Absolutely not the case. I have applicants that tell me they’d love to sit- just not for the dates I have posted! Is that rude? Not necessarily. There shouldn’t be a limit on communication!
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Why is this rude?
I both sit and host. This is an THS created. I hate the 5 limit review from both sides of the equation. If I’m going to entrust my home and beloved pet to someone for a couple of months I’m going to keep looking for an excellent fit. That person may be someone I saw earlier. If it seems like a good fit I will communicate that to them but let them know I’m looking. If they move on BECAUSE of that, then it wasn’t a good fit!
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I believe it is unsavory to blanket reject the first 5 applicants just to see more applicants. If an Owner likes one of the first 5 applicants, they can reject the other 4 to potentially get 4 more applicants. That seems like a wiser plan. If I am rejected, I am definitely moving on, not waiting around just to see if I make the cut.
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I don’t blanket reject the first 5. But I have rejected others that could POSSIBLY have been a good fit. I’ve been burned by inexperienced sitters. My house, my prerogative. I am not rude, I try to go out of my way to make the sitter comfortable since I am also usually headed to a sit. I have also been denied in the first 5 line-up. My feelings don’t get hurt even if I thought I was a good fit. Homeowner’s call and with good communication there is nothing rude about it.
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Hi CAadventurer, as a sitter I have used this tactic to connect with HOs and am very mindful that I am taking up a precious slot. I always advise them to decline my application immediately and inform them of the dreaded 5 limit. Most HOs have no idea that there even is a 5 limit and are grateful for the information. Some of these introductions have been really beneficial and I have been offered and booked in upcoming sits for those HOs who then didn’t need to go through the process of posting and sorting through unsuitable candidates. These sitters who are applying to you might be just what you are looking for in the future. Please understand how frustrating it is to find a sit which is a perfect fit, but has been pulled by THS with no way to make contact. All you need to do is decline the application and the slot will reopen for new candidates to apply…
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I think this owner is just trying to get around the new application pause policy. Many, many THS members have complained about it, but always to deaf ears on the part of the administration. This owner has found a work around so that s/he can look at more than the first five applicants. I’m not sure what was particularly rude about his/her ‘dumping’ the first five in order to be able to look at more applicants. Shouldn’t the owner be able to look at as many or as few applicants as s/he wants before deciding who might be the best sitter? Why should someone get the sit because they manage to get their application in fastest rather than because they are the best sitter for that particular sit? And why would an applicant feel slighted because the owner wanted to see more applicants?
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I’m a home owner.
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There we go! Finally something positive about the 5-rule 
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@Bluehorse,
As sitters we get at least 5 invites a month without applying.
Sometimes as many as 20.
So many homeowners use the search feature to find their perfect sitter that has experience for their needs. This method works very well.
We love THS. The 5 count we believe is too limiting and the number of applications homeowners should receive, should be up to them, but with a decent but not excessive time limit for replies.
We are based in Edinburgh, but travel worldwide.
Rose & Michael
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Hi @ElsieDownie - this is certainly not a given that HO finds it a ‘negative’ thing if people reach out to them to say they can’t do current dates but want to signal interest for a future sit. I’ve done this many times over the years (before the 5 appl rule) and it has landed me several sits
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Hi @RoseC - that’s great that you get many invites. I’ve been on this site for 8 years and never get invites of HOs who I’ve not previously been in touch with, but that’s probably cause we’re in a different category.
I sit only in cities or towns with good public transport, no need to rent a car, no need to be a couple, and no dogs. Which means I mostly sit cats. Those sits are very popular so there’s usually no need for the HO to go and find sitters (as someone might do if they live in the countryside and are likely to get less applicants). A key means of getting in touch with HOs throughout the years has always been to signal interest even if I can’t do the specific dates. Many HOs like it to have a pool of potential sitters they can reach out to directly the next time they have dates.
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We know. We stay in touch with many who like to ask us back year after year. Some of our sits have been 1 or 2 cats, some dogs, some farm animals. We have sat in cities and on farms, so have had the best of all worlds.
We enjoy friendships with all beyond the sitting aspect and really enjoy what we do.
So glad you have found your niche too. 
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I am so grateful to be finding really fitting, comfortable, mutually beneficial Sits; so far, we have 6 from 95 applications, because I am always with my Assistance Dog, so yes, it is a process, and so worth it. Making friends is fun. Knowing they feel great about my girl dog + I staying is exquisite.
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That’s so funny, but true! This 24/7 lively community is something to navigate! I am trusting …and being joyfully surprised by …the magic,
and good sleep.
I am currently between Sits, so staying here 5 nights: in a 713-year-old beautiful privately owned (Air BnB) church, St. Andrews, Mickfield, Suffolk, England.
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Thanks very much for the advice.
Vicki
Thanks for the advice.
Vicki
I agree with you. As a HO who has had a hard time do if it sitters that respond like you do, thoughtfully and personally, I would absolutely request any application that wasn’t great. I am not aware of the first five practice and don’t really understand how it plays out.
Wow! What a unique and beautiful AirBnB find. Hope you are enjoying your time there between your sits!!
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