I would not apply to a sit in which the owner “trashed” a previous sitter in a response to a review. That is horrible. Since you then sat for these people, did you learn anything? Are you glad you sat for them? Do you think the previous negative review was honest? Sounds convoluted!
And it warrants reporting them using the report button on the listing.
That’s right.
However,
I have a different idea about fairness and it has nothing to do with others finding out what I do but doing what I feel is right.
If, based on the high level of cleanliness, an HO gets applications which a better matched to their standards and that’s the result of honest reviews, then, to me, that’s fair. I’m not so concerned about the number of stars but the wording being factual and helpful for both sitters and hosts.