I have been with TH seven years. I can attest that the new system favors the fast and not necessarily the qualified. Sometimes I have signed someone who wasn’t fabulous but was the best of the five. I never know as time draws shorter if I will get better applicants in the second round. Frustrating, for sure.
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Yes, I’m not sure what the geographic base is of sitters applying for mainland Europe sit, but it will be a mixture of sitters based in Europe except UK, UK sitters wanting to travel outside UK (if the very strong concentration of THS HOs in UK also applies to sitters, then the UK might have more sitters on THS than all other European countries combined), as well as for example Americans or Australians wanting to travel to and in Europe.
Although the latter group is likely to have a particularly hard time due to the 5 appl rule - I remember quite a few people in very different time zones commenting that applying for sits in for example Europe has become somewhat of a ‘mission impossible’ for them when the sits are posted while they sleep and have gone to “reviewing status” well before they wake up.
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It sounds that at the very least, THS should allow HOs to put applicants in the ‘hold’ while opening up to more applicants than the 5 who applied.
Now it’s very much a black-and-white/all-or-nothing situation: you get 5 applicants, there’s say a few OK-but-not-fantastic applicants amongst them. Will you decline them just to create more space for others to apply?
And then what if those applying aren’t any better? Do you then go back to the applicant that you declined and invite them to apply anyway? Well, that applicant might not want to - after all, you declined them. Or they may have moved on to another sit.
So it leaves HO in the situation you describe: you’d like to have a better applicant but by declining the so-so ones you reduce your pool without knowing if others will step forward. And then if they don’t, part of your original pool might have ‘evaporated’. As said, would be good if it would be up to the HO to decide how many applicants - even if that means you can put the 1st pool of 5 in a temp hold while opening up for another 5, and THEN make your decision.
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Marion, Your last paragraph completely describes me (adventurous retiree, new to pet-sitting FORMALLY, but a lifetime of caring for my own home and animals as well as those of my neighbors).
I am a newbie, but so far out of the fashionable “influencer” world that I heard about the site from a cousin in Norway (& I am in US). I had never even heard of formal sites for this type of thing. (I HAD heard of house-swap sites but I am an animal lover!)
However, I have had so so many rejected applications that I am starting to get discouraged.
I have felt that people in UK are afraid I will not show up…even though I already have 2 confirmed sits since last summer (who I have become WA ‘friends’ with as we stay in touch every few weeks). I have a very thorough profile, 5 personal references & 2, 5-star sits in US; and I am not really picky about where I’m going as long as it is near public transportation and I can walk the dog/s with me into a village for food, as I do not want to drive and endanger others when I am accustomed to driving on the wrong side of the road 
.
I am very happy when HOs say what they DO and DO NOT want as it saves me a lot of time. HOs may not realize the time and thoughtfulness and energy that goes into applications, but it is a lot.
So, it sounds like both HO and sitters are facing similar problems: finding the right match, and communicating enough (first, written; then face-to-face) to develop some trust.
I keep my fingers crossed and continue to try to believe that the universe will put me where I need to be (but I do not have a lifetime of travel and pet-sitting days ahead of me 
).
When I get anxious from reading horror stories on the forum, I usually write to my ‘confirmed sits’ for re-assurance! and then, a few weeks later, I come back again 
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Yes, I think you’re absolutely right about what they need to do regarding their marketing - people like myself who are recently retired, maybe the group of people to target. We’re looking for things to do new adventures, new people to meet and places to go… We have a beautiful country home, so we’re not pet sitting for a holiday or better digs! . We want to do it because we love dogs particularly and like to get our dog fix and a change of pace in a town or city. We about to do our very first dog sit for two weeks, so fingers crossed it all goes okay!
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Gosh, I’m so torn with the 5 applicant rule.
Because I know there are a lot of HOs that will sit there with a bunch of open apps and just will not respond to many. Before that rule, apps I submitted would just sit there, now HOs are incentivised to get through applications in a timely manner.
So I guess the question is have is are we ok with applying and never getting a response? Cause that will probably (and did) happen more.
I can also see the cons you’ve outlined for people in different time zones.
I’m not sure what an alternative solution would be short of expirations on response times after an app has been read or submitted or something but I wouldn’t want a free for all where HOs can take all the time
In the world again with all the applications…I can also see how many HOS would be easily overwhelmed by applications especially if they are in a popular location. 5 seems like a very low number though…would love to try 10…ultimately, I think HOs just need to eliminate candidates that clearly don’t work faster. 
@Avatuidiego is right tho… the fastest may not necessarily be the most qualified.
I’m always curious to know what people think the proper solution should look like because this was implemented for a reason.
@EllieandAndy and how is that different to ourselves who are under 35? We sit for all the same reasons. Just a total generalisation as usual on this forum of younger people
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The 5-applicant limit – this might be why it has changed for you? I am all for a limit (I am a sitter) but 5 seems draconian + counter-productive.
Form my experience (and I’ve read the same from a variety of others, but don’t know in general of course), the speed with which HOs reply to applications hasn’t changed one bit since the 5 app rule was introduced.
Some are fast, some are slow, some do nothing, some respond or decline right away. Same as before. The main thing that’s not the same is the limit, but speed wise I have not noticed a change in behaviour
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Hello, just jumping on here as there have been a couple of flagged posts on this topic about age issues or comments about certain groups of people.
Everyone has the right to choose who is right for them and have their own opinions, but when using the forum please remember that the forum and platform are open to every demographic and it can be easy to make assumptions or stereotype certain groups of people, whether it’s by age, job type etc which might not be a true reflection of that person or group.
So just a reminder of our guidelines for this topic or when using the forum in general:
This is our safe place
Any form of prejudice is not permitted. We must all feel safe. Negative comments about race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, age, gender or identity will not be tolerated.
My DM’s are always open if anyone has any questions or concerns.
As a sitter, I prefer knowing exactly what is wanted. It saves everyone’s time. I would have no problem agreeing to all your conditions.
Is that why some sits are withdrawn and reposted, either with the same or very similar dates? I agree about speed, sometimes I check immediately a sit is notified and it’s already got 3 or 4 responses.
I feel sad for HOs that they don’t get to make what they feel is a good choice because of this system.
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If the first five are not suitable the HO can decline them and unpause their listing . There is no limit to how many times they can do this . So no limit on how many applications they can consider .
I can see absolutely no benefit to either sitters or owners and can’t therefore see a need for any limit - surely it should be for home owners to decide whether they wish to go through 50 applications or whether they close applications at 5, 10 or whatever arbitrary figure they decide.
On the sitter side it means that you have to be constantly checking the site for new sits especially for popular locations. When I joined THS in 2022 I was fortunate to be offered four London sits immediately - now most London sits are already “reviewing” by the time I see them as they have reached the five limit. That’s not to speak of the time difference issues for those looking at sitting internationally.
The need to write very speedy applications to get in to the first 5 applications also means sitters are having to apply without having time to really consider the sit, whether it is a good fit or to write a thought-through application.
So, if the rationale was to improve the member experience I think the current 5 application limit has totally failed.
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You do not have to. I am right now considering a sit in Gamla Stan in Stockholm. I got a notification on my mobile, I looked at it in my web browser, already four applicants, so I opened the application window and I clicked the dates.
Now I have that browser window open. I am reading the reviews (they are positive), looking at the photos, it looks very nice. But I have just been to Stockholm in winter, and in early March it will still be cold. So after ripe consideration I will just mark the listing as a favourite and now close the window.
What THS should do is to tell people this. They should change the prompt “tell them why you’re perfect for this sit” and say that there is plenty of time, that also applications can come in as number six or seven. That would make things better for sitters and for HOs.
OK thanks for the information. As you say though, I don’t think many people realise this so you are right it needs to be made clear. However as with other changes over the past year it does seem to be making things more complicated rather than improving the overall experience. Also you still need to be checking the site many times a day to have a chance of being in the first five for popular sits. Having notifications on doesn’t seem to work well from what I have heard (I don’t have them on so can’t know from experience) as people have commented that there is often a time-lag during which time sits are ‘under review’.
Indeed, the app notifications do not work very well. There is a delay of up to one hour. During that time, it may already have gotten five applicants so that it is in review-status. It is quite irritating that THS sends out notifications for sits that one cannot apply for anymore.
The other thing is that notifications are sent for an area that is too large. I have a Saved search on my phone for the small town of Saint-Cyprien yet it generates notifications for all of the Dordogne region.
THis is xactly why I don’t have the notifications switched on! It is bad enough searching sits in London and getting sits that are at least 1.5 hours/100km outside the city without also getting notifications that aren’t within a reasonable range - for me a reasonable range is 10km or so.
Unfortunately, a homeowner may decline a marginal applicant only to get worse or no applicants in the next round. This requires circling back to someone who has already been rejected and trying to “take it back.” Bad system. Before, I could stop receiving applicants when I had found the right one. As a sitter, like all job applicants, I would assume I was not chosen if I did not hear back in a week or so and apply for other jobs. Or I would write the homeowner to let them know I needed to hear by X date because of other opportunities. The new application system only serves the interests of the “first five” and does a disservice to the homeowners and well-reviewed, long-term sitters who made TH a viable, well-regarded business.
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From a THS POV, their approach is working if such sits are being spread among more sitters. It might not be good for you, but if four London sits are spread among four sitters, that’s the likelihood of four membership fees being made worthwhile.