Hello,
I applied for a sit 6 days ago. HO read it after day 1. There has been no acknowledgment on her part at all. Should I follow up? I don’t want to be a pain, but this is a long distance sit that I would very much like to get, and flights need to be booked. THe sit is 2 months out, and is still listed as needing a sitter.
Thanks.
Technically, according to THS guidelines, members are supposed to respond to one another within 72 hours. But you will see that this topic gets brought up anew over and over again. If it is important to you, reach out again to the HO maybe advising that flight prices make this rather time-sensitive. It may be the needed nudge but it could also be a hint of what is to come communication-wise.
Bottom line: there is nothing wrong with followup.
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Set a time limit for yourself and follow it. For me, its 48 hours. In six days you can potentially have another sit booked up.
You can send a follow up message asking if they’re interested in following up. Once I send one of those in the odd chance that I don’t get a reply but it gets read, I withdraw.
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If I don’t get a reply within 48 hours of them reading the message, I won’t do the sit. It is a sign of a homeowner who won’t communicate well. Often I’ll have homeowners say, “Thank you for your message; we’re planning to review sitter applications in two weeks and I’ll get back to you” - and that is fine. It’s the ones that don’t even acknowledge the application that go on my “do not sit” list. I can see that they’ve read it!
Unlike others, though, I do not withdraw my application. I let it just sit there. That way other sitters can’t apply using that slot and suffer the same fate. Often an HO will reach back out to me after a week or so and say, “I’d like to set up a call” and then I just tell them I am no longer available (even if I am. I don’t care how good the sit looks, @petnut; if an HO waits a week to get back to you, there is trouble on the horizon).
If I apply, and the HO doesn’t even read the application for a few days - that is okay. Many HOs only travel once or twice a year and don’t realize they should check the site frequently. It’s only when they’ve read the message and not acknowledged it that I mark them off my sit list.
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Yes and it’s very frustrating, but then I have no idea what’s going on in the HO’s life.
I actually write it right after my first message:
"I just wanted to let you know that I usually withdraw my applications within 24 hours if I do not receive any feedback.
Kind regards, x and z"
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We won’t ever, EVER follow up if we don’t hear back. Desperation shows quickly and that is not a great first impression. We sometimes get responses back from HO “Reviewing applicants and will get back to you. etc”. to which we will respond “Thanks so much for letting us know. No worries at all. etc”.
If it has been more than 3-4 days and the HO has seen our message early on, but has yet to respond, we will either withdraw or not count on it at all.
If HO aren’t taking the time to give us good communication out of the gate…you snooze you lose with us.
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I withdraw within 48 hours if the host hasn’t replied. No followup. No need, because I’ve easily found hosts who are prompt in responding, so why waste time on those who aren’t?
Plus, my experience with prompt responders is that they tend to share welcome guides well ahead of sits and to review quickly without nudging. I figure it’s because people who’ve got their act together are that way pretty consistently.
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I used to withdraw, but decided it is a small kindness to other sitters to “take up” one of the available slots so they don’t apply and suffer the same fate.
The funny thing is, immediately after I withdraw, I often get messages from hosts, saying that I sound great and they’re sorry I’ve withdrawn. So maybe withdrawing helps hosts to act faster going forward. That doesn’t matter to me, because I’d not apply for their sits again anyway, but maybe helps other sitters.
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If no response and I can see that the HO has read it, I’ve been withdrawing my application, with no follow-up message, after 48 hours.
I don’t understand why the HO doesn’t create a document that can be cut and pasted as a response: Thanks for applying; we’re reviewing, etc. That would take very little time, and would keep me happy for a while.
I absolutely agree with @Maggie8K: No response is a good indication of how the HO will communicate in future, and it’s not a way I am comfortable with. Maybe it’s modern times, but no response just seems rude to me. Just like not children not being taught to write thank-you letters for gifts, but that’s off topic.
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Never wait, we often have multiple applications in the pipeline at any time. We keep all our applications open until we are accepted for one. Then let the others know unfortunately they’ve missed out on this occasion.
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I withdraw my application after 48 hours…. I usually send a message saying that for those dates we are no longer available…the implication being I’ve found something else to do but not necessarily house sitting though.
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I don’t follow up. After I’ve sent an application, the next step is theirs. I don’t want to sit for people who don’t have timely communication.
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Also the way it happens with us often.
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The goofiest ones have involved hosts who, after I withdrew my application, immediately messaged to say they were sorry I withdrew, then weeks later asked me to sit, because the sitter they eventually chose had canceled on them at the last minute. (No, thanks, even if I were still available, which I haven’t been anyway.) That’s happened twice.
If they had just replied promptly to me in the first place, they would’ve saved themselves grief, because I’m very reliable as a sitter once I’ve committed.
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I confess to a bit of schadenfreude when that happens. More than once an owner has ghosted me and then ten days later or so says, “Hey I thought I had a sitter lined up but they bailed, can we talk?” And I politely reply that I am no longer available.
I get why. For me, I think there’s a mismatch and I’ve happily avoided those hosts. And I’ve found it pretty easy to find hosts who are a good match, whom I appreciate.
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