Hello. I’ve just been approved for my first sit. Am I supposed to receive a contract or at least an information sheet from or through THS? I don’t even know the last name of the homeowners. Is there nothing to be signed in terms of caring for the homes and animals?Or from the homeowners? Seems odd to me.
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At the very least you need to request from the host:
Contact information including a phone number for off-platform communications
The Welcome Guide which details all the sitter’s responsibilities and things they need to know about managing the property
There is nothing to sign, unless you’re one of those members who insists on having certain details in writing so it’s clear who is responsible for what. For example, if nothing is discussed and agreed between the parties, in the event of an emergency vet visit you will be required to pay all the expenses and request reimbursement from the homeowner. If there is major damage to the home, you must pay for it and request reimbursement from the homeowner, unless you caused the damage in which case forget about getting reimbursed from the host, at that point it would be an insurance company issue.
on your dashboard there will be the option to Request Welcome Guide, This should contain full name, full address, tel no. If there is anything in it which is unclear or you do not agree with, you can call them to discuss. Did you not do a video call already and store their tel number?
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Thanks. Did have a lovely call. Still just seems so informal to me, and I’m not a legal, contractual-type person.
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It is informal in the sense that sits are done voluntarily. If you prefer otherwise, you could consider sitting professionally and draw up your own contracts. For contracts to exist, they have to be enforceable. When neither host nor sitter is getting money and isn’t employed, how would you enforce any contract?
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Welcome to THS and the forum @RichardNYC and congratulations on confirming your first sit 
. ( Did you have to pay a booking fee ? )
You came to the right place, this forum is a great source of information.
You may find it helpful to review these terms
“2. SEPARATE AGREEMENT BETWEEN MEMBERS
2.1. When you arrange a Sit via our Platform, you are entering into an agreement between yourself and a Pet Parent or Sitter (as applicable). The arrangement between Pet Parents and Sitters is of a private, domestic arrangement made for the purposes of leisure and tourism. It is not an employment contract, nor does it create a relationship of employer and employee, worker and hirer, or service provider and recipient, and it is intended to be unpaid and of short duration.
2.2. It is entirely your responsibility to ensure that the requirements of the Home Listing/Sitter Profile are in line with your expectations and experience. We do provide guidance on how best to arrange a Sit, however this is provided for information purposes only and any arrangements you come to are part of the separate agreement between you and the Pet Parent or Sitter (as applicable). You agree that the requirements of Pet Parentsand Sitters set out in clauses 5.2 and 5.3 of these Terms of Service form part of the separate agreement between you and the Pet Parent or Sitter (as applicable).
2.3. We are not party to any agreement, contractual or otherwise, between a Pet Parent and a Sitter.”
You and the host make your own arrangements. THS don’t share any data - surnames / addresses / contact details - that’s down to the host and sitter to share with each other .
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I’d recommend that you should request the Welcome Guide via your dashboard ASAP and read it thoroughly, to check that it tallies with what was included in the listing. Check that it includes emergency contact details and vet info. You should already have the HOs telephone number, but the Welcome Guide should also include address details and possibly also an email address. Some HOs will also give their partner’s contact details (belt and braces approach - always a good sign).
Check the WG details pet routines, feeding info, where they sleep, any behavioural issies or health issues etc. You should have already discussed this during the video chat - and I usually make notes - but it’s good to have that included in the WG as a point of reference, particularly when sits are confirmed well in advance.
A good WG will not just detail the PPs requirements, it will include suggestions for places of interest in the vicinity, recommendations for restaurants and info relating to local supermarkets etc. When these are included, it can signify a thoughtful PP.
In short, the WG can provide insights into what sort of HO you’re dealing with, so check it carefully.
We recently agreed a short duration sit. All went well during the video chat and we were happy to confirm, then on receipt of the WG we realised that things had changed significantly from the listing detail, in terms of pet behaviours and sitter responsibilities. We referred the PP to the relevant T&Cs and insisted the sit should be unconfirmed. We also advised that their listing should be updated, to include the situation and their full requirements, so that applicants can make an informed choice. It remains the same. Hey-ho!
If you haven’t already agreed arrival and departure details, do so now and ask the PP to confirm in writing. Agree frequency for updates (often daily, especially on short sits) and the medium for communications going forwards (we use WhatsApp, once a sit is confirmed).
Once you’ve agreed the nuts and bolts of the sit with the HOs and you’re all happy, just turn up as planned (with open communications to give peace of mind that you’re on your way, etc) and enjoy the experience!
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Here’s the thing about doing business with companies such as THS and others, or purchasing a business, or buying a car or a house. There are always legalities and even if they’re hard to understand and most people may just skim right over them, you’re leaving yourself open to unpleasant surprises if you aren’t up to speed.
THS recently implemented some new Terms, and some older Terms were brought into the spotlight that many were unaware of. If you don’t work out an agreement with the host regarding who pays vet fees in an emergency, or the cost of repairs due to damage to the property even if it’s not your fault, you- the sitter- is responsible for paying for those things which could be in the thousands. You may or may not get that money back.
The odds of something like this actually happening are remotely small, but you should consider ways to minimize your exposure. As I said the easiest way to deal with those particular issues is to make sure you’re on the same page as the host.
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Definitely request a welcome guide early enough to withdraw if needed, if say a host tries to pull anything on you. Like I told a host to cancel our sit when I read in their WG that one dog had to be let out overnight and another was prone to diarrhea. Officially, only a host can cancel (there’s no technology on the sitter side to cancel), but in reality, no one can force a sitter to show up. And there are terms of service, typical of platforms and apps, but there’s little that THS can do beyond booting someone off the platform, but they almost never do that. They’re pretty much toothless and do little to nothing to support folks when things go sideways, so it’s best to do your own diligence and to trust your gut.
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