Is anyone else out there a little put off by the fact that THS does not verify homeowners? They don’t require identification or anything that would actually legitimize the “homeowner” and simply take their payment, read through their listing to “make sure they’re within the code of conduct” and call it a day.
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I’m a little put off. 
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I’m gobsmacked, but not at all surprised, to be honest
Depends on what you mean by “verify”. Read the listing to make sure it complies yes. Background checks and the like no (because they have a significant investment on the table) and rogue HOs would quickly be weeded out by reviews.
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Sitters won’t know they’re “rogue” until one has been mislead and screwed over. THS is getting 150.00 minimum per year from sitters, they should be protecting sitters in some way, and that is remedied (to some degree) by at least requiring identification from a “homeowner”. Earn your pay, is what I say, but I’m also no shrinking violet.
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Verify as in at the very least require some sort of identification that is not a simple credit card number and billing address, those are quite easy to obtain and falsify.
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To what end? What would someone gain? I’m not trying to be argumentative but I’m struggling to see what the issue is here. Edit: I think I have seen 2 or 3 bogus listings since I have been a member and they were taken down almost immediately.
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Were you not present about a month ago when this site was hacked? There were phishing messages sent to I don’t know how many sitters on this site.
Phishing messages sent from “homeowners”
I personally received messages from two different “homeowners”
We didn’t know this when we first signed up - by the time we found out about that owners aren’t verified by THS we had already completed half a dozen great sits including several for new hosts .
Since all has gone well , any concerns we might have had have been allayed .
We always approach each application with due diligence which has included - thoroughly reading reviews from previous sitters - meeting up in person before agreeing to sit with new hosts - a video chat with all hosts before accepting a sit - having a Plan B or get out plan incase we arrive to find that there is something dodgy about a sit/ host.
30 sits down the line and we have not had any issues about hosts misrepresenting themselves, home or pets .
My understanding of the phishing attack was that it was not sent by a THS homeowner but by someone who hacked into a member’s THS account . Agree THS needs to look into tightening up authentication in this respect to ensure that members accounts can’t be hacked .
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Yep, I’ve been exchange house and pet sitting for 25 years, long before this site was even a thought for someone, I know the in’s and outs. I have 15+ sits under my belt here during the last 8 months (I do longer sits) and all has gone well thus far, even with first time users - aside from one and they were really quite awful and my 3-star review of them was honest and deserved. HOWEVER, humans are humans. This site was HACKED a month or so ago and two “homeowners” sent phishing messages to countless sitters.
THS needs to do a LOT more, they’re getting stacks of cash from both homeowners and sitters each year for simply acting as a liasion between the two, I’ve received very little in the way of actual support from their “support” team and that is a tremendous disappointment.
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I’m not clear on how checking identities would prevent hacking. Like you can imagine if everyone’s IDs were checked and a site could still be hacked and fake messages be sent if so.
Spain has laws that emphasize the human right to housing to prevent homelessness. However, these laws are often exploited, especially when it comes to holiday homes or second residences, as they are frequently left unoccupied for long periods. If a property has been occupied for more than 48 hours, the police can no longer simply evict the squatters. Instead, the owner has to go through a lengthy legal process, which can take months or even years.
These people often have pets, and when they travel, they conveniently look for house sitters to “hold down the fort” while they enjoy their time away. The sitters, unaware of the situation, think they’re having a nice stay in Spain, until they get a visit from the police, the rightful owners, or someone who doesn’t knock to deliver cookies.
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My thoughts are not about hacking, the hacking thing was merely an example of how THS’s lackadaisical way of doing business here puts sitters at risk. My thoughts are about people pretending to be a homeowner and luring people in for whatever the reason may be. To be honest, I think it’s super odd that so many of you think it normal and okay for THS to abstain from verifying the identity of a homeowner by legal identification, JUST as is done with sitters.
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THANK you! And oh my gracious, that’s well beyond where my thoughts would have went and I would have never considered that to be a thing that’s happening. Grateful for that knowledge!! 
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I’m not against verifying host identities. But that wouldn’t prevent hacking and faking.
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My goodness. What did I just say???
My thoughts are not about hacking, the hacking thing was merely an example of how THS’s lackadaisical way of doing business here puts sitters at risk. My thoughts are about people pretending to be a homeowner and luring people in for whatever the reason may be. To be honest, I think it’s super odd that so many of you think it normal and okay for THS to abstain from verifying the identity of a homeowner by legal identification, JUST as is done with sitters.
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I agree that HOs should have the same vetting process as sitters. This is supposed to be a mutual exchange between 2 equal parties. It really bothers me when people say sitters have no risk. Of course we are taking a risk. In most scenarios if someone said ‘I met a stranger on the internet and I’m going to their house,’ most people would consider that to be unwise. Both sitters and HOs pay a fee for membership, yet only sitters have any vetting at all. Sitters must rely 100% on our own vetting process in screening HOs, but HOs at least have the knowledge that sitters have had their IDs verified and in US have undergone a criminal background check.
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