Aren’t we agreeing? I never see sitters saying anything but ‘this is the best cat’, and it’s that I find silly.
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Ah, Ok I understand what you mean, yes, of course sitters need to be honest about all aspects of the sit including the pets themselves.
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@Lauraa As is usual in life, I’m an outlier once more. My reviews are not sugar-coated. I’ll quote parts of my review from a recent sit of mine:
“… loved to cuddle at bedtime, but during the day was more independent. Being an indoor cat who is content alone for hours, it allows the sitter lots of time to discover the area.”
I think there is usually a way to give respectful, honest reviews. However, I do think using ‘independent’ and ‘content alone’ rather than perhaps ‘aloof’ (for example) is preferable and still accurate. What I have learned from the forum is to also include information that might be useful to future sitters. Hence the reason I’ve phrased it that way.
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Good, I’m glad one person has done it! For me, sitter reviews are rarely helpful, mostly just saying the animals and owners were ‘the best ever’. So like someone above, I don’t pay much attention to reviews but rely on other ways to judge situations for myself.
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This is a long thread but wanted to state that the AirBnB review system is not perfect, either.
Between house sits we use AirBnB and very often the reviews do not state obvious problems that we’ve encountered upon arrival. Filthy furniture, broken toilets, super loud window air conditioning that prevents sleep…
Reviewers are concerned that if they list even simple negative facts, future hosts will reject them. I know you can write blind reviews but ultimately your profile is associated with any review you write.
It’s a tough situation, this review thing… 
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What about when they write something negative in the feedback but still give you 5 stars? I left the house in excellent condition and the pets were well loved which is the main thing
No, I have given up hope. When they spend their time implementing things THS has deemed beneficial to the company (like “the pause on applications”) rather than this which has been top priority for members, it becomes obvious that the promise to address this major issue is simply lip service. Sad.
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Hi @Laura,
As @Snowbird did, I went to check what I really wrote on my Feedback about pets.
This is (part of) what I wrote about a repeat sit with 2 sweet-but-not-so-easy dogs :
“
To provide DOGS enough exercice, we use to split in two teams : DOG1 and Françoise went walking for 10-12 km, while DOG2 and HUSBAND went for short and easy walks at the beach (though lots of beaches are not allowed to dogs in the summer - except if the weather is really poorly and nobody is at the beach). DOG1 is a very good walker and I enjoy walking with him on the coastal path. I could even let him off the lead because he’s got a good recall in fact. I just try to anticipate if a dog was coming in front. The only thing both DOG1 and DOG2 have to improve is calming down when it is walking time : they get very excited as soon as they could see us taking the leads ! Luckily they calm down when we leave the house. And they both love jumping in the car and drive to a new playground.
”
I think it gives a clue to my fellow sitters of what to expect from these dogs no ?
I gave 5 thumb to this sit we went twice.
And they gave us 5 star even though I wrote the dogs need a bit of attention and organization !
So I agree : feedback and review are importants but words are the most important.
(sorry for my mistakes)
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Having read most of the comments, more does need to be done. We got back from a holiday to 2 clingy pets who obviously hadn’t been given much fuss and attention. Also we had to start cleaning the kitchen for nearly 2 hours on our return. So annoying after a long journey and having spent several days cleaning in preparation for the pet sitters. I always read reviews carefully and look for what isn’t there. If there is no mention of happy pets and leaving the home clean and tidy, then I don’t offer the sit. This sitter had excellent reviews, I can’t believe that people have dirty homes themselves and are happy having to clean after getting back from holiday and that is what gets me frustrated. I feel more honesty is urgently required. Surely THS tell pet sitters that they should leave a home clean after they leave. A quick clean in the morning before departure just isn’t enough after a stay of a week or more. I know pet sitters are wanting to explore local areas and that is the fun part, but their prime duty is to the pets surely even if they are easy to look after? Most animals like more than just food and water when their owners are away.
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This is definitely not the usual way a sitter would leave a home so it is really unlucky that you chose that particular sitter to care for your home and pets.
THS do tell sitters that they need to leave the home clean after leaving - although many sitters get slightly offended at being told as, in reality, they do not need telling!
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With regard to reading the HO reviews and if the review doesn’t say that the home was “clean and tidy” the assumption is that
the sitter left it dirty, there may be other circumstances. In our last sit, the homeowners had a weekly cleaner come in and they didn’t want to disrupt her routine. So just before the homeowners came home the house was professionally cleaned, then straightened up by us, the sitters. It was clean all right, but to the HO’s this was normal, no comment needed. There are so many different conditions, reading between the lines may not be accurate. I would consider giving the benefit of the doubt to the sitter.
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As mentioned, most sitters would leave the house very clean. A small pet peeve of mine, as it doesn’t happen often, but I hate it when I have planned my last day (with plenty of time for cleaning) and then the home owner lets me know on the day: “We’ll be home earlier than planned, see you soon!” Noooo, now everything has to be rushed and then I meet them in a sweaty red-faced mess…instead of cool and calm in a clean house.
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@botvot Many of us have learned from experience to do the major stuff the day before and only the final details the day of - for that very reason. Besides, something else could happen on that final day that throws off plans anyway.
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@Snowbird would you mind sharing some tips on what can be done the day before?
@botvot I want to be mindful not to stray from the post topic too much, so I’ll generalize. I’ll mention that almost all sits I do are for meticulous homeowners, and so I try to return the home as though I was never there. Much will depend on whether I have my car, how long I’m there, and what time I’m leaving. The day or two before I do the tasks that might be done if you have professional cleaners do the work, including bathroom, kitchen, floors. I’m also one to do all laundry, unless that’s not possible because of timing, or because of the homeowner’s instructions. The final day will be the little details that are not tiring. I don’t want a homeowner having to do work because I was there. 
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Again, why not have the discussion about the subject before accepting the sit/sitter ? or before they leave ? I was able to talk with the HO the evening before they left. I saw the house, rooms, had a good idea to what extend the HO was keeping her house clean and in order. We then agreed on some chores beside the obvious ones.
So, everyone is on the same page.
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How can a sitter put up a false picture, I thought THS checked the ID’s of sitters?
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I think it is possible to change your profile picture after you have joined - maybe that should not be allowed>
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Not sure I would agree with that. I might want to update mine. Anyway, our profile has multiple photos of us with various animals so I’m not sure how much it matters which one is our profile photo.
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This was checked out at the time @Wavingfish and it was just not a recent photograph of the member.
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