We have started asking for the address during the video call or immediately after acceptance. We have, in the past, sometimes been caught out getting the address much later and finding it is not exactly where we thought e.g further out in the sticks, or down a rough road etc. Ultimately not a problem when we’ve been with our own car but not so convenient if relying on public transport as in some overseas sits. Most hosts in our experience don’t complete the welcome guide or just prepare their own thing, usually with their address, but also usually sent much closer to the sit dates or just in paper form on arrival. So its always good to get the address immediately incase its not going to be a good fit.
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I too ask for the precise area, asking for the street name or the closest cross roads, explaing coming without a car (for example) i want to see how far is the market, the grocery, the bus stop ( or train station)
I declined a sit realizing we would be close to a train station, very noizy.
It’s to late once you have been selected to ask for such infos.
With Google earth you see a lot.
Having got the zip code by the owner i vould see the house was totally remote.
No pubs around … within walking distance.
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Ah! This is my #1 pet (ha ha) peeve about not just THS but pet/house sitting arrangements overall. It is supposed to be a culture of mutual exchange, at least that’s how the major sites present it: pet and house care in exchange for a place to stay, presumably in an interesting locale. THS promotes pet sits as a way to travel without having to pay for expensive accommodations, which makes it pretty explicit that we sitters are not simply paying our own travel expenses to get to a sit only to be confined there by excessive HO demands/expectations.
More than once, I have found myself reassuring a HO that I will mostly be around as I work full time remotely. This is in response to them worrying that the animals will be left alone for too long. While I absolutely agree that it’s fine to ask sitters not to be gone for long stretches of time (and certainly not overnight) and I am an ethical pet carer who would never push an animal’s limits too far (I do make them a priority), I find myself downplaying the very reasons why I’m applying for the sit: because it’s in a locale that I really want to explore.
I don’t know what the solution to this disparity between reasonable expectations and excessive demands is, to be honest. Of course, it depends upon the animals–dogs needing more frequent walks, etc. and cats being (usually) more independent. I don’t think THS can do anything about this, can they? Maybe they can provide tips or “dos and don’ts” to new HO, reminding them that this is a cultural of equal exchange?
The same goes from the perspective of the HO. While THS may check your name, address and phone number, it is not automatic given to a HO.
I agree all that should be in a WG. It is in mine. At least you get my welcome guide. The HO has to ask a sitter to give name and a cell and a last name even after accepted!!! I accepted a recent sitter and it felt like a bit of reluctance to provide and may have been complicated by some lack of tech savvy - ness. “Hmm. I’m not sure why what’s app doesn’t work on my phone” for the video call…. Video turned into phone call.
“Just Jo and Sue is fine”. It was a little odd. Finally when they had difficulty with the THS app to attach photos of pet, used cell to text. And it was a blind handover.
The sit turned out 100 percent fine, but in retrospect as a NEW HO, with different sitters, it could have been not great.
Each party should have back up contact info once, full name and a cell . Agree!
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In order to ask the owner, you have to apply.
You can’t just start a conversation to get answers.
You may be lucky enough to be one of the five.
The owner may choose to reply to you, but probably won’t if you are not their first choice.
Distance and transport convenience would be deciding factors for me as the whether I applied at all.
I know this post is several years old, but lately we have been dealing with this issue during our housesits. We have been with THS for three years. As sitters, we now state in the application to the HO that we would like to do activities in which we will be gone for up to 6 hours 2-3 days of the sit (this is for a 7-10 day sit). However, it would save us time in applying for the sit if the HO would list in their profile the maximum number of hours the pet can be left alone.
And as to Pets4Me’s point…HO’s, please don’t list you have world class skiing an hour away and a must visit National Park 1 1/2 away, when the pet is not allowed to accompany you, and we can only be gone for 4 hours max, but you don’t mention this time frame in your listing.
Even worse, we have been accepted for sits where the HO has agreed, during the interview process, to our being away for 6 hours, but once arriving to the sit, changes the time away to 4 hours. Ugh!
We love the THS philosophy of mutual exchange, but lately we are feeling disillusioned. Perhaps, THS could make it a requirement for HOs to provide, in their listing, the amount of time a pet can be left alone, saving both PSs and HOs time and frustration.
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@SkiCatt
THS have a check box for this information- which Pet parents complete -
However it’s not visible to sitters!!!
This just creates confusion with Pet Parents thinking that they have supplied the information and totally unaware that sitters can’t see it .
THS say it’s there for data collection only .So only THS can see it !!!
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Ahhhh! That would be very helpful for the prospective sitter to see! THS, this needs to be visible to the sitter. It’s creating unnecessary frustration for HO and sitter alike.
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one thousand percent agree with you here. It really is a flaw in the THS system that I’ve seen people asked repeatedly be fixed. 
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So how does THS “match you with suitable sitters”? Are sitters asked a relevant question, such as “How long do you want to be able to the house without the pets?” It’s mind boggling to compare the vague directions about what a HO should write with the specific information sitters say they want. As a HO I often peruse the sit listings out of curiosity and wow, way more home owners should be consulting this forum.
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As you’ve probably worked out @KChev, THS does not do any matching between HO and sitters! All they do is allow HO to post their listing, sitters to complete a profile then have the opportunity to apply to listings. HO can invite sitters also. Why THS has not published how long pets can be left alone for so sitters know is beyond many of us as it is one of the key questions we ask. It makes us look as though we have not read the listing thoroughly as owners know they have completed that question when compiling their listing.
I’m sure you found reading other listings entertaining as we do too. It’s a shame many owners do not take the time to understand how THS works as an equal exchange and read some of the very useful blogs THS (and members of the forum) produce to help them create a great listing.
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As a HO ive just changed my listing title to include " car essential " as i am concerned that our rural location is not fully appreciated despite ticking that public transport does not come to our property. I think the THS platform could be improved to make this more visible on initial review by potential sitters , just a thought.
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I complained to THS Support about a listing that stated it was in a medium-sized city in the U.S. (if you looked at the region, the city would most definitely be listed) but was actually in a suburb at least a 25-minute drive away. THS Support stated they sometimes change the city location to protect the HO’s privacy. Since the suburb where the HO was located has 15K residents, the HO shouldn’t need the location altered. If there were 15 residents, that might make sense.
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@PSW That’s good you write Car Essential straight up. Those who don’t have a car (rental or their own) can just scroll on. Saves everyone time!
Our current sit wrote Car Included. As it was a 6 week sit with a car being essential it was the only reason we applied! In Europe we have our iwn car so its not needed but we’re in Malaysia and would not have paid for a 6 week rental.
Its good to have the deal breakers clearly mentioned on a listing.
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If you have ticked the appropriate box then its clearly visible to sitters on your listing that your property in not accessible by public transport
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Since you’ve raised this yourself, I’d like to ask you if you genuinely do this yourself? As in, you may WFH but do you never spend a day out with friends or family? Do you really live your life only going to get groceries or have a short walk?
I’m constantly surprised at the HO mentioning such tight timeframes for sitters to keep to with their pets.
We sit while travelling, but we would rarely spend more than five hours out of the home in a day. Some days we don’t do much or only go out to walk the dogs. We almost never go out after dark. We therefore spend a lot of time awake in the home with pets. And realistically, cats tend to sleep a lot through the day and dogs have a good long nap after they’ve had a walk. Our routines make the most of this.
When i read HO responsibility sections detailing all the love, cuddles and couch time they expect for their sits, mentioning the cafes, pubs and parks you can visit with their pet and referencing the couple of services available close by “with everything you could need”, I’m concerned. I don’t think this transaction buys 24 hours of my time each day. I often wonder if other sitters are accepting these sits and then just leaving the pets anyway? As a Pet Parent myself I’d rather acknowledge the need for sitters to be out and about and just ensure my pets are cared for capably within reasonable limits. How do others feel about this?
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I think it should be standard when the sit is confirmed that an automated PDF of the House and Location, Amenities and Responsibilities list should be sent, along with full name, address and phone number of HO.
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Thanks Colin, i had already done this but i have a current sit coming up and my sitter is making her way by plane and then public transport. I am worried for her but shes adamant its a journey she can make and i can make mt car available for her when she arrives. Finger crossed 
@Petwubble
I totally agree that this would be logical and most convenient for members .
However Trusted House Sitters is based in U.K. where data protection laws apply .
So THS can’t share the hosts personal information with sitters . They would get huge fines . So The host has to do it themselves .
The GDPR regulations 
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The Welcome Guide provides a good template for the HO to be fully honest about the actual location and access to transit, parking, use of vehicle, etc. I suppose there is an issue that the Welcome Guide is a resource provided once an application is confirmed. Clearly, Sitters and Homeowners need to remember their due diligence during the interview process. Member to member and not implicating THS privacy (GDPR) responsibilities.
Also, I’m a new HO on the platform and I think the THS platform itself is limiting when it comes to indicating the location in the listing. The location states the city but it’s a huge metro area which is unfortunately misleading.