrive and notice a homeowner has been drinking is this: one drink does not tell you anything definitive. The owner might be in holiday mode and had a beer before you arrived. They might be nervous about leaving and had a glass of wine to take the edge off. They might be celebrating something. They might have had a difficult day.

Just because an owner has a drink in hand or smells of alcohol at the handover does not make them an alcoholic. That is an assumption, and assumptions in this situation lead to bad decisions in both directions. You might leave a sit unnecessarily, burning a relationship with someone who was simply relaxed. Or you might use "they were probably just nervous" to talk yourself into staying when something genuinely felt wrong.

The question to ask yourself is not whether the owner has been drinking. It is whether they are functional. Can they walk you through the home clearly? Can they give you the pet's routine accurately? Are they coherent, responsive, present? A homeowner who has had one drink before you arrived but gives you a thorough handover is a very different situation from one who is slurring their words and cannot tell you where the vet's number is.

On the Italy sit that did not go ahead, we cancelled for unrelated reasons. The response we got back was slurred, incoherent, and unsettling enough to make us relieved we had already moved on. In that case we never arrived at the handover. But that message told us something useful: the red flags can appear before you ever set foot in the property.

What to Watch For Before You Arrive

By the time you arrive at a handover you should already have a reasonable read on the homeowner. The video call and the pre-sit messages are your first data points. Slurred speech on a video call, messages sent at unusual hours that do not make sense, erratic communication patterns, or a sudden shift in tone mid-conversation are all worth noting. None of them are proof of anything, but they are information.

If you notice something concerning on the video call, you are not obligated to proceed. You can decline politely without explanation, or raise a concern and see how the homeowner responds. Most homeowner red flags surface during the conversation stage if you are paying attention. The call exists partly for this reason — to give both sides a chance to assess whether they are comfortable before anyone is committed.

If the video call went well and the messages before arrival seemed normal, a homeowner who has had a drink when you arrive is much less concerning. Context matters. A one-off is very different from a pattern.

If the Handover Is Difficult to Follow

A homeowner who is impaired during the walkthrough may give you incomplete, inaccurate, or confusing information. The fuse box location, the vet number, the feeding schedule, the pet's medical needs. These are things you genuinely need.

The practical fix here is not to rely on what was said during the handover alone. Most homeowners write a welcome guide before you arrive, and a good welcome guide is prepared in advance when they are clear-headed. Cross-reference everything you were told verbally against the welcome guide. If something does not match or is missing, follow up by message after they leave so you have it in writing.

If there is no welcome guide and the handover was unclear, send a short message once the owner is on their way: "Just confirming a few details so I have everything right." List your questions. Keep it practical. This is not a confrontation. It is documentation, and it protects you if anything goes wrong during the sit.

When to Leave

If you arrive and the owner is severely intoxicated — not relaxed, not in holiday mode, but visibly impaired to the point where you feel uncomfortable — that is a different situation entirely.

Caro and I would leave. Not out of judgment, but out of self-preservation. First impressions are data. A homeowner who cannot manage themselves at the point of handing over their home and their pets is giving you information about how the rest of the sit may unfold. The discomfort you feel in that moment does not go away. It sits under everything for the duration of the sit. You spend the whole time walking on eggshells, wondering what the next message will bring or whether the owner will return early in a similar state. That is not a position you should accept.

If you do decide to leave, the owner is still present and the pets are not abandoned. That matters. Contact TrustedHouseSitters support or the support of the platform you are house sitting with and immediately and explain the situation. Log it while the details are fresh. This is information the platform needs. If this homeowner has a pattern, your report contributes to a record. If it is genuinely a one-off, no serious harm is done by flagging it.

For emergency accommodation, contact platform support first — they may be able to assist. Have Booking.com open as a backup. A same-night hotel is a short-term inconvenience. A sit that makes you feel unsafe for two weeks is much worse.

The Pet's Welfare

The concern most sitters will feel immediately is for the animal. If you leave, what happens to the dog?

The owner is present. That is important. The pet is not abandoned. Whatever the owner's drinking habits, they are still the pet's primary carer and they are on-site. Your responsibility begins when the handover is complete and they leave. If they have not left, and the handover cannot be completed in a way you are comfortable with, you are not abandoning anyone by choosing not to proceed.

If you do stay and complete the sit, focus on what you can control. Walk the dog at the agreed times. Feed the pets on schedule. Give the animals the routine and attention they need. If you suspect the pet's normal life has been shaped by an unpredictable home environment — an anxious dog, irregular routines, a cat that hides — treat that as a care note and adjust accordingly. Our guides on reactive dogs and strange pet behaviours cover what to do when an animal arrives to you in a heightened state.

Drunk Messaging During the Sit

A separate scenario is when the handover is fine but messages from the owner during the sit become concerning. Incoherent messages at 2am, aggressive or erratic tone, things that do not make sense.

If this happens once, it is most likely the owner having a good holiday. Say nothing. If it continues, address it directly with the homeowner. Keep it calm and factual: "A few of your messages have been difficult to follow. Is everything okay?" Give them the chance to acknowledge it and course correct.

If they acknowledge it and stop, there is nothing to put in the review. Everyone has a bad night. If they ignore the concern and the pattern continues, contact platform support and document the messages. In the review, stay factual: "The communication during the sit was at times difficult to follow." That is accurate. It signals something to future sitters without making a diagnosis you cannot support.

What you should not write in a review is "the owner is an alcoholic" or any similar claim. You do not know that to be true and it exposes you to a dispute. What you observed is what you can report. Keep it to that. The THS review system is read by future sitters specifically to understand what a sit is actually like, and a factual sentence about communication difficulty does that job without overstepping.

Conclusion

Most homeowners who have had a drink when you arrive are simply in holiday mode. Read the situation before you react. If the handover is coherent, the welcome guide is in order, and the pets are clearly well cared for, there is likely nothing to worry about. If the owner is severely impaired, you feel uncomfortable, and something tells you this is not a one-off, trust that instinct. Leave, contact support, and let the platform handle the next steps.

The goal is always to give the animals the best possible care. But you cannot do that from a place of anxiety and discomfort. Your safety and your peace of mind are part of the equation.

Caro and I have completed 20 house sits across 12 countries, driven 19,000km across Europe in our 1998 VW T4, and saved over $26,500 in accommodation costs. If you have a question about a difficult sit situation, send us a message on Instagram — we read every DM.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What should I do if a homeowner is drunk at the handover?

  Read the situation before reacting. One drink does not mean the owner is impaired. If they can walk you through the home clearly, give you the pet routine accurately, and the welcome guide is in order, proceed with normal caution. If they are severely impaired and you feel unsafe, leave, contact TrustedHouseSitters support immediately, and document what happened. The owner is still present so the pets are not without care.

• What if the homeowner was drunk and the handover information was unclear?

  Cross-reference everything against the welcome guide, then follow up by message. Send a short note after they leave confirming the key details: feeding schedule, vet contact, any pet medications. Having it confirmed in writing protects you if anything is disputed later, and it does not require any confrontation.

• Should I mention a homeowner's drinking in my review?

  Only if it directly affected the sit, and only in factual terms. "Messages during the sit were at times difficult to follow" is accurate and fair. "The owner is an alcoholic" is a diagnosis you cannot make and should not put in writing. If the drinking never affected the sit itself, there is nothing to mention.

• What if the homeowner sends drunk messages while on holiday?

  Once is probably a good holiday. A pattern is a problem. If concerning messages arrive repeatedly, address it directly with the homeowner in a calm, factual way. If they acknowledge it and stop, let it go. If the behaviour continues, contact platform support and document the messages. Include a factual line in the review if it affected the quality of the sit.

• Is it safe to continue a sit if I suspect the homeowner drinks heavily?

  That depends on whether the pets are well cared for and you feel comfortable. If the animals are healthy, the home is in order, and the handover information is accurate, a homeowner's drinking habits before or after the sit are not necessarily your concern. If the environment feels unsafe or the pet appears anxious and poorly managed, those are legitimate reasons to contact platform support and discuss your options.

• Can I cancel a house sit if the homeowner was drunk on the video call?

  Yes, and Caro and I would. A homeowner who is visibly impaired during a video call is showing you something important before you have committed to anything. Decline politely and move on. You are not obligated to explain in detail. Apply for other sits immediately — good replacements come up faster than most sitters expect.

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