@Colin You’ve made your point. If you knew my real life, you would not consider it a lucky one or want to trade for it I can assure you. I’m not a full time sitter, only an occasional one. So it was going to happen sometime. I’ve also had a recent sit where I was chosen but the HO then wanted personal information and ID sent via email which I wasn’t willing to provide by unsecure means. Then another that the HO had to cancel.
We were recently declined because the HO went with someone without any reviews but who were the “first to apply”. We have 41 reviews. Actually we were the first to apply, but the 5th applicant shows on top of inbox, so the HO went with them. You can’t win them all.
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When oh when are ths going to listen to house sitters 5 is not enough!!!
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Some HOs do first come first served. I have been declined for sits while being 2nd or 3rd applicant simply cause someone else ‘was faster’ acc to the HO…
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I’ve been declined several times recently. I’ve asked nicely why we weren’t chosen.
One HO said that another couple applied who wanted to come to their city to visit their daughter, so they were chosen. Another said that a previous sitter had applied and they already had a good relationship with the pet. Another said that they went with the first sitter that applied because they felt it was fair, although they liked our profile better.
I think my point is that there are lots of reasons to be declined and it really may not be all about you. They have their reasons and you can’t change them. I don’t take it personally, I thank them for their explanations and move on.
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@Colin we get declined all the time too 
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Don’t worry Colin we get declined as well, and that’s with 100 plus reviews. If you’re not quick enough and the sitters before you are excellent matches as well the pet parent is likely to go with the first applicant. That’s been our experience.
You can’t win them all.
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Hi I’m new to this. Does every host have to get five applications before deciding? Are they allowed to just choose one, perhaps they’ve already used them before, or perhaps they are happy with the first applicant?
I don’t know the rules yet. If it says ‘reviewing’ does that mean they have five applicants and have effectively closed it?
How can you get started if those with lots of good references get chosen first?
Any helpful tips gratefully received.
Thanks xx
Hi @Serendipity
Welcome to trustedhousesitters.
A home host can recieve ‘up to’ 5 applications at a time. Once the 5 limit is reached then the listing is shown as ‘reviewing’ and no more sitters can apply. They don’t have to wait for five applications, its quite acceptable for them to go with the first they receive if thats what they decide to do.
If the home host does get 5 applications, they can choose any of those first five or they have the option to decline any number of them, in that case the listing will become visible again until the 5 limit is reached once more.
We were all new once and it can be tricky when you are up against more experienced sitters with lots of reviews
The secret is to get some reviews of your own. As you need a few reviews and you need them quickly, apply to a few very short sits, prefereably as local to you as possible to keep the travelling costs down.
By applying for very short sits, you can get the sit done and receive your review in just a few days. This method will enable you to get a handful of great reviews in the shortest time possible meaning you are now in a much better position to compete with the more experienced sitters for the more desirable sits
Good Luck!
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That’s not true now is it @Colin? Of course you need two bedrooms so that would whittle down the possibilities no doubt. You’ll have to stop snoring or bash Karyo over the head so he gets some sleep! 
@Smiley , You do know that when I am up in court that encouragement now makes you an accessory to the crime!
Thankyou Colin for explaining this so clearly and for your helpful advice. X
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Someone recently did this to me as well! I which case, why do five applications even matter? “Someone got there before you” was a weird reason to be rejected, but it was easy not to take it personally at least:
I agree. I’m both a petsitter and a homeowner on THS. Finding a good sit, especially in Europe has become pretty impossible as I’m not a night owl and live in California. I’m an early riser (5am) but most of the European sits are “in review” by that time. You also can’t make a decision to apply anyway (get in the queue), because the dates are removed when the first 5 are in review. Dumb system.
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@ShulasMom I understand why they introduced a limit, but it should be modified.
The limit has changed how sitters apply. Many are now rushing poorly considered and almost empty applications. That must be a pain for homeowners.
I would propose that sitters would need to wait 30 minutes (or 60 or 15 minutes) after opening the application window before they could submit it. Then there is time to read the listing and the review, to talk with a partner, to look into transportation, etc. And this would then also prevent the limit from getting triggered within that time. The listing would not go into review status immediately, and HOs in attractive locations would receive many applications.
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That sounds like a good solution. I hope an Administrator sees it and passes on the suggestion.
Oh no, I am already spending much too much time trying to secure the sits due to the current policy and do not wish to spend even one extra second. Besides what if you´re done with one application and want to apply for another sit? It would make the whole process very messy.
Bad idea.
As an HO, I’d be fine with this what annoys me is when an HS says this then takes another 24 hours to write the longer message, which happened on a recent sit. They basically monopolised a space and ultimately, I rejected their application.
So yes, absolutely send a message to get your foot in the door, but that follow up message should come fairly shortly after the first in my opinion.
As an HS, I also find that having a template or two saved for the bulk of the message (this is where I include a bit about what brings me to the area, a request for timely responses, how I’d like to proceed with next steps, links to additional evidence of experience, etc.) and then adding personalised sections (why I’d specifically be a good fit for their sit, how much I’m looking forward to being in their area, excitement to spend time with their pets, etc) has served me well.
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A sit just popped up on my phone. I immediately opened it. It was already in review. How and why does this happen??
@Karilil Notifications from Saved searches are delayed by up to an hour, that is plenty of time for five others of the 100 000 sitters to find it (from Favourites, or by bots or botlike behaviour scraping the website).
The stupid and irritating thing is that THS sends notifications when the sit is already taken.