Yes and I’m planning my sis very carefully to be available at the time needed and to leave after they arrive. My plans work as a clockwork as I do a good planning. Paying two nights in a hotel at the end of the month (
) I was not prepared for.
The HO was very aware of me not being local.
@Marian7 You bring up a very good point. TH needs to start implementing consequences and penalties when the Code of Conduct is broken. The first time can be a warning, but 2nd, 3rd, etc…- It needs to happen.
Otherwise, the COC is just empty words.
@ACLRJM It doesn’t even matter if your house was across the street, you still have every right to feel disrespected. I just don’t like how there was no consideration for your plans and efforts. Who knows when they would have bothered to tell you…
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Would it not be considered a cancellation of a sit and maybe you’re entitled to some insurance compensation for the days you’ll have to pay for a hotel?
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Yes this counts as a cancelled sit .
As it’s less than 14 days before sit is due to start you can claim under the insurance .
You must inform member services who will help you make the claim but you do need to let them know asap .
So sorry that this happened @Marian7 it’s very disrespectful.
Since my experience I have found out that a sitter who abandons a sit early ( without a good reason ) gets a lifetime ban from THS. However there is no consequence for a Homeowner curtailing the sit .
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You need to be a premium member to have this insurance. I’m not. Unfortunately
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@Marian7 , having been put in this situation by the PP who is not abiding by the THS Code of conduct - this amounts to curtailing of sit by homeowner . In this situation you are totally within your rights to look for another sit for those dates .
THS member support maybe able to help you .
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Thank you for your kind comment. Unfortunately there was no sit available and customer service was really nice but that didn’t change anything.
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I’m so curious if anyone has ever successfully been able to actually access/ use the insurance in this type of scenario. Recently this also happened to me (in an area where it is impossible to find decent lodging for less than $200/night) and since I’m standard had no recourse, but now wondering if it’s worth the upgrade. It’s a frustrating situation for sure !
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@MojaveForever so sorry to hear that this has also happened to you recently 
.
The premium insurance does cover when a sit is curtailed…however to be reimbursed for alternative accommodation costs your claim has to meet all the other criteria of the T&Cs of the insurance such as
•Alternative Accommodation must be not be further than 20 miles (32 kilometres) from the location of the original sit.
•a limit of $150 per night will be reimbursed
• Policy Excess- sitter pays first $100
• $1500 total limit
•THS must be notified of cancellation within 24 hours .
If you have come from another country you can’t simply return home, there will be costs associated with changing your flights - if you are doing back to back sits you will need to find accommodation for the days in between.
I realise now why it’s called a code of conduct rather than terms and conditions- it can’t be enforced. It does seem to favour homeowners rather than sitters . A sitter who leaves a sit early (where there are no exceptional circumstances) is banned for life . In this situation when the Homeowner doesn’t abide by the code of conduct , it’s the sitter that incurs additional costs but the homeowner can continue as a THS member without any sanctions . This doesn’t seem fair.
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I had this happen to me although it was only one day earlier. It did cost me double for changing my train tickets. Really annoying!!
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Sorry to hear this has also happened to you @Jinty .
Your experience shows that a sit curtailed
even 1 day early causes inconvenience & expense for the sitter.
Interested to know if you reported it to member services or mentioned it in your “feedback” ?
It does seem that it has happened to quite a few of us sitters 
.
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I wasn’t aware that sitters and HO are treated so differently. My current experience: Yes!
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Wow. Really sorry to hear that.
That would have many negative implications for me as a sitter, because of my working full time online and the distances traveled etc.
I really hope this is a rare event. It would massively put me off sitting.
I do hope something can be done to address this. For you and all of us who trust the THS process. Imagine the outcry if you left the sit 3 days early?!
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Agreed. It’s a lifetime ban for a sitter that leaves a sit early with no good reason @Purdie - but not so for an HO. #gofigure
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@Cuttlefish I know it might seem a little unbalanced in the black and white T&Cs. The lifetime ban is normally reserved for when sitters leave a sit early and leave the pets unattended without making alternative pet care arrangements.
Here are the T&c’s
- not leave any Sit early under any circumstances, especially where this results in any pet(s) being left unattended, without first informing the Pet Parent and giving them reasonable time to arrange alternative pet care. If you do, you will instantly receive a lifetime ban from the Platform;
Even though this is extremely unlikely to happen, there need to be T&Cs in place to protect the pets as they are the only party on the site with no voice and can’t look after themselves.
If there are reasons why the sitters need to leave early and they work with the owner with the support of Membership Services and there is alternative pet care in place before they leave is not an automatic ban. It is on a case-by-case basis.
Sitters should also report owners who come back early without good reasons. Membership Services can always give you more information on all of the above.
I hope the new review system also helps as people might feel more comfortable leaving more details to help guide others.
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Thanks @Carla & I understand that strictness with the sitters leaving unattended animals. Definitely a huge no no. I just think that owners should have some kind of repercussion for doing the same. It isn’t balanced yet and needs more work.
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As a HO, I am sorry this happened. Yes,I’ve cut my trips short when I DID NOT have a house sitter, but I would be hard pressed if someone had committed to a stay. I would feel the same if a sitter announced they were leaving. That being said, if for some reason I had to return home, my accommodations are such that my sitter would be welcome to stay at the house. I mean, it would be free ccomodations and no responsibilities for them if they don’t mind sharing a kitchen. We have people who come to visit and do their own thing so we don’t feel a need to entertain, but I do want guests to have what they need.
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Hi. I have just experienced this as well, but my take on it is a bit different. I can understand your upset. In my case, the HO reached out and let me know they were thinking they wanted to come home early and did that fit with my travel plans. I appreciate that they considered me, and it turns out to be okay with me. I think it is a rare occurrence but it is important to us sitters that the HO realize what it takes for us to logistically be there in their home, caring for their home and pets for the dates agreed upon.
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