Headed to a sit tomorrow and the hosts and I discussed arrival and departure times directly. Simple.
They also sent me their flight info in writing (actually in screen shots), because I asked them to. I base my travel on those. Likewise my work obligations, if I’m telecommuting.
Folks who want filters for everything are actually making things unnecessarily messy/messier. There’s no substitute for clear communications. People who can’t do that won’t actually be good hosts or sitters.
@Mark_B @Maggie8K has provided a perfect example of how to start every sit with clear expectations. Check boxes are only useful when a response can be either a clear yes or no, and those instances are extremely rare.
I am so disappointed with the direction TrustedHousesitters is going. I saw a sit recently where the leaving time was 11:30 pm. Really? I also doubt a 24-hr clock would help as it might put many into a tailspin of confusion.
@Bluehorse, suggest treat the new arrival/departure time in THS listings as illustrative rather than directive. We’ve found limited, if any, relationship between Pet Parent related views in listing and video calls. So we now ignore the seeming nonsense data in listing and either state timing in application (if very important) or, more likely, simply discuss details in a video call.
So someone else is having similar thoughts… I recalled this forum discussion because I was just looking at a sit listing and their arrival was 8-10 a.m. It would be driving distance for me, but, because of logistics, I would have to leave my house the prior evening and drive through the night. Where I might previously have thought about applying for this sit, now I would not.
You see people complaining about “host/applicant didn’t read my listing/profile” and doesn’t match some criteria… so, as a sitter, would you apply for a sit with a fixed arrival that doesn’t quite work for you in hopes it might be negotiated (this example didn’t say so), take a chance anyway with saying “but I can’t come at 8 a.m.”, or would you just scroll on by?
As an owner, when you put the arrival times in, how many of you are just putting in a time and assuming it’ll be discussed & finalized, and how many of you really do need the sitter to arrive just then?
I wonder if nailing down times like this in a listing would actually reduce the pool of applicants for an owner. They might miss out on good sitters.
Another example of an “improvement” that isn’t, quite…? 
@ABGM If I was really interested in a sit with these times, I would phrase it as an expression of interest depending on clarification of the times listed and whether there was indeed flexibility. If there’s flexibility and they’re interested in me, I would submit a proper application.
At the moment I am scrolling on by is a sit has arrival times that we cannot meet. As a result I am ruling out a many sits I would normally have applied for.
I work in a school and my boys are at school / college. We used to do quite a lot of short weekend sits. I’d go to work with the car all loaded up and we’d set off straight to the sit from there. We would also start some longer school holiday sits in the same way, driving straight there as soon as school broke up for the holiday.
When there were no set arrival times, I would apply and explain our time restrictions. If the hosts liked us, and they needed to leave before we arrived, they would make arrangements for someone else to let us in and do a handover, or send videos and leave the key in a keysafe / lockbox. We are applying for less sits, and there are probably hosts wondering why they aren’t getting applications.
I think it’s potentially worth enquiring in your application. I saw one with a very small early morning arrival window. Unreasonable in my mind. Think no applications at that point. So I sent a quick application saying “ how strict is your arrival time, I might be interested” came back with the fact I could arrive the day earlier. Like so many things I think it will depend on the demand. If it’s a really “desirable” sit, sitters will put up with bad timing, not so desirable, well HO’s will have to flex a bit.
The first time I asked about the arrival time, the host was insulted that I dared to question them. The second one told me that “on no, the departure time is not for you, we just tell there when we get back”. I´d rather have hosts protest to this, than apply and get snarky messages back. But actually I do apply and ask, and I would encourage others to do the same. Just a mockery of “clear expectations…”
I hope it is, yet I wouldn’t be surprised that some people land very late, like 11pm, and by the time they get home from the airport, around midnight-1am, want to be alone and “release” their sitter. It is not uncommon for 6am low cost departure flights and 11pm arrival flights to be significantly cheaper, so that could explain it. I really hope it’s a mistake though
What you say about flights is true but I still don’t think it’s reasonable to expect that someone would be happy to leave at that time. I don’t mind paying for my own accommodation pre and post sit. In fact I often do that for my own comfort but that’s my choice, not a requirement and I never would choose to leave at that time. Even if I lived next door, at that time I would probably be in bed.
I’ve had hosts getting back late or leaving early who either have hosted me or have proposed reasonable arrival and departure times.
I keep seeing unreasonable times and I am starting to think that some HOs may think, let’s try and see if it works, I can always change that field or say I wasn’t aware. Some may be able to “afford” it if their sit is otherwise highly desirable or sitters are desperate for accommodation but others risk shooting their foot.
oh totally. I sleep at 2am, I don’t make my way to the nearest hotel…
Today I saw a listing with arrival time set as 7 pm - 11 pm. That made me wonder:
My reaction was that the stated time range is inconsiderate towards the sitter. I may be wrong but without the option to expand on the time range in that section, to show whether the sitter is being invited to stay the night before the owners leave, who knows?
I wasn’t interested in this sit, but chances are I would skip past it unless everything else was really drawing me in. If so, at that point I’d COMMUNICATE with them and ask for clarification.
Maybe some of the advertising funds should be redirected to improving current members’ satisfaction rate.
Arrival time
Wed 08 Apr 26:12–12:30 AM
Departure time
Wed 15 Apr 26:6–7 AM
Really?
I’ve already seen a number of sits I may have considered applying for if they had not written unsocial timings for arrival/departure. Or other offputting things like 2 hours walking or only leaving dogs for two hours etc.. THS has has done a disservice to all members by introducing these extra features without giving space for elaboration of exact meaning. Everything that is a turn off in the listing will put off people applying. E g no guests policy is another one. HO may actually be open to day time visitors but not overnight stays but there is no option to specify that distinction. All of these were things we discussed directly with the HOs during a call or by direct messaging- after applying. And very often there is flexibility. But if a sitter is put off from applying to start with it never gets to the discussion phase at all!
In practice that is my typical arrival and departure time.
I come around midday, many hosts leave around 1 to 2 pm, or have already left and that is the time I make it to their city/place. And I usually get out super early, to catch a train to somewhere far.
Still I would probably not apply. Knowing that there is no flexibility, and that the hosts see this stricter than a hotel, I would prefer the hotel.
Before the feature the hosts would ask for these things with clarifications and flexibility (though never hav e they asked me to leave before 10 am). Now the same ask, and something that I am comfortable with, comes across as demanding and inconsiderate.
@anon42303101 arrival time in that listing is midnight not midday
@Lokstar, completely agree - as we’ve done earlier in this thread. THS repeated response on questionable value-add to these “feature improvement” is that THS Forum members are not representative of THS members and that many THS members love the features. Perhaps it’s true, maybe.
Regardless, many of these new features probably cause fewer applications due to potential applicants simply not applying; and pet parent ticking boxes in listing (arrival/departure time; pet exercise; pet alone time) that are frankly not representative of reality. After multiple video calls where reality was different to listing then we now largely ignore these listing attributes.
The THS ask here, in our view, is to provide better guidance to Pet Parents at the time of completing related sections of listing. We suspect that some Pet Parents may have no realization that their selection of non-reality tickboxes may impact housesitter applicants.