I wouldn’t even know how or where to do a background check. I’ve been traveling full time for 13 years. i’ve stayed in 60+ countries during that time for a couple days to a few months in each. I haven’t stayed long term in my home country since I left, so a background check from there would be meaningless. And, as others have noted, background checks are outdated the day after they’re done. someone could have a clean background check on day 1 and murder someone on day 2 and you’d never know about it.
There are long explanations about this topic on this forum. The short version is that
a. MANY of us joined before THS changed to different membership levels, and our initial level automatically renews-- I never knew there was anything different;
b. It depends where they’re based (the background checks are only applicable to US-based sitters–maybe Canadians too, not sure);
c. Related to a: If you had been a member for a long time and already had multiple highly rated sits, why would you pay extra for a THS background check? Frankly, I think those of us who have been members for a while should not have to pay more for this new feature that wasn’t even rolled out evenly or with any transparency.
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Thank you for explaining this so well.
@Bri I agree with all the comments you’ve received so far. There has been extensive discussion of this topic, and it’s one that THS continues to review and assess the options, as I understand it. Also, I am a classic member, having joined before the tiered options were introduced. I choose to stay at the classic level, for various reasons.
My profile shows that I have Nexus clearance in Canada, which is in conjunction with Trusted Traveller / Global Entry in the US and Mexico. If I default on any of the strict requirements, my membership is instantly cancelled and likely not renewable. To be approved I had to attend separate in-person risk assessment interviews with the RCMP and US equivalent. In my opinion, no other background check will top that. I have put in a request to THS to have Nexus recognized as a background check.
I hope this will help lower your red flag, now that you know many of the reasons why some choose not to have background checks.
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@Bri your question prompted me to look at the section on sitter background checks on the THS website. @Ben-ProductManager I would suggest that a quick and easy interim fix would be to move the wording about only being available in the US to the top - before the bulleted list - and make it far more noticeable. Given that people tend to scan read, many might not notice the fine print at the end. I think it deserves a more prominent location.
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As an addendum to this, I received an email from my employer’s HR department yesterday. A woman with my full, formal name is on a red flag list, and HR just had me confirm that I have never lived in X state to clear the flag. So, cases of mistaken identity do come up. Happened to a former colleague who has the same (common in Spanish) full name as someone on the US terrorist watch list. He was getting interrogated for hours every time he re-entered the United States. Finally, he wrote an article about it in a major newspaper (his wife works there). Within a week, he got a call out of the blue from someone rather high up, who wished to assure him that he would not be dealing with such issues going forward!
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Very scary! I hope you shared this info in ypur reviews of her?
I think this is a very valid question to raise as pet sitters don’t always fully know what we’ll be stepping into. Those of us who are solo sitters I think have to be extra vigilant when it comes to assessing the integrity of a home owner as it’s a vulnerable position to be in if it’s the wrong person. Thank you for bringing this up for discussion.
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If background checks are mandatory in the US (big THS market), why are DBS checks not happening in the UK too? There are so many members located there.
Background checks for both the sitters and the hosts would be a very welcome development.
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Hi @Pips
Our product team is very aware of this and, hopefully will be looking at ways to make this a possibility in the future. I will pass on your feedback to them in the meantime.
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There’s a few listings I’ve come across that do not have any reviews. I know this platform did a background check on me, but does it also do it for the people posting the house/pet sit listings? I want to feel safe if I accept a sit that the home truly belongs to the home owner with a clean record.
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Hi @IHeartAnimals,
I’ve moved your post here to this thread where this topic has been discussed and where all the relevant and latest information is located. You can also read all the details here on the main site.
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Hi @IHeartAnimals! Since I just replied to another topic you had, I’ll chime in here, too.
Currently, TH doesn’t do background checks on PPs (pet parents). You can lobby for that by contacting Membership Services (support@trustedhousesitters.com).
Also note that the background check for you as a sitter was done only on you, not your husband nor the rest of your family. I know some PPs have expressed concern about that aspect of TH vetting.
You can read more in this topic thanks to @Kelly. And also you can search the forums as I think this has been brought up more than once.
All that said, the vast majority of sitters and PPs seem to have had wonderful experiences on TH, including me. I even had a sit where I and the PPs have never met: they left before I arrived, I left before they got back, and we’ve never done more than text/email (no phone or video call). Still a win-win-win. A big part is going with your gut and being mindful of red flags.
Good luck sitting!
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As someone who works as a teacher, I know that you can’t get a background check in a country you have never lived in. So I could not get checked by US or UK officialdom. I can provide a check from my country of residence, so perhaps that could be part of the initial registration process…
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Just like you want peace of mind, so do sitters. Heck for all we know the HO could have violent criminal background.