Hi
I am new to THS and wondered if there was a contract to sign between owner and sitter
Thanks Colin
Hello @DylanFrazer welcome to our community forum and to TrustedHousesitters. There is no sitter/owner contract. All members agree to a Code of Conduct and to the TrustedHousesitters T&Cās when they join.
We advise reviewing all applicants messages and profiles and then once you have sitters who you feel could be the right fit for Dylan, Frazer and your home you begin the selection process with two way communications via messages and we strongly recommend having a video chat, where you each ask all of your questions, where you make clear your petās needs and your expectations, this is the opportunity for sitters to ask their questions also.
From this process and once everyone involved is 100% happy with the arrangement you mutually confirm the sit via your dashboard and then share the Welcome Guide which should contains all of the information a sitter needs to care for your pets and home, including veterinary information and emergency contact details.
Iām sure you will receive great feedback, advice and support from our members here on the forum and there are many excellent informational articles on the website blog and this help section
If you need any additional help or information please donāt hesitate to ask.
Welcome again.
Angela and the Team
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Thank you Angela
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We recently applied for a sit. The owners liked our reviews but still asked us to sign a contract. We declined as we are fully vetted by THS and feel this system is sufficient.
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What did the contract look like? Was it their own wording or just the stuff cut and pasted straight from THS? Kind of strange.
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The ācontractā was obviously not prepared by an attorney and looked like the owner thought they did a good job. It was fairly standard from the standpoint of responsibility and not out of reason. I simply did not want to go into legalities. I had studied some law and was involved in many contracts. Just enough to know not to think I am smart enough to make my own contract. I was thinking of proposing it be reviewed by an attorney - and propose they pay for it which I doubt they would do - but decided that was a bit much. I simply declined the sit stating I thought the THS vetting, with 5-star reviews, was sufficient.
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We recently applied for a sit and had a video chat with the pet parents which went well. They invited us and we confirmed the sit. Yesterday, in addition to the Welcome Guide, they sent us an agreement (contract) that they would like us to sign before the start of the sit.
Although the agreement is not full of legalese and mainly outlines the house rules and doās and donāts, we are not comfortable signing the agreement. I am thinking I will send them a response to let them know that we are not going to sign the agreement and that they should look for a different sitter.
Has anyone had this issue before?
I would appreciate any thoughts/comments/advice.
Thanks,
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Yes we have and are currently in limbo over it. Iāve told the HO we will review, amend and then letās see. Not hugely happy either TBH but have heard this happens
Do read @Angela_Lās comment above in this thread @Landbiscuit. There used to be quite a few years ago a contract provided by THS IF owners and sitters wished to use it. However, it has been removed by THS as it really goes against the ethos of what this platform is all about and it was not legally binding, just the same as the one your prospective owners wish you to sign. Keep in mind this is an equal exchange; we are not being employed. Are they new owners? If so, it could be for piece of mind. Are you a relatively new sitter? You have undergone verification processes, the owners have not and they know far more about you than you them. They SHOULD have raised this in your video chat. In fact, it should be included in their listing so sitters who apply are fully aware of their expectations. Definitely message them with your concerns and go from there. If you still feel uncomfortable, I would back out of the sit as you donāt know just how demanding they could be and you do want to enjoy the sit!
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@temba Thank you! That is a great response and the type of advice I was looking for. I agree that it SHOULD have been mentioned in the video chat so that we could have addressed it then. We are not new sitters, weāve been sitting since 2019 (just new to the Forum). They are relatively new owners, this is only their 4th sit. I have sent them a message using some of Angelaās langauge above to let them know that we believe we are covered by the THS code of conduct and T&Cās and that the agreement is a deal breaker for us.
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Do let us know how you get on @Landbiscuit. Did they receive great feedback from their past sitters? Iām thinking there was no mention of an agreement in them!
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If you Google āTrusted Housesitters Agreementā there is a 16 page document - that may be the one you received.
In the very early days I was asked to sign one but I didnāt know any different, I just thought it was part of the process. I think things have moved on and most things are covered by the Code of Conduct and Terms and Conditions. Not sure if either of those are legally binding either.
What I would do would depend on what is in the contract.
In a totally different situation I was asked to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement, ājust routineā they said. But it had som legalese about damages to amounts that could have bankrupted me!
So I declined and offered that I could promise and solemnly swear and affirm with my signature that I would keep my mouth shut. So then they sent a new version, which I signed.
@temba Well, that was no funā¦
After a few notes back and forth, using some of your words above, we reached an agreement to cancel the sit. At the end of the string of notes, they agreed to honor our request to cancel and also reminded us our reason for asking to cancel did not meet the āextraordinary circumstancesā as described in the THS Code of Conductā¦
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How interesting @Landbiscuit!! Iād say not disclosing they required an agreement to be signed before confirmation is an extraordinary reason for cancelling. Do they have time to find another sitter as that could be their concern?
Put it behind you now as no need for further discussion with them.
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Time to explain to them that adding an extra agreement on a platform like THS is also not part of the code of ātrustedā conduct @Landbiscuit - bullet dodged probably and maybe lodge the issue/discussion with support JIC. Onwards and upwards 
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@Temba I think they will be able to find another sitter fairly easily. Itās in a good location with two sweet pets
@Cuttlefish Yes, onward and upward, time to move forwardā¦
Same here. I donāt have time to go through all that, including engaging my attorney brother in reviewing a contract for a free catsit.
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An NDA? Are they celebrities?
I would also not sign such a contract. I would politely decline, and state that this is not * THS* policy and they should seek a sitter elsewhere.