I have been reading this forum for some time. I am shocked how much negative is being written/experienced. I cannot imagine how this “mismatches” happen.
We have had many sitters, some more than once. We have been so fortunate to have had the best of the best. Just to be surprised again and again with even better.
I am sure to state, that all of our sitters were more than happy to sit for us. We treat them as family/guest and some at the end even friends. That means we make a welcome meal for them. We care how their room looks like. We care what they like to eat. We leave some regular stuff in the fridge. They are allowed to use everything but our bedroom.
We are so happy to be part of THS and the way we find excellent sitters and caregivers for our cats.
How can a match go so wrong that a HO has to (or should) give a 2 star or the other way around.
You’re either very forgiving, easily satisfied, you’ve got low expectations or you’ve just been very lucky.
We allow sitters to use the entire home, including the master bedroom.
Not understanding why you deny them that luxury, when they are doing so much for your home and your trusted pets? Especially since you’re had such amazingly positive experiences with so many excellent sitters.
Most sits go fine. Otherwise, no one would continue to sit, host or renew their membership.
As typical with forums, the focus tends to be on problem cases, because that’s what people write about most, whether to ask for help, to vent or such. And often you can see that the same people tend to experience repeat problems — that’s because they’re not strong at choosing good matches, upholding boundaries, communicating well, problem-solving, have unrealistic expectations, etc.
Personally, I’ve had overwhelmingly great sits. It helps to be selective with sits and hosts.
Or.. they just have the misfortune of placing too much trust in reviews, they accept a very promising applicant with a solid (but misleading) review history and who puts on a good show during the videochat, yet does an unsatisfactory job because they can’t handle the responsibilities that they promised they could or they’re just careless and lazy but other hosts are reluctant to give a negative review because it ironically makes THEM look to be unreasonable.
Not at all. Mine is an example of a responsible host doing their due diligence, reviewing numerous applicants and making selections based on the information provided by others, expecting honesty and ultimately not getting it.
You have said that you get inundated with applications, yet you chose a sitter with almost no experience with multiple animals and with reviews that show stars docked in some categories. Surely there was someone better available.
Usually I don’t like blaming the victim, but when the victom blames the system, while admitting that they perpetuate that system, it is hypocritical.
@idocsteve you are constantly complaining, now on multiple threads, and its getting boring especially as you refuse to take on board fellow host/sitters suggestions or opinions.
We chose a sitter with straight 5 star reviews over multiple visits by various hosts. She claimed she had no problems with our sit as accurately described in our listing and Welcome Guide. I never said anything to the contrary.
Yes after the fact it’s easy to say there was someone better available just like it’s easy to say after a football is intercepted they should have run the ball.
Thank you for posting this. I am a sitter, and you sound like each host I have sat for. I have always been welcomed and treated with appreciation. It has been clear that the hosts prepared a welcoming space for me and showed consideration for my accommodations. In turn, I could not imagine treating them, their home, neighbors or pets with anything less. I think both myself and the hosts I’ve sat for, have been realistic in expectations and connected well during initial communications. I occasionally see positive posts or responses on the forum, but I think we see folks venting or requesting advice more often when things go awry.
We are also in the HAPPY camp! We’ve hosted over a dozen wonderful sitters in four years of long sits and made some friends along the way. We are currently hosting a couple for a repeat sit and I know for sure our animals will be really sad to see them leave. I hope they’re still happy to see us when we get home tomorrow
Our experience is that it’s important to take time to get to know each other and not treat THS as a transactional system. Open communication and showing some grace when things go awry (which goes both ways) has proven a winning combo. I’m stunned by the negative posts too, and I don’t love the direction THS marketing is going, but I trust my gut and know we’ll continue to have great experiences.
I approach sits with an adventurous spirit, and my motto is ‘this is not going to be a holiday’. I’ve only ever had one sit where I felt misled and taken advantage of. Others have been challenging, yet rewarding, and often it’s the challenging parts that have ultimately made it a richer experience overall.
I’ve formed lasting connections with several home owners, and always form strong bonds with the animals I care for - which makes it very hard to leave!
It’s a great way to travel, and has opened doors to exploring new areas both locally and internationally.
Ultimately, it’s like many things in life - you get out what you put in.
@JacWith you all the way! We’ve travelled the world as full-time sitters since we retired in 2012. Our first sit was in the December of 2011 - very, very early days; house/pet sitting as a concept, never mind a reality, was in its infancy.
Fast forward to October 2025 - almost 14 years since that first sit, it’s truly unbelievable. We’ve completed more than 150 fabulous sits, and as the concept has evolved so too have we. In all that time we’ve only ever had 1 truly awful sit
, grateful for your sitters being amazing, and I bet your sitters are hugely thankful of you too.
