It doesn’t automatically open up when you decline an application. You need to unpause the listing.
This could be one of the reasons hosts think they have to choose from the first five and why they are not getting the quality of sitters they are used to.
Hmmm… Having just listed/selected a sitter, I was thinking the opposite. Any of my short sits (two weeks or less) are more challenging and take more time to fill those 5 spots - which I think has more to do with timing, booking fee and world events than the 5-application rule - but my usual sits (1 month or more) fill with qualified sitters immediately. In fact I’ve started pausing applications before 5 because I don’t want to get sitters’ hopes up.
A few years ago I was more judicious about fully considering all the sitters who applied, but even when I declined and got new applicants, the sitter I selected has always come from the original 5. I lost out on a potentially great sitter because I was doing calls with EVERYONE, so now I set up calls with the 2 or max 3 right away so I can move along.
I don’t see how the limit would impact how carefully an HO would vet the sitters. The only time I’ve felt rushed it was my own doing - filling any sit that crosses an end-of-year holiday stresses me out so I just want it filled asap.
The point is, everyone should be able to customize how they use the site. What may be good for you is not necessarily good for others. Give us the choice to limit the applicants to 5, 10, 15 or whatever. I have had the opposite experience as you unfortunately
I know for sure indeed that since that 5 appl rule I miss out on a lot of good sits I’d like to apply for & for which I’d be a very suitable sitter (I’ve been 11 years on THS; ~50 sits), because I can’t be on this website all the time.
I only check the website once or twice a day, which unfortunately is by far not sufficient to be amongst the first 5 for popular sits. So these HO never even get a chance to know I’m out there.