@LizBCN I have been asked to sign one on two occasions - both on arrival at the sit. It was referred to as a contract by the HO.
It is not legally binding.
2 Likes
I am beginning to feel that there is a lot of unjoined up thinking here. An informal agreement is very different from a contract. If HOâs think that is what is being signed whilst THS state there is not a contract as such this has probably contributed to some of the mis-understandings that have been brought up in various threads on the Forum. This along with the letter that THS produced for border control which some posters have said actually does more harm than good suggests to me that a big overhaul of the policies and procedures is needed rather than just ad hoc additions which appear in some cases to contradict one another. Jumping down from my high horse now!
Iâm a HO and havenât seen any links to anything like a contract or any recommendation to sign a contract from my homeowner dashboard. Iâve also sat for another homeowner and didnât see anything about contracts as a sitter. Maybe people are keeping links to old pages on the THS website, thus think these things are still required/valid?
I would never ask anyone to sign a contract or sign a contract myself - I feel it completely defeats the point of using THS. I think majority of people are genuinely good and can be trusted, and I like to think people would get the same sense of me. If the HO and sitter are not aligned in their thinking on this, then I would say that is not a suitable match for a sit. Thatâs not a criticism of anyoneâs mindset - just a statement that people need to have the same attitude otherwise it can cause tension and issues.
In the same way, I donât need to know every nitty gritty detail about how appliances work in someones house because I can work it out, and if I need to spend hours showing a sitter how everything works and answering 1001 questions about facilities in my house (and no questions about my pets), then for me that doesnât work because that tells me they will struggle if anything unexpected happens. I want someone who can figure things out, think on their feet, and have my pets at the centre of their concerns.
Itâs all about finding compatibility - think of approaching THS as a dating site 
4 Likes
Too many red flags. I would move on if it was me.
I find it especially shady that, if an owner does want some form of additional contract, they donât share that before each side confirms.
Thatâs an awfully big detail to be expected to agree to after youâve agreed to sit - or worse, after arrival.
Just like, unfortunately, some home owners hide important details either about their pet or home in the Welcome Guide instead of being upfront about them before confirmation a contract you donât get to view beforehand could have things you werenât expecting or are unreasonable.
Donât ever agree to something like that before youâve read it⌠and confirming is essentially doing just that.
We have quite a few sits under our belt now and have always found that the homeowner will confirm the sit straight after the phone call, and often before the phone call even takes place. Our record is 5 mins from hitting send on the application to the homeowner hitting confirm sit. There is the quick and the dead