Is there a way to omit "Sitters Need a Car" sits?

Hi, I currently have several saved searches, and it seems that the majority of sits that show up are not suitable for me because I do not currently have a car, and I invariably see the words “Sitters need a car” on the listing.

It would be a lot easier to find sits if I could weed these out. But I can’t find this as an option in the filters.

Is it possible to do this?

Thanks

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I’m afraid there isn’t (or if there is, I haven’t found it either). Agree with you that it would be a really handy filter to have.

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Why is the HO saying that sitters need a car? Is it because of a remote location, or do they think that you might like to visit places during the sit? Or have they just ‘ticked’ the box without thinking about it? I have driven to several housesits as I take my bike with me, but then not used my car during the whole of my stay.

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@Andrew Most of them that I have seen say Sitters need a car because they are in a remote location. But I have seen a couple that wanted car owners so that they can visit particular locations their dogs are used to.

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@BunnyCat Thank you. Good to know there are exceptions, and they worked out for you.

But if HOs have good public transport links, I don’t think they should be saying sitters need a car, unless it’s impossible to take dogs for a decent walk without one.

If a HO sent me an invite and wanted sitters with a car, I would chat and get more info. But all the examples I’ve seen are in the searches I have done.

I think it would be difficult to apply for a sit just to ask if they have good public transport, when there’s a strong possibility the HOs will think I didn’t read their listing properly, as they have stated sitters need a car.

So for that reason I think it would be helpful to have it as a filter.

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If this is the case then they should be providing their car. Just because a sitter HAS a car doesn’t mean they want a dirty dog in it. I go to sits in my vehicle, but it’s a small campervan with no space for a dog that’s not on my bed. And I don’t want a dirty wet dog on my bed.

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@CreatureCuddler I understand that. I personally don’t mind. But then, I have never had a posh or brand new car!

However I did always have a waterproof seat cover, large rug and a towel in between the dog and the seat!

I think a lot of sitters have dogs in their cars, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to state that they need a car to drive dogs to a nice dog-walking beauty spot.

I can understand people not wanting strangers to drive their cars. I used to hate the mechanic driving mine, and I only ever owned old bangers!

Thank you @Vanessa_A for making this a Vote post.

If anyone else would like this as a filter, please vote in the top left!

Thank you

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No problem… this is the category most often viewed by the product and member experience teams for feedback and ideas, and so it felt like the best place for your suggestion :slight_smile:

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I think as long as they state in the listing that the sitter will be expected to drive the dog in their vehicle, it’s fine. Then people can choose to do so or not. But there shouldn’t be an assumption that it will happen. But I still think that the best option is to have the HO supply all equipment necessary to care for their pet, up to and including a car if the local area won’t work for walks.

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@CreatureCuddler Yes good point. It should be mentioned in the listing.

Yes I would love that as the streets are safer now I don’t drive.!

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In the “More Filters” section there is a “Use of car included” option.

Hello @BillyBonnieBenji we have listed our sit as “Sitters need a car” because we are two miles from the nearest town and there is no public transport. For short sits in our home this might not be a problem, but for longer stays I think it would be very difficult to be here without a car. I am going to look into whether it is possible (both from a hassle perspective and financially) to amend our car insurance to allow a sitter to use our vehicle. I wonder if other home owners have done this?

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@KevinLamport thank you yes that’s a positive filter, and there are a lot fewer people who let sitters use their car. I need a negative filter; to NOT include the “Sitters need a car” sits from searches, thanks.

@Tolleys If there’s no public transport, then your situation absolutely requires it. There’s nothing wrong with people stating that sitters need a car in their listing. It would just be helpful to non-car owners to filter them out when searching on the site.

Many sitters do have a car, possibly most (correct me if I’m wrong), so I doubt you will have difficulty finding suitable people. No need to feel obliged to lend your car out. But this thread discusses car insurance for sitters:

Another point to consider is that some of us rent cars and must be very careful about dogs in a rental car. Some companies don’t allow it, and even if they do, there’s a bigger risk of damage etc. We had one UK sit where we used our rental car for our trips to shop etc, and the owner’s car every day to drive the dogs to the place they run.

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@BillyBonnieBenji Although it’s possible that most sitters have a vehicle, they may not have that vehicle with them when doing a sit. I own a car and currently do sits where I can easily drive there. However, when I choose to fly to a sit, then being in a walkable area or having services I can use is a priority for me. I tend to avoid using an owner’s car when offered, even though I have in some circumstances.

From what I’ve read on the forum, some sitters without vehicles are like me in that they spend a lot of time opening listings only to see ‘sitter needs a car’. I realize that some sitters choose to apply and justify why they think they can do the sit without a vehicle, and that makes sense. However, generally I choose not to do that and would only do it if it was for a sit I really wanted.

I think the bigger issue is that many homeowners show ‘sitter needs a car’ because of their own lifestyle, in that they use a car. They don’t consider using public transit or walking, because of the inconvenience factor, and may not even know what’s available. It would be great if homeowners would give more consideration to the options a sitter might have to avoid use of a car, but I think it’s unlikely to happen.

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That’s a good point. Yes when I was a driver myself I was clueless about the local bus services.

So yes there are probably a lot of sits that needn’t state Sitters need a car.

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After looking at the current Filters box, I think I need to stipulate the exact filter required…

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If a filter was added, it would need to say:

EXCLUDE “Sitters Need a Car” :heavy_check_mark:

because the current filters have check boxes next to the options, and they are OFF by default. So the danger of having a filter worded:

Include Sitters Need a Car :x:

would mean the default setting is OFF, and then many HOs in remote places, would lose out, because many suitable sitters with cars would not know about this filter setting.

Thanks