No problem @JustP and I will pass this on to membership services as you’ve messaged them and they may already be dealing with this. Just to avoid duplication. My understanding is that yes a pro-rata refund is an option if you choose not to proceed with the checks but they will be able to give you all the detail. As mentioned before, we are sorry to see you leave, but remember the forum is open to all of the house sitting community, so please come say hello anytime. Take care on behalf of us all on the forum team.
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I prefer not to receive a tip as it sounds more like a service worker than a caring member of the community willing to give up their free time to take care of a pet not wanting to go into kennels. I would not expect anything from an owner other than a nice review and I always leave a “thank you” and would replenish any stocks of food for the pets or just get some small chew toy or whatever for the pet.
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That’s a good question re getting paid for a sit on this site. I’d also like to know. I was offered to be paid once for doing a local house sit and declined as I thought it would be unethical to accept money as a sitter belonging to THS. I also declined the sit. Perhaps one of the THS members can answer this. Are sitters allowed to accept payment as a member of THS if they are offered payment?
Hi @Globetrotter @Samstevens201 sitters with TrustedHousesitters do not charge for pet sitting there are many reasons but the first one is it is not how TrustedHousesitters works, and it was the very thing which drew me to TrustedHousesitters in the beginning it’s also the reason many come to our community, to have their beloved pets cared for people who care so much they will do this in return for benefits and rewards that money can’t necessarily buy.
When a sitter receives payment for pet sitting, or any service this completely changes the dynamic, it becomes a transactional agreement with all of the implications of paid employment it can also change the visitors status if sitting internationally
After 11 years of living this lifestyle and caring for pets I can honestly say I get back far more than I ever give and I truly believe that is how most of our sitting community feel , I know pets and pet parents value it more than anything else.
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Hmmm, when I arrived at the location the HO had dinner ready waiting for me. Naturally, I had dinner ready for her when she came back from her vacation.
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Just out of curiosity, would you have done so if the HO hadn’t?
It’s not a judgement either way, just curious.
@Globetrotter - if you’re in the U.S. there are sites where house and pet sitters can get paid for their services like Rover DOT com, Care DOT com, and SitterCity DOT com.
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You have similar sites in most of the developed world by there are those of us who are retired and are looking to help out a pet loving family without turning the project into a moneymaking venture.
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@Willexcell - for me, I professionally house and pet sit to supplement my Social Security Disability and just use THS to find jobs at the beach which for me is my place of Zen. I love the beach but hotels can be quite expensive so I was thankful to find a site like THS where I can exchange my vast experience gained in almost 13 years of house and pet sitting for an opportunity to visit the beach.
I believe some people need to know or be reminded that this site isn’t for making money and shouldn’t be used to make money. If people are looking to make money from house and pet sitting then they need to find another site like the ones I previously listed.
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Totally agree but I know from meeting another pet owner who uses a different site experienced a sitter asking for money despite the fact that the site has similar rules to THS. You are dealing with some people who just do not understand the concept or maybe do not want to understand.
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Great point of view and service routine.
curious… first time as a HO… I had planned on full access to all groceries left in house and was planning on giving my HS some $ to buy food… it is for a 2 month sit… is that not correct ? of course we are paying all utilities and bills related to the house
thanks!
You can do whatever you want, but it’s unnecessary and unexpected to give them money for food. I’ve had it happen once or twice, but it’s a nice surprise that I used to treat myself and it definitely wan’t something I thought should happen.
We agree completely with SandC. Some people also leave expensive items like Swiss chocolate, vegan Ben and Jerry’s ice cream (which costs around 14 USD here) or wine specifically for us. If someone says “help yourself to anything” we don’t touch anything unless he/she repeats it at least 2-3 times (still we only use small amounts or replace things as well). It’s rare these days that anybody cooks for us, but we sometimes leave a vegan raw cake with high quality ingredients.
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Nothing is fine and what I expect after all I’ve enjoyed the company of their pets and home. In the past be gotten gift cards for local places, my favorite, wind chimes, wine and cash. Most of my favorite sits didn’t come with any kind of tip.
i think i already know this answer, or read it somewhere. a potential pet sit asked if we can accept tips. i think the answer is no
@Flopsy You will find a wide range of answers to your question - from sitters and owners - in this post [link removed as post moved here]
It’s always a good idea to search key words (e.g. ‘tips’) using the magnifying glass and see if there’s a related post. The forum has been growing and there’s lots of great content available now. Happy reading. 
We recently were given our first ever tip - £50!
Did we accept? - Yes,
Do we expect a tips from other home hosts? - No
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@MaggieUU No doubt they would never intend for you to be uncomfortable. They are likely just owners who are genuinely appreciative of sitters. I had a similar situation recently and just thanked them for their thoughtfulness and consideration but that it is just not necessary. I left the money at the home. I didn’t make any suggestion about a donation, but if that’s your comfort level, that’s fine too. In your review I would comment on their thoughtfulness but not mention anything specific about gifting you money.
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We are sitters as well as HOs. No, we don’t leave tips nor do we expect them. Something truly extraordinary might occur during the sit. So that might be cause to do so. But that’s not common.