Huge non-response rate after applications - platform problems?

Owner Questions, Advice & Chat
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Lately I’ve been getting a lot of applications for my sits but then the sitter never responds to my initial response to them. We have a pretty tricky situation and I ask some specific questions on my listing that I want them to answer, and I have no interest in moving to a video chat if they haven’t even responded to the basics.

I find I have to cancel them fairly quickly to open space for new applications (this policy is inane), and some seem like they’d be solid on paper but then zilch. It’s an incredible waste of time.

Is anyone else getting like a 70% non-response rate after applications?

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I’m not sure it’s ‘inane’ but a bit irritating maybe for HOs who don’t want have to wait to see if there’s an answer before releasing the spot. I suppose you might miss a few sitters who seeing it’s ‘reviewing’ don’t then go back when it’s opened up again…but sitters have a lot of choice at the moment and it might be worth looking at this from a sitter’s position just for a moment. Occasionally I’ve applied to a sit and sent questions which if answered to my liking I’d be then happy to apply…. not every HO answers. So why don’t they? Well I’ve assumed they’ve maybe looked at our profile and decided we’re not a match….or they’re waiting to see who else applies. Who knows? I do think getting the tone of the questions right is important and I’ve worked hard at mine, with some good responses after which we’ve moved to WhatsApp or I wait 48 hours then cancel my initial message. Unless you’ve got a uniquely appealing sit, some people will be applying for multiple sits and there’s competition for great sitters so they’ll be snapped up quickly. I’m curious about your questions now….:smiling_face:

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It would be useful if you could link your listing to your profile so that experienced sitters on the forum could try to work out why this is happening. Here’s how to do that:

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Hey Bonny, we’re in Central Lisbon so we get a TON of responses, most of whom don’t read the listing. We have a Malinois with trauma issues and I specifically ask for people with some degree of experience with that sort of breed, and we maintain a vegetarian household and ask our sitters to respect that. It’s not like we’re asking for college degrees or something! But people seem to not read the listing and then don’t answer any follow up questions. Very strange.

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Ok so I now understand why your choice of sitters would be limited. However, annoying when they’ve been applying without obviously reading your listing, wasting everyone’s time….
Are you new to THS or had sitters before?

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I suppose it’s similar to when sitters get an invitation to sit from a HO who obviously hasn’t read our profile. We’ve had loads recently…. I put it down to possibly a big wave of newbies who have joined and take a while to understand the system and settle in (it still takes me a while to see where to click the cancel button on my mobile and I’ve been a THS member for a year now). So yes irritating but mostly the system works incredibly well enabling HOs to get a great unpaid sitter even in tricky situations like yours. Best wishes

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Since sitters are outnumbered by available sits, they might be skipping your sit more often, given the challenges it includes and/or because they’re less willing to participate in more questioning than typical. (Not that it’s OK for them to just ghost you.)

A number of hosts have been posting that they’re having trouble finding sitters, even though they hadn’t had problems before. That points to sitters having more choice.

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@anon71840326 I’ve just had a glance at the first paragraph in your responsibilities section in your profile. Hope this helps, but the type of sitter you say you want is potentially non existent.

Personally I would open up your audience rather than asking for someone specifically that works from home, you’re being too niche. You only have one review, so perhaps you don’t realise all the different types of people that are on THS as sitters.

Your duration of sit is too short for a remote worker. That’s probably why you’ve had rubbish people apply… that don’t respond when they are supposed to.

You’ve specifically asked for someone who works from home, but your sit is only 5 days. There are plenty of remote workers on THS, but every sitter loses at least 2 days linked to travelling to your place and settling in, and at the end cleaning and travelling again.

So the sitter will only have 3 days really in which to work-work, so someone that works wouldn’t really spend time 2 days travelling/cleaning to work to stay just 3 days. Plus they don’t even have 3 days of work, because they need to walk your dogs, and they pull on the lead, so they may have to be walked separately if it’s just 1 person, so very little time left to work-work. But that’s what you’ve specifically asked for.

You’re ruling out all the sitters that are in their 40’s, 50’s, 60’s etc that retired early or have passive income… and that’s an enormous number of sitters.

Change it, and you’d open yourself up to couples too, as remote workers are sometimes single, and a couple can manage stronger dogs more easily (because they take turns :joy:), plus they get twice the attention, so couples would be great for you with having separation anxiety.

You may get a more decent quality of sitter applying then, instead of those you’ve had.

Also I’d drop the words “past trauma” from your first paragraph of responsibilities. As some may click away from your ad at that point because it can mean a million things, and trauma is a very scary word (and if you put that in your personal message to them, could have potentially been why they thought twice).

Whereas the effects of the trauma are what the sitters needs to know, so separation anxiety are the perfect words to use, because there’s a large number of sitters that have that sort of experience.

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Brilliant advice!

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@anon71840326
Although I admire your honesty, the tone and content of your listing. in my opinion, will really be off putting for the vast majority of experienced trustedhousesitters.

To be honest, I am amazed you are getting any applications at all.

I don’t understand why you think living in central Lisbon will get you a “TON” of good applications when the first line of your responsibilities says

“This is not a sit for anyone who is hoping to come to Lisbon to explore”

After reading your listing, it seems you are looking for a vegetarian, solo sitter who has experience with challenging and strong breeds like the Malinoisto. The dogs wake at 6.30am, and need walks every 3-4 hours daytime (min 4 walks a day!) . Meaning the sitter can not leave them alone for more than 3 hours.

What is the sitter getting from this exchange?

I don’t say this often, but I think you should be paying a professional sitter for this job.

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HappyDeb offers a brilliant insight… and I’ve now found your listing and can add this observance. You ask for a solo sitter as the guest room has only a single bed- you’re leaving at 6am so you need the sitter the night before…. hmm :thinking: You also state it’s not a sit for anyone wanting to visit/do tourism in Lisbon hmm :thinking: . So in effect the attraction of Lisbon is pretty irrelevant for this sit. So what we have on offer is a house with hard pulling dogs, who can’t be left and the guest room has a single bed, so it can’t be a couple and it’s a 5 day sit….
We’re hoping to go to Lisbon, we’re an experienced couple, we’re good with strong pulling dogs (it’s technique BTW not strength we’re 66 and I’m small), but you’ve made it impossible for us to want to apply….
MY TIPS to be helpful:

  1. Offer the main bedroom which is presumably a large bed. Book yourself a hotel night to cover the night before your early start or stay with friends…or get cover for that day until the sitters arrive.
  2. Don’t specify a solo sitter.
  3. Do everything HappyDebs says above.
  4. Address the docked star for cleanliness in your only review- as it makes sitters speculate….
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It seems I tick all of your boxes that you are looking for, so to offer my perspective of why I’d never apply to your sit:

I can choose among many sits with a nice bed (many places single persons would have a 150/160 x 200 cm bed as their «single» bed at home. Why would we want a small and/ or uncomfortable bed or pull out bed when petsitting - if we can choose?)

I have experience with larger dogs and pulling, dog training. But why would I choose that sit over a sweet, well-behaved whippet/ golden/ samojed?

I’m not a morning person.
I could well respect a vegetarian household, although not vegetarian myself.

As a solo traveller it is very restricting for me not being able to have a longer wander, but needing to come home every 3-4 hours. This would be easier for a couple, as they could take turns. As said above - this sit is not a good match for a remote worker, as there is too little work time and too many interruptions, for concentration and also restrictions in scheduled online meetings and such.

As a solo sitter I absolutely avoid all separation anxiety. I do not take the risk of being a prisoner in the home, so to speak.

Many sitters will have a 4+ hours minimum for leaving the pets, some also a 6+ hours minimum.

I’m a little worried about the mention of questions needing answers. The process of finding good matches for sure needs questions from both parties. It shouldn’t though come across as a «test» that need to be «passed» as that could be interpreted as the host regarding the sitter as «staff» and not an equal partner.

@HappyDeb @Colin and @BonnyinBrighton offer excellent advice.

The effect is that many experienced sitters - who will have their own set of criterias they are looking for - will not apply for your sit. That would leave you with a higher number of unexperienced or flaky sitters.

Overall the sit seems demanding for a voluntary equal match. If one doesn’t opt for a paid sitting service, the advice given in this topic could help in adjusting the sit to attract a wider pool of sitters and more experienced sitters. With more experienced sitters a host would most likely not have the issues you mention.

I would suggest that you as @BonnyinBrighton mention open up to a couple, leaving yourselves for a hotel or cover a hotel room for the sitters for the handover (-s). My sit this summer the host are doing this for me, staying closer to the airport and leaving the home to me both on leaving and coming back. As this is the need of the host, many sitters would not want to have expenses from the asks of the host in addition to the travel costs.

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I can only echo what many others have said; it seems like what you need is a paid professional sitter. That is not a failure - it is just the reality of your situation. Like many sitters on this platform, I have ample financial resources and can easily afford a hotel in Lisbon for a week. I choose to sit because I adore animals and I enjoy travel more when I wake up with a cat every morning (today I woke up with TWO, both purring and mrrring - the best way to start a day). I can and will work with difficult cats (I don’t sit dogs), as I have much experience with that and enjoy making the life of a vulnerable cat better. But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to be trapped in an unfamiliar house for five days in exchange for - what? What is the benefit to the sitter?

It is unlikely that you are going to find a solo, remote-working, vegetarian sitter willing to travel to Lisbon (while being unable to actually see Lisbon) who is also able to interrupt their remote work every couple of hours to walk difficult dogs. The individuals who are able to undertake such an effort are paid for their efforts, and there are other platforms that are more suitable for finding those resources. Many sitters will apply immediately to in-demand spots like Lisbon because the 5 slots fill so quickly; they’ll apply and then read the listing in detail because if they wait, all the application slots will be gone. I suspect the reason you are not getting replies to your initial responses is that the sitters are so shocked they just don’t know what to say

I wish you and your pups much success in finding someone to attend to their needs.

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I’m a vegetarian solo sitter who works from home and is looking for sits in Portugal. I see several issues with your listing. First, since you have a very limited pool of potential sitters, I recommend posting as far ahead as possible. I booked up summer months ago, I have sits booked into March 2026 and am currently looking for sits for a few weeks that I have open in November and early December.

When I see sits that say they only want someone who works from home, that typically means they want someone to not leave the house and the listings often have requirements that make it very difficult to actually get work done. I very intentionally arranged my life so I could work from anywhere and be able to travel. I don’t work 24/7, I can work, take excellent care of pets, and still do other things (as most people who have pets do). There is no reason for me to pay to travel to a location where I can’t do anything in the area.

Another thing I find off-putting in listings is quizzes at the end. As an experienced sitter, I write a thoughtful application letter that addresses the listing. If the listing asks for a vegetarian, or experience with certain pets, or administering medication, or any other specific requirements, a good sitter will address those in the application without being prompted to do so. Many people probably don’t mind this, but I find little quizzes at the end to be annoying.

I recommend opening the listing to couples. Many solos limit the number of pets they will care for, especially if there are dogs that may need to be walked separately. Plan to have your sitters arrive the night before and you can go stay at a hotel for the night. It’s not reasonable to expect sitters to pay for a hotel at your request. I’ve done several sits where HOs only have one bedroom set up as a bedroom (additional rooms used for other purposes such as offices) and they went to stay with friends or in a hotel the night of my arrival.

I also recommend extending the sit to a week, it’s just not worth traveling somewhere for less than a week.

You could also consider getting a dog walker for one day of the sit to allow the sitters to have one full day to go explore Lisbon.

Another issue is the fact that you only have one review and you lost a star for cleanliness. That’s a red flag as I don’t want to arrive to an unclean home and I don’t want to have to clean on arrival. Maybe mention in the listing that you will provide a very clean home for the sitter.

I think if you make some adjustments, you might get a sitter. There’s lots of great feedback in this thread for you to consider. Just think about it from the sitters’ perspective and make sure you are offering an appealing exchange. If you are unable to offer a mutual exchange, your situation may be more suited to a paid sitter.

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Exactly.
You have only one very recent THS review yet you refer to that sitter as one of the best you’ve ever had. So what had you been doing for sitters before joining?

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@anon71840326, there seems significant direct feedback from experienced housesitters. We’re fans of Portugal (spent maybe 3 months there in last 2 years) and have completed many housesits across many European countries - including two housesits in Portugal. There’s no possibility that we would apply to your listing.

Housesitting needs to be a fair trade. You seeming to be seeking an unpaid worker. So you’re probably attracting housesitters with limited experience; poor diligence; and/or just seeking a vacation. Once they read your questions and reflect on their experience then they run away. Suggest revisit housesitter responsibilities; housesitter target market expectations; or hire a professional.

Posted from Paris housesit - another appealing destination - that has reasonable pet responsibilities.

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I was a member back in 2019/2020 but left after a couple years when I had a sitter up and leave in the middle of the sit and then say “let’s just not review each other :wink: “. It made me realize the reviews are very skewed. He left because there was some street crime on my block, in Washington DC. I rejoined this year and found that the general quality of sitters is much lower - there are a ton of people who are looking for couch surfing opportunities and have no knowledge of pet sitting.

(Post edited by the Forum Team to comply with the Community Rules).

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:thinking: I would think that there are far more sitters with college degrees than vegan , solo sitters willing to take care of 2 dogs and 1 cat without payment ; who also have experience of caring for Malinois with trauma , are looking for a five day sit in Lisbon with limited free time ( less than 3 hours at a time ) to visit Lisbon’s attractions

Due to the 5 applications limit -( listings are automatically paused after 5 applications are received , which can be within seconds of the listing going live) - many sitters feel under pressure to submit an application without first taking time to fully reading the listing .

You can decline any unsuitable applications and also any who are not responding promptly.

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Thanks! I’ve gotten over 30 applications for this June sit. The longer ones have been easy. Because we’re in central Lisbon, just walking the dogs is a great opportunity to see things. But the reason I put the “no tourist” thing in is because I have had people want to go out to the beach or day trips, and that’s just not feasible.

And to clarify, the issue with Ria is way beyond pulling and separation anxiety. :frowning_face_with_open_mouth:

But I appreciate all the comments and will definitely revise for next time!!

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No, that’s just the audience that your particular sit is attracting. We sit in Spain, and will end up in Portugal too eventually, and have plenty of experience with separation anxiety, and 5* reviews… but from your profile, we don’t fit your criteria. Consider the advice and knowledge of others, they’re trying to help.

The trustpilot reviews speak for themselves.

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