Just wondering- I’ve been communicating regarding a sit in a very desirable location. Pet parents said they wanted to review all applications and then would get back to me but highlighted the time and care I took with my application.
2 days later they said they hadn’t had a chance yo go over applications yet but would let me know in another 2 days. I responded, perhaps foolishly, saying no rush, and we would definately accept the sit if they go with us.
However now it’s over a week. I really really want this sit (we sit as a family and avoid sogs so can be hard to find sits we really want to do during school holidays) but I’m conscious that the time its taking to confirm either way is a bit of a red flag. They’ve got lots of good reviews though.
Wwyd?
We leave all our applications open but don’t hang round waiting for any of them.
It is usual for us to have multiple applications for the same dates all pending at the same time.
It can be tricky if you really want a particular sit, but we still would not decline another one if it came along , first come, first served!
If a home hosts misses you because they were too slow in their response, see it as their loss, not yours
I’d move on. They’re two days over the time they said they would make a decision so either they don’t have any respect for you or they’re holding out for what they perceive to be a better sitter.
People who work full time may need the weekend to catch up on projects.
I would be patient until Monday morning, and if you have not heard from them by then, send another message reiterating your enthusiasm.
Definitely be actively seeking other sit opportunities! You never know what might pop up. Good luck!
At the moment my “experiment” is 36 days old.
We applied for a perfect sit. It has been read but no correspondence. I have left it open but if something else comes along in the meantime it’s their loss. I’ll keep you informed ……
@catscatscats24, great question. Within THS community, Forum has highlighted different perspectives.
Some housesitters withdraw application after 48 hours, perceiving a red-flag for Pet Parent communications, organization and/or situation.
We - seemingly like @Colin - take a more balanced approach. It depends. We frame some housesits as ‘feature’, meaning that there’s some aspect that is highly attractive. Could be location, property, pets, duration, something. For these then we keep applications open and, after a polite period, concurrently explore alternative housesits. Also relevant is the timeline. If housesit is near-term then need for certainty becomes rather more important.
Whether THS applications, job recruitment or other ‘contests’ then fast communication often occurs to the #1 candidate and slow communication to the rest. But we’ve found some Pet Parents vary a whole lot. Some are busy people and housesitting arrangements can be just one small piece of their world.
Personally, we applaud open communication. Shame re ‘no hurry’ comment - we’ve sometime been needlessly over-polite and learned to be more reasonable. If you “really want this sit” then encourage reach out via THS Message with a polite followup. Desperate is very rarely an attractive attribute. But we see no reason not to reasonably enquire about status; active interest; and, as appropriate, mention near-term intent to explore alternative opportunities.
Thanks for all the feedback. I’ll leave it open but I’ll be looking for others at the same time…
This happened to me recently. I would normally withdraw my application if the HO cannot respond in a timely way.
As this one was in a good location close to friends, I went along with the delays and completed the sitting last week. Communication was an issue leading up to the sitting and immediately after. It was clear the HO had more important things to attend. (It was ok during the sitting to give them their due)
Meanwhile, before I started my sitting I saw that there have been 2 new sets of dates listed for over 2 weeks now, one has 2 applicants and the other days are “Reviewing” I wonder if it is the one that you have applied for in the UK?
I am hoping that these applicants will read my review which mentions communication and withdraw.
If you are having problems now, you are more than likely to continue having delays in communication
I would withdraw
I withdraw within 48 hours of applying if I don’t hear back. The reason for their pace doesn’t matter. For me, no need to wait longer, because there are enough hosts who respond promptly.
Plus, I find that prompt hosts also share welcome guides (the form / format varies, but that’s irrelevant to me) and write reviews promptly, without any nudging needed. I figure that’s because people who have their act together are consistent that way.
I think that if you ignore red flags you are more likely to get issues during a sit. A host that interview all, doesn’t keep up with what they told you and when they should respond could well be people that see sitters as a commodity, doesn’t see the sitter side of the exchange - and doesn’t see this as an exchange between equal partners. That could also be issues during a sit and reflect in how they would treat me (and how they will review me.)
I often find that hosts are more likely to accept sitter parties as they are. If a couple they would like a couple, if family with teens more likely to have same type family of sitters.
Even if they are nice people and just life happened and they don’t have knowledge on how to proceed, I would keep applying for sits and not hang on. You might well find nice sits with appreciative hosts that would love to have you. I’ll take that any day to an entitled host in a big home.
We sit as a family too and I withdraw after a couple days. When I apply, I’m very excited at that moment. House looks nice, pets look cute, etc. But if I feel like I’m going to get ignored and the host reads my application and is not excited about taking clear steps to schedule a call, I lose my excitement for that sit. All hosts should use their best judgement and process to pick just the right sitter. Unfortunately if that doesn’t translate to being prompt when I apply, I withdraw and will sometimes just opt to pay for an Airbnb.
I am someone who responds quickly.
So for me, a quick response is a first sign that we are on the same level.
If it is not important for the other person, their are maybe also other differences in values.
Which would annoy me and the other person.
It has to be relaxed for both sides.
So maybe we then aren’t the best match.
And I therefore would decline within 2 days after they read the application or after the deadline.
After all: it isn’t work for both sides. It’s a trade, based on equality.
Still nothing. I will give them til tomorrow then I’m going to message and say I’m going to withdraw.
I’m a bit frustrated because we keep missing out on sits because we aren’t the very first to apply- people keep saying oh what a shame we didn’t see your application first! I do understand that if pet parents get a good application immediately they just want to get the deal done, but I can’t be on ths constantly. I’m pretty obsessed with it already but do also have kids, work, and just a life to manage!
Yeah totally- in this instance it’s for our half term, and I know I can get some really good holiday deals if we don’t get a cat sit. But obviously, I would prefer a catsit, just because its more comfortable. However, I’m tired of waiting now
Yes exactly. It does worry me that there will potentially be that misalignment with comms.
I applied for another today who replied immediately- that they already have a call with someone else 
but at least they replied
I too have got an ‘experiment’ going, now running at 38 days. Also no correspondence so far. It’s definitely an unusual strategy to snag the perfect sitter …
I think they are messing you about. I applied for a sit a little while ago and it was read immediately, as had the little symbol saying it had been. After five days I did not hear anything. I applied for another sit and chatted and confirmed all within a couple of hours. I withdrew application on the other sit with a message. That message after nearly a week still says unread. I find dithering is a red flag and feel much more comfortable with pet owners who respond immediately, even if only to say we have read your message but a bit tied up at the moment, and will get back to you in a couple of days and do. If things drag on, it is best to move on and look elswhere. Good Luck.
Yeah they messaged again and said they are waiting to see if their first choice can carry out the sit ut if not they’ll let me know by the end of the week. I’ve not found anything else for us yet so will keep it open for now but I don’t really like the hanging around
It depends. If I see that my message has been read but I don’t get a reply within a day, I usually withdraw my application. If they had a valid reason for not replying right away, they often get back to me later – and in that case, I can still decide whether I want to go ahead with the video call.
After a video call, it also depends. Do I really want the sit? Often the answer is no, because I’m quite picky. If the answer is yes, then I expect it to click for both sides. So if I don’t get a confirmation within 24 hours after the call, I withdraw my application.
So overall, yes – I’m pretty picky, and that’s what has worked best for us so far.
If I wasn’t their first choice, I wouldn’t be hanging about for that sit.. I’d politely decline altogether