I’m in a challenging spot right now. Despite 18 solid reviews, one negative experience has left me questioning my ability to housesit confidently. I’m owning my mistakes with full integrity and want to share the specifics:
Timing Misstep: I didn’t wake up between midnight and 1 a.m. to take the dogs out. Typically, I’m informed in advance when an early outing is needed. In this instance, I was told the dog has cancer and requires medication—a situation I’ve encountered with past pets- it’s a contradiction when she said “my dog never has been sick in 14 years”
Pee Cushion Error: I forgot to put the pee cushion on the couch when requested. No excuses—this was my oversight.
Cleaning Issue: I failed to wash a dog bed that had been soiled. I spent several hours scrubbing it with multiple cleaning products because the cover was difficult to remove.
Miscommunication: I let the dog on the carpet after a text confirmation. Although the homeowner mentioned that I should have known better, it turned out to be a miscommunication on my part.
I dislike over-explaining, but I’ve encountered situations where homeowners have rejected my request or questioned my abilities—even after a five-star review. Despite securing two subsequent housesits, I still get follow-up messages questioning if their choice was right. I’ve spoken with chat support, and they assured me I didn’t breach any code of conduct.
I’m also troubled by inaccurate claims in the 1-star review. For example, the reviewer stated that I needed to be walked through getting into the property, which isn’t true—despite multiple reviews of the instructions, I was given the wrong code or the other one didn’t work properly. Additionally, the claim that I mixed up the dog food, potentially causing the dog’s illness, isn’t accurate either. I was rushing to leave after being urged to stay longer, and while there might have been a mix-up, my overall record (17+ positive reviews) speaks to my reliability.
So, here’s what I’m asking the community:
Can I still continue housesitting?
How can I repair my reputation after this one terrible review?
Should I proactively reach out to future clients to explain this situation? If so, what’s the best way to do it concisely and effectively?
**now the summary thanks to ChatGBP
The reviewer, who initially chose Erika based on her strong reputation and multiple in-person meetings to clarify expectations, expresses deep disappointment with her service. Despite thorough instructions and clear communication, Erika reportedly failed to adhere to several key guidelines. These included issues with property access, inconsistent pet care routines—such as delays in addressing the dogs’ needs and mishandling accidents—and not following specific instructions about keeping dogs off the furniture and maintaining cleanliness. The reviewer also noted problems with food management and the overall organization of the pet care environment, which led to additional stress and the need for outside help. Ultimately, the reviewer felt that Erika’s service did not meet the expected standard, leading to a regrettable experience and a strong decision not to use her services again.
Seriously.
You’ll get there. It’s probably been a valuable lesson about taking on too much. Do you pet sit on your own? It reads like you do. You took on a very difficult and challenging sit and it didn’t work because of issues on both sides.
The lesson you take away is ask lots of questions about the pet care before accepting the sit. Make sure all communication is done through the messages on THS so there is an official record if the situation becomes a “he said, she said” sort of thing. You need written backup in situations like this. Know your own limits. The dog was very ill. You were on your own. The owner seemed to be very vague in some ways.
Will you recover? Of course you will, if you want to. Maybe start applying for some easy sits. Make it clear what actually happened on the one star sit to potential hosts. Don’t shy away from it. You have a lot of good reviews which proves you can do the job. Emphasis the good sits as well. I can’t remember the terminology but make your application like a sandwich. Start very positive, mention the one star sit then finish on a huge high.
We all go through doubts in this life. And we are all learning new things and tactics no matter how long we have been doing it. It’s your decision whether to go on or not. If you go on believe in yourself, we all believe in you. Let us know how things go and keep reading about other people’s experiences.
Good luck whatever your decision.
Be kind to yourself. Maybe have a break and as suggested go for easier sits. Perhaps you can enlist help from someone happy to accompany you on the new sits. Some sits have no pet care required as either no pets or others involved in some aspects of the sitting experience.. doggie day care, a dog walker, cleaner, gardener .. it all helps when you feel you have too many plates spinning.
You have an amazing record of great sits ! No one can dispute that.
Forgive yourself. We are all mortal.
Maybe it’s time to try something new? That could be an adventure too.
I admire your track record. 90 % success .
This job isn’t a walk in the park ohhh wait!
Yes, you made some mistakes, but one star is very harsh. You will get past this, apply for a few last minute short and easy sits and your bad review will get buried. It sounds like it was a very challenging sit.
A one-star review reflects more poorly on the home owner than it does on the sitter. It flags the review as being over the top rather than a well-balanced critique.
Have you responded to their review yet? If not, consider composing your reply and then posting it here for feedback before you submit it. Your response to the review will matter more than the review itself. You want it to be brief, unemotional, and concise, demonstrating your professionalism about what happened in this one-off sit.
First of all, I want to acknowledge how difficult this situation must feel. You’ve clearly put a lot of thought into reflecting on what happened, and that shows integrity and professionalism. A single negative review can feel incredibly discouraging, especially when it contrasts with a strong history of positive feedback. The fact that you’ve had 18 solid reviews speaks volumes about your reliability and dedication.
A single negative review — even a harsh one — doesn’t erase your strong track record. Housesitting platforms and homeowners value patterns of reliability over isolated incidents. The key is to demonstrate that you’ve learned from the experience and have taken steps to avoid similar issues in the future. The fact that you’ve already secured two subsequent sits is proof that your reputation is still strong, don’t you think?
It’s important to take control of the narrative without over-explaining or sounding defensive. You don’t need to over-explain or bring too much attention to the negative review. Instead, you could position it as a positive learning experience. For example, in response to any direct questions about the review, you might say:
“I had one situation where communication could have been clearer, but I’ve taken that experience to heart and made adjustments to ensure things run smoothly going forward.”
This frames it as a growth moment rather than a red flag. If a potential client raises specific concerns, address them honestly but AGAIN, without over-explaining or defending yourself too much.
Keep focusing on what you can control Your strong foundation of positive reviews will help you bounce back from this. The right homeowners will certainly vlaue your honesty and your ability to adapt and move on with this experience.
You’ve got this. One difficult review won’t define you, but the way you handle it will..
You’re taking responsibility, so that means everything. So now smother that bad review, in a few 5* ones. Just deliberately take short sits for a week or two to pick up more 5* ones again and make it a thing of the past.
I think Meow gave the perfect answer. I read a little, unpaid staff treatment by the homeowner. The door code is over the top for her to criticize. If I read her review on your profile I would think she is an overly critical person and then look at your numerous other good ones. You read like a really good person who is nothing more than human. I commend you for taking on such a difficult situation. It would have been a sit I would never apply for.
If you enjoy travel and pet sitting definitely continue. I’m sure your next sit will be a good one.
We can’t share the review, and attempted taking it down and couldn’t. I had multiple housesitting friends give me honest feedback and they said we didn’t align because their standards were higher. To tell you the truth I felt I needed to be a full time caregiver. After the dog poop all over the floor that looked like a land mine, I had to later sleep on the couch and set an alarm every 2 hours. I even stayed past my welcome, and even with my apology and effort, I kept being shamed. It was emotionally draining, and will forever be better for it
Thank you for your feedback! Even sharing it here has been so helpful. I still have screenshots of our conversation on my phone. I can look at every mistake from every angle and it won’t help. Ironically, I took care of a farm later and it was easier. While the dog’s poop accident wasn’t the worst part, it was the shame. Feeling like a terrible person only made me mistake prone, however, since then I double and triple check. Overcommunication has been my new standard now. And thank you for this!
I am learning to ask their expectations and of course will they be watching me on camera which because stressful. While I don’t have anything at the moment I am open. I now plan to be more discerning about housesitting. What I can say is if I can take care of a farm and 3 dogs, I can only keep getting better.
It’s not the one star that made me look bad. Not sure who is reading this. The multiple paragraphs describing what was not working affected other housesits. I got questions even from previous owners and got declined. That 1 star with the length of that review affected my ability to trust my ability, so I am glad I can share my experience
@erikaabriones That’s clearly not normal behaviour and no one should expect this from a sitter. You should be angry, not embarrassed. Tell other sitters in your review so that they are forewarned.
You may have made mistakes, but it sounds like a very bad combination of people, pets and circumstances. Only time will heal. We had one very bad sit and it took a few weeks for the knock to our egos to subside. You’ll feel better eventually.
This has been one of the best advice I needed to hear all day. I am curious how to balance over-explaining myself or defending. I had a previous housesit who gave me a 5 star review later tell me she was confused by the 1 star, and noticed I had to go straight to explaining myself. However, the sentence you shared about what to possibly say, is a good reframe on show my growth and how I have learned. I have been more highly vigilant however, I trust I’m becoming a more responsible human as a result.
I agree strongly. She should be angry not embarrassed. I would have called TH to leave the sit and have the homeowner make other arrangements. Like offering to leave that dog at the vet’s office. I didn’t sign up to be a 24 hour free caretaker. Then having such an ungrateful PP. Far from the fair exchange that this platform is about.
