Same here @BunnyCat & @Cuttlefish we withdraw after 3 days if there is no reply to our application. The lack of communication is a big red flag for us. We are not interested in dealing with rude or flakey owners! These owners don’t realise there are way more sits than there are sitters so they will struggle to get good sitters due to their poor communication.
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We chatted within the app to make the arrangement for today but I’ve offered my mob number… still no response.
Great news we met up and it was wonderful 
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I’ve started to implement pretty strict time limits for lack of reply to sit applications; 72 hours whether they are read or not. I see this as the first impression between both parties, and having been burned by non-responsive hosts while on a sit, I want to be sure I can trust you to get back to me within a reasonable period of time if something more critical occurs. I always include a personalized message in my application and I always send a kind note when I cancel letting them know that I hope they find a great person to stay for them.
Interestingly, almost nobody who fails to respond initially bothers to respond when I cancel the application, which affirms that I’ve made the right choice!
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@BonnyinBrighton just a tip as you are new .
As soon as possible in our conversations with homeowners we give our mobile
Number and ask for theirs. We usually include our mobile number in our application.
The THS platform is very unreliable for messaging so we switch to WhatsApp asap.
We do confirm all sits through the THS platform .
Hope this tip is useful going forward.
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I have never had a real problem, except now: the THS app does not give a sound signal anymore (since a few days ago, on iPhone).
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We have had several homeowners not respond for days / weeks to messages sent through the THS inbox . They subsequently stated that they had missed / hadn’t seen our messages on the platform
These same homeowners we have house sat for and they have been very responsive ( within minutes / hours ) to all WhatsApp messages before and during and after a sit .
I guess it may depend on if they are using the app and if they receive notifications. Since updating the app I am not receiving any notifications at all … so I am daily checking the inbox .
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I give hosts two days to reply before withdrawing and I tried an experiment — I mentioned in a friendly way that I apply for multiple sits at the same time and promptly move on if I don’t hear back. I ended up quickly booked up through October via THS and Nomador. I could’ve booked more, but I don’t sit during year-end holidays.
I’ve found that when I withdraw my application, I often quickly hear from hosts, expressing disappointment and/or hope that I’ll sit down the line. I don’t mention this, but by the time I withdraw, I’ve decided that such hosts aren’t a good fit for me. That means I won’t ever sit for them.
To me, if hosts aren’t on the ball, I’ll happily let such sits go to other sitters. I’m not wedded to any locations, am flexible on timing and sit only part time, so the world is my oyster — there are always plenty of sits. Plus, I can travel without sitting.
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That is a likely explanation.
I have sometimes answered practically immediately on a message from the HO and then that went unacknowledged for a day or so. In situations where I expected a quick exchange of information.
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If we have time out of curiosity and we really wanted a particular sit we check how the listing is going. Like in early March we applied for a petsit in a really popular beach location. The HOs had 3 set of dates. April 6-15, May 23-June 3 and Sept 10-18. We applied for the May/June dates and all the dates quickly went into reviewing status. 3 days later our application was unread, so we canceled. As of today our application and cancelation are still unread. They are still reviewing applications for all dates, including the one starting next week. We’ve all seen listings expire without a sitter being selected and I am not sure what’s that about. Was the listing a social experiment of some sort? Here is one of our applications that’s being unread for 9 months. Our current unread record holder is 2 years.
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Maybe they got cold feet about THS and decided to not move forward. Or maybe they died or ended up seriously ill. Many scenarios are possible.
To me, whatever the reason for slowness among hosts — even perfectly reasonable ones — I don’t have to get ensnared in their challenges if things already look questionable at the outset. Before mutual acceptance of any sit, I have no obligation, so why not just move on to more promising hosts.
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And here is our record holder. 
(this was before, when we used to leave applications just sitting there without withdrawing) We applied for the sit on Sept 14, 2020 for sit dates from 15 Nov 2020 to 14 Jan 2021. The application went unread for almost 3 years. It was read and declined on April 26,2023.
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The funniest thing is when you send an application, never hear back from them, and then weeks or sometimes even months later they ask “hi, are you still available?” Um no mate, I’m definitely not 
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Oh, I hadn’t thought about it, but same here. The application I withdrew wasn’t responded to. Hm. Good point.
@Silversitters , thanks for that tip, I was a bit surprised when someone asked me straight away for my number, but if it’s considered normal, then I’ll do it next time.
Have a good day. 
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Hi @Sunny1 I’m not sure where you are, although there’s probably a way to find your details, I haven’t discovered it yet.
I’ve just turned down a very tempting offer because it’s way too far to travel for just five days. They messaged me purely on account of my photo here, yes I have, and love motorcycles, especially my old school Triumph! However I’m a motorcyclist, not a Biker - there is a difference……
Happy Easter all! 
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I wrote you a pm Rick.