Hello! I am not noticing a lot of opportunities in NYC. I am planning to move to the city next year and had hoped to try out different neighborhoods and boroughs via housesitting/petsitting so that I would have a better sense of where I might want to move. Do they NYC opportunities just get snatched up quickly? Thank you!
-Jacklynn
PS: I have experience both house and petsitting and have a cat of my own. I love animals and am happy to care for pets.
Big cities are always most popular, and with the new 5 application before the listing is paused rule these often appear and disappear without many sitters having ever seen them
Your best option is to upload the THS App, then set up a saved search on there. This way you should be notified fairly soon when new listings appear.
When you get notified, apply IMMEDIATELY
As soon as the home host gets 5 applications the listing will disappear but we have been told that if you are actually writing your application as the 5th application is accepted then your application will still go through.
Note that if you use the website to set up a saved search you are only notified once a day by which time you will probably be too late - it has to be on the App
@Jacklynn
What a great way to check out neighborhoods. But New York sits are popular so can be challenging to get.
Iāve had 3 offers in NYC and some others for suburbs - a week sit with a pair of cats in Prospect Park that was delightful, an offer for 2 weeks over Xmas with a GSD near Gramercy Park - unfortunately the dog died about 2 months pre-sit so that was cancelled, and an offer for 3 weeks in the Bronx that I ended up declining because I got the opportunity to do 3 sits in Australia.
They are available but lots of people want them.
Hi Jacklynn!
Welcome, weāre happy youāre here. To reiterate what Colin said, big cities went quickly before, and now the āhotspotsā feel nearly impossible to even scope properly. I had been planning a weekend in the city back in the summer, and have basically decided to scrap my plans as finding a sit is so stressful.
However, it can be done! Iād compose a very generic email with your information as you mentioned above, that youāre relocating and want to try on different areas, your pet experience, etc. You can keep this in a notes app/text file/word document and simply cut and paste into the application. Be sure to add any specific information about the sit that shows youāve actually read the listing. You can then message the host directly once the application has been submitted.
Iād also suggest trying to broaden your search so you can be city-adjacent rather than trying to get sits in New York proper. Long Island, New Jersey, further up the Hudson into Westchester, and even Connecticut would all give you some opportunities to explore and see what gels with you.
Best of luck!
Yes. I have a search and many listings favorited for New York as we are hoping to be there next spring. Iām in the UK atm. Iām getting regular alerts on the listings Iāve favorited. However, by the time I either wake up( quite a few come through while Iām asleep) or go to the listing from my alert, they are already āreviewing applicationsā due to the 5 app rule. It was less than 45 mins between an alert and going to look this morning, so you need to be super quick. As it gets closer to my āhoped forā dates which are super flexible, i may need to pull some all nighters to make sure we at least get a chance.
Hi, @Jacklynn - Iām also interested in going to NYC, though not til next fall. Starting next spring, Iām planning to just check for new listings every single time I pick up my phone. All day long. With the new 5-applications rule, good NYC sits are going to disappear in a flash.
@Jacklynn I wouldnāt be surprised to see more Thanksgiving and Christmas opportunities coming up soon. Iām not looking at the moment but the lousy 5 rule means even being able to see them is hard. I got a NYC and Brooklyn sit in my 1st year. I have family there and like to go often. You will get one!
Hi @Jacklynn. I was in NYC for 2 months in the spring and looked at sit opportunities as a way to see other neighborhoods, too. I noticed two things about the listings I saw: many were posted on very short notice (just a few days ahead of sit start), and many of the owners wanted someone local (even though I was in the area, my profile said I was still in California.)
You might consider changing your āWhere are you located?ā to NYC, so, for those sits you do find, youāll be shown as being in the area (Then do explain that youāll be relocating there soon in the conversations you have with owners.) That way, owners wonāt reject your application out of hand based on your not being local. Many of our sitters do this as they begin planning for their next travels with great success.
Iāve never gotten a notification & I have all my notifications on.
Do you know if someone who lives outside the USA but then changes their location to the USA for a period of a couple of months will be flagged by the THS system and required to undergo the additional security check for US sitters? Itās something Iāve wondered about because I live in Switzerland but will be in the USA for a couple of months. While Iām there, Iād like for my THS location to reflect that Iām in the USA but not if it means doing the additional security check.
Hi @Mary-Kay No you will not need to undergo any further or additional security checks because you do not live in the United States. You can temporarily change your location as @Karen_E also states, to where you intend to be housesitting. Hope this helps 
Hi @anon62832136
I wanted to double check with you that you have saved your searches on the App as this is the only way to receive phone notifications. If you have only created your saved search on the website, this will give you emails once a day provided there is a listing that goes live according to your specification. Favourites, however will give you a phone notification whether you have marked them on the website or the App.
Hi everyone! I am new here, and not sure how it works. I will be in NYC for an academic internship (min 3 months) and I would love to find some long-sitting opportunities. I have experience here on THS and I really enjoy meeting pets and pet owners around the world. 
However, it seems impossible to find sits in NYC. If you have tips feel free to reach out
Post edited to fit forum guidelines
I suggested using the app to favorite every sit in NYC that looks good, even if the posted dates donāt suit now. That way, next time they post a sit, you will notification on your phone. That doesnāt work if you favorite something on the website, just on the app. Unless you are checking THS every hour, it is otherwise very difficult to see NYC sits with the 5-app limit.
See previous answers in this thread for similar suggestions. Also, broaden your search to include suburbs that are commuting distance from NYC.
Hi , Glo,
I am in France and for NY the offers are quickly taken,
I have the time difference with NY and at night I sleep, 
so I miss the offersā¦
But i have many āNY favoritesā 
and I have already had offers,
unfortunately I had already confirmed elsewhere haha, 
if that can help you,
good evening to all 
Hello @Glo Welcome, it is lovely to have you here. Check out this thread as other members are asking similar questions to you 
Iāve sat in NYC a couple of times but pre-pandemic. Iād say theyāve always been difficult to get to an extent. Itās a very popular place. Youāll need to be on constant lookout and get in fast with your application.
It is possible. We got a sit in Brooklyn for almost a month. And we applied when we were in Australia 
. We are caring for two adorable rabbits nowā¦ You have to be fast.
