@Paul-Head-MS and @Vanessa_A
There are comments here from users that they would use it if they had access to it.
It’s not being used because it’s not available to everyone.
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Hi @Robb yes, that’s a fair point. That said, we have received far more feedback saying that it isn’t wanted so we have made the decision to phase it out. I know that we’ll never please everyone with this type of decision so apologies if this frustrates anyone
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Where is the problem to make it available for everyone? Those who want to use it can do so and the others don’t. I really don’t see any reason to not make it available for everybody.
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The agreement on THS (slated for phasing out) is only a general template. It would be easy enough to create your own agreement and share it with your sitters/homeowners if you would like to use one. I send my HO an Absent Owner Treatment Consent form and all have been more than happy to complete it.
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This might be easy to create for native English speaking people, but when you’re not , this is a challenge. Even an easy form would be helpful.
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Hi @anon39388349
The agreement is far from easy, it is 16 pages long and is complex in parts.
This is probably why no-one uses it.
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I still think that it should be up to the users to decide wether they want to use it or not, no matter how complex it is.
I was referring to @mars 's “easily set up” document.
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I have used the Pet Sitters Agreement in the past with great success. I wish I had the Agreement with my most recent sit when the HO was so “sweet” at the start and so “sour” in her review. Without written expectations there was little we could do.
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@anon39388349 , I appreciate your comments, and I agree that it is IMPORTANT for any house and pet sitting service, especially THS, which seems to be the gold standard, to make a pet care contract available to its members as part of membership. If it is infrequently utilized by its members, perhaps it should be reworked. I want to mention that I send my HOs an Absent Owner Treatment Authorization form and Authorization to Drive a Motor Vehicle (if applicable). I found the templates for both of these online and copied them (manually, the sites do not allow a copy and paste). If you do a google image search on pet care contracts and forms you will see many that you can use as templates. You just have to tediously copy the wording into your own document. This is not ideal, but if THS eliminates its agreement, it is an option.
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Thank you so much! I wasn’t aware that you can find this online (of course, had I thought about it, it would have been obvious 
)
I‘ll check! Thanks again 
As a consultant I have had situations where misunderstandings arose on a “handshake” agreement for a small, informal project. This taught me that it’s better to put things in writing, in large part so that different views can be identified and reconciled in advance.
When I joined TH several years ago, I created an agreement clarifying obligations of both the HO and sitter and I believe it benefits both. It certainly puts us at ease as HOs that, for example, the sitter won’t leave our dogs tethered outside a store. Although these things are in our Welcome Guide and lengthy supplement, it’s worth calling them out in a shorter form.
I don’t believe any sitter had declined signing it until recently when, though I’d sent it several days earlier, the day before the sit the sitter called saying she didn’t feel comfortable signing it. Even after I told her we could disregard it she canceled the sit as she felt we had irreconcilable differences in how we viewed TH and the expectation of trust. I ended up missing our trip to care for the pets.
I don’t think she actually objected to anything in the agreement, and she was thoughtful in our conversation. So I guess for some folks it’s just a philosophical difference in attitude about how TH should work. I’m all for trust-and we do have to trust a sitter staying in our home with our precious pets-but I see no harm in ensuring that all parties understand what they are agreeing to.
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@jrschacht2 My main concern here is whether the homeowner is fully transparent about any requirement of a signed agreement. My opinion is that, if a homeowner requires an agreement to be signed, that this is clearly communicated in the listing. Any applicant should also be provided with a draft agreement, so that they can assess whether they would be willing to sign such an agreement. If the homeowner then offers the sit - conditional on signing the agreement, if that’s the case - and the sitter accepts, knowing the requirement of the agreement and having had time to review it, then that is effective communication. Final confirmation of the sit should be when both parties have signed the agreement.
However, if the agreement being sent ‘several days earlier’ than the scheduled start date was after the sitter was confirmed, then that effectively changes the terms and conditions of the sit. I am intentionally not sharing my opinion on written agreements as such as it is irrelevant here. My key point is that transparency, consistency, and open and honest communication are essential, and are the backbone of the THS concept.
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That seems fair. To clarify, I ask the sitter to look at the agreement and let me know if they have any issues with it, and I am open to modifying it or even dropping it if it causes a problem for the sitter. It is not a requirement of the sit.
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I don’t think I would object for the agreement to be written down if both sides had an input and it was agreed before the sit was confirmed then not changed. For a long sit it makes perfect sense as there are so many legal implications of someone living in your house for longer than 6 months.
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