I felt pretty clear on the verbiage but didn’t want to lead anyone else astray so thank you for the confirmation!
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So maybe someone better at reading accounts and similar jargon than me would like to check out the accounts? Everything you need is on Company House an open government website their number is 11360475 and the trading name is Trusted House Sitters Group Ltd.
You can also follow through the parents company/ies etc etc Good luck !
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I know, it’s frustrating. But again, you may see this change in your favor over time.
This is the first time I have read this and strangely enough the first communication from THS on the thorny subject that resonates with me. It’s the old “toll road” theory. Those who use the infrastructure more pay more. If THS would have lead with this, and expanded on it I’m guessing there would be a lot less pushback. Still plenty of pushback but just less. Sigh. We will never know.
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Which is immediately for some of us, as renewal is 1. Jan. and there haven’t been much summer-26 sits yet.
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Not sure if you’re aware, but as I understand it, since your renewal is within 30 days of the newly implemented Terms, you won’t be subjected to the new fees until after your NEXT renewal in January 2027.
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I am in discussion with a favourite HO that I have sat for many times to confirm our Christmas 2026 sit now so as to get around the booking fee.
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How many sits do we think are confirmed on here each year?
It’s hard to estimate - hundreds of thousands, over a million?
Lets say for arguments sake it’s 500,000
Times that by £9 / $12 ….
That would be £4.5 million extra taken from the pockets of members, on top of membership fees.
Do THS need that to make a few website updates and expand a bit on customer service?
I’d be interested to know what other people think the numbers are.
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Even more astoundingly, I have just read this:
A Chat With Matthew Prior, CEO Of TrustedHousesitters And Non-Executive Board Member At Maison Sport
An article published 2 days ago. Check this out…
Preventing Leakage: Because both services involve a “monogamous” buyer/seller relationship (a sitter or an instructor that a client trusts), there’s a real risk of transactions leaving the platform. TrustedHousesitters has an annual membership business model, which eliminates the incentive for disintermediation. It’s important that Maison Sport focuses on creating strong incentives to keep the relationship tied to the platform, such as a well-designed rating system or added services that both sides value.
How does the CEO’s views on ‘preventing leakage’ sit with introducing per sit booking fees? 
It’s like the CEO didn’t even know about the booking fee plan!
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Oh no, hopefully someone will tell him soon 
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I expect to save 70€ per day x 30 days average vacation x 4 vacations per year = 8400€ per year on a THS membership that cost me about 200€
I care what the shareholders and executives and software support staff and those who clean the office at THS makes as much as I care about how much the shareholders and executives and support staff and office cleaners at Ebay or Amazon or Google make from their share of any money I happen to send their way.
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I’ve said this before, you’re new to THS and have no insight or understanding of the community ethos and spirit under which it was founded and operated. None, nada, zilch.
You’re perspective is entirely different from many other members and based on having a highly desired location in Greece.
THS has done very little to improve the kludgy website and app, the introduction of 2FA was a shambles, They opted for the least secure and cheapest option. I want my data to be safe, I’m not confident that it is with THS. There’s no timeline for any of the suggested improvements. just an occasional bland statement “we hear you”.
I care because I despise greed and I value trust as well as integrity.
I care because I like visiting new places, meeting new people and caring for dogs. It’s a hobby that until now has been very enjoyable.
I care because I’m able to offer a service that help out other people, they value and respect that.
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Ahh right, sorry, I am admittedly failing to consider there are people out there with near-immediate renewals and probably few sits booked already. I typically don’t book sits more than a month or two in advance so would be in the same position if I was renewing soon. I don’t think THS is human or humane enough to consider how much they are disrupting people’s lives here, they don’t have the capacity for that as they are literally an equity firm and not the company they were two years ago, before being consumed by Mayfair Equity.
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As a sitter with nearly 30 sits behind me, these sudden changes are worrying.
However when you read the latest company annual accounts you realise that all is not well with the company losing over £2m and £4m in the last 2 years of submitted accounts. As many of pointed out THS was bought for $100m 2 years ago. There is an outstanding amount owed from this purchase according to public accounts. You can also see no dividends has been paid to the existing shareholders or directors in this time.
Anyone can see the facts and figures on companies house.
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There’s very little evidence historically of things changing for the better for sitters, or indeed owners. It’s this coupled with the sits fees and amended Ts and Cs.
Mayfair has shown very little interest in making improvements and in a purely business sense that’s understandable. But for many the erosion of the community ethos and spirit is very painful and upsetting. Essentially members are cash cows and that wasn’t how it used to be. I get that things change, but this has been so one sided with no added value for members.
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Yes, especially if they’re running at a net loss as posted by another member. It appears they’re not the greedy money grabbing company they’re being made out to be.
It’s not about the cost, it’s the value. There’s a big difference. Furthermore, it’s how the changes have been made and the lack of any progress with the many, much requested improvements.
It’s very one sided in favour of THS.
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Yes that’s the issue. Most are here because they love animals and are great with them. And like doing this in an economical way. That is at odds with running a business that is THS.
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I don’t sit all the time
That’s another thing, too. I once got out of a particularly manic stretch of work, and logged in eager to re-up my THS account… only to find it had been sitting unused and active almost the entire year. Psychologically, reminding somebody that you are taking money from them is the persistent reminder that makes someone re-evaluate their subscription every time they use it, which surely doesn’t help matters long-term.
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@Jenny, I’m really sorry that you are the messenger here and have no doubt been having a rotten time. It’s very poor that the CEO has been hiding this week.
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