I need to know, did they offer for you to stay and did they give you an alternate place to stay on their dime?
@SadieMarie , Iâm not sure which of us you are asking as itâs happened to so many of us on this thread 
As I started the the thread , I will reply with what happened to us .
Just to reiterate that the sit that was curtailed in our case was not for an extraordinary circumstance and we werenât told until mid- sit . We also only found out because we reached out to PP to confirm what time they would be arriving back on the last day - when we got the reply that theyâd be coming back several days early. We werenât asked , we were told .
When pointed out the inconvenience this would cause us, the homeowner said we could stay with them when they returned . However it wasnât a suitable environment where we both ( we sit as a couple ) would have been able to continue to work from home with the homeowner also present.
Some sitters will be okay with staying on when homeowner is there and might enjoy it . However there are many sits where if it was curtailed the sitter wouldnât feel comfortable staying on ( e.g demanding/critical homeowner / sitters who likes their privacy and wouldnât be comfortable with sharing bathroom, kitchen etc, solo female sitter & homeowner male )
Staying with the homeowner changes the whole dynamic of the sit . Thatâs why the THS code of conduct is that the homeowner must vacate for the entire stay and also why there is the THS third party policy . Again it might work for some ; but homeowner certainly shouldnât expect that sitter is going to be ok with it .
In our case, no other compensation was offered by homeowner for curtailing the sit .
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@friendi that sounds like a considerate homeowner and that you had good communication between you both .
Would you have felt comfortable saying the same thing to them , I thinking of leaving early is that ok with you ?
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@MelindaW you sound like a considerate homeowner as the majority of THS homeowners are.
Just to say that sitters understand that there might be an exceptional circumstance arise which requires the homeowner to come home early. However, what is concerning is the number of sitters on this thread reporting that theyâve had HOs curtail trips just because theyâve changed their mind.
Regarding offering that the sitter can stay with you - some sitters will be okay with staying on when homeowner is there and might enjoy it . However, there are many sits where if it was curtailed the sitter wouldnât feel comfortable staying on ( e.g demanding/critical homeowner / sitters who likes their privacy and wouldnât be comfortable with sharing bathroom, kitchen etc, solo female sitter & homeowner male, homeowner expecting sitter to continue to look after pet whilst they socialise- all of these have been mentioned on this forum previously)
Staying with the homeowner changes the whole dynamic of the sit . Thatâs why the THS code of conduct is that the homeowner must vacate for the entire stay and also why there is the THS third party policy . Again it might work for some ; but homeowner certainly shouldnât expect that sitter is going to be ok with it .
Again reiterating that if a homeowner has an emergency requiring them to come home early and they curtail the sit but also invite the sitter to stay on , that is an entirely different scenario to a HO changing their mind , coming back early and expecting sitter to leave or be happy to stay with them.
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My understanding is THS reimburses you for a hotel (or finds you another acceptable sit) as long as you have the premium subscription. I pay the higher annual fee just to receive this feature.
Iâm wondering the sabe if the premium memberships (insurance) covers this.
Totally unacceptable by HO. Iâd bale out.
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If you have the Premium insurance it does cover this situation - however
Alternative Accommodation must be not be further than 20 miles (32 kilometres) from the location of the original sit.
â˘a limit of $150 per night will be reimbursed
⢠Policy Excess- sitter pays first $100
⢠$1500 total limit
â˘THS must be notified of cancellation within 24 hours and you have to provide evidence that you didnât agree for the sit to be cancelled
So yes Premium insurance itâs a good back up if the HO curtails the sit. However it doesnât cover everything and wonât cover the whole amount if you are in an expensive area youâll still be out of pocket. Also some sitters have reported it took months and a lot of chasing to get the claim paid.
THS donât find you another sit . Itâs sitter who has to find another sit or find alternative accommodation .
I just submitted a claim for a cancelled sit. THS does not try to find you a sit, they just tell you to search for other sits.
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Good to know.
I had one HO who cut a trip short by one day. She said Iâd be welcome to stay in the house with her for the last night. Luckily, my brother lives very close to the sit so I stayed with him the final night instead. The HO knew my brother was close, and possibly assumed that I could stay with him, but she offered her place also.
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It would be devastating to have a sitter walk off the job just as it would to be exited out of a house with no where to stay. I was referring to those unexpected emergencies where a HO may have to return. Itâs one of those awful scenarios I tend to play over in my head before leaving town.
Weâve had the most delightful sitters, all unique, and I would want everyone to be comfortable in the event of a crisis.
Hereâs to many lovely sits in the future!
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as for cancellations at short notice other than health grounds its unacceptable after all we as housesitters have organised our home to be kept an eye on post collected etc . There doesnât seem to be any thought that this is our holiday and costs have been incurred. ferries paid for overnight accommodation in some cases .I feel THS need to take a look and make the guidelines for sitters more considerate .And we are treated with consideration. We did leave a house sit but not before alerting family members of HO the home was dirty the bed linen soiled and creased and the SMELL. Our last house sit we fortunately stayed in a guest cottage it would have been impossible stay in the house âŚ
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Never happened to me after dozens of sits. At the very least they should have accommodated you. We did have a couple in France cancel their vacation at the last minute due to a hurricane in their destination. Fortunately they had a separate apartment and they let us stay there anyway. We offered to look after their dog so that they could go away locally for a couple of days. I see these situations as a contract between you and the pet owner. They should not have done that to you. You certainly should consider giving them a negative review since they appear to not be reliable and future sitters need to be aware of that.
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Thank you for your quick and honest response. All these aspects are good to know. I havenât started yet, Iâve just been reading posts and responding. Do you have to pay the membership fee in order to see the sits?
Fondly,
SadieMarie
Hi @SadieMarie,
You can create a âfree accountâ but that will only allow you to see parts of the site, you will need to be a paid member to see listings or to apply to any sits. As you continue us your research you may want to use the spyglass function in the top right corner to read over previous topics that may help shed some light on questions you might have.
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Good to know, thank you for your quick reply.
Iâm just so horrified to read all the bad experiences on this thread from inconsiderate aroogant homeowners. Iâm a HO and find TH really great for allowing us to have our 2 week seaside family holiday every year and know that our animals are safe and happy at home, but the one thing I find stressful is that it gives me another person or 2 people to worry about! We used to care for my mum so all the holidays depended on getting her sorted out with sonewhere else to go and being well enough to do so, and now we have an unbelievably stroppy teen who until last week was refusing to go on holidays with us, and I have literally woken up in the middle of the night worrying about how would we make things right for the sitter(s) if our own plans go pear-shaped. Fortunately has never happened and we would figure something out but it has become one of the big items on my âstressful things about holidaysâ list!
I wanted to say as well, if I see a sitter with a bad review I always go and check out the HOâs reviews as well and Iâm not stupid- I can spot patterns and I can spot retaliation and if I otherwise got good vibes I would certainly talk to the sitter.
Iâm so sorry, sitters, that some people are awful; I hope there are many more of us who very much appreciate and respect you and want you to have the best experience possible while taking care of our pets.
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@ElEd you are one of the majority of THS homeowners who appreciate their sitter . We appreciate your trust in us to look after your pets and home. Thank you.
Although cancellations do not happen often, this thread shows it does happen. It is something that sitters and homeowners should be prepared for . So itâs good that it is discussed here.
Itâs reassuring to know that homeowners like you âread between the lines â when they see a bad review amongst a host of good reviews about a sitter.
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Totally agree @tonycrew if this was a paid service and homeowner came back early they would still have to pay for the rest of the days of the sit that had been agreed.
THS is not a paid for in money but it is supposed to be a mutual exchange . So a sitter should not be out of pocket when homeowner cancels / curtails at the last minute especially when itâs not for an emergency situation.
Maybe the homeowner should be required to pay the excess of the sitters insurance claim ?
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I agree, if the HO is aware of the sitterâs situation and try to find a solution fitting for both, I would be happy with it.