I’m a home owner looking to find a sitter and have registered with this site and another similar one.
So far I’ve not advertised a sit yet on here but have on the other site. Some obstacles I’ve had are.
Sitters wanting payment
Sitters won’t book as far ahead as April 2026
Sitters cancelling/rejecting a sit if references are requested
Sitter changing their plans
Website advising that I’m looking too far head
How do others manage? I don’t want to book a holiday if I don’t have a sitter. Have HOs had the same sort of issues on here? Do sitters charge?
I did message a sitter on here some time ago and they advised they are also on Rover (where they are paid) so won’t book too far ahead. How do you manage to plan holidays if sitters refuse to book that far ahead?
I’ve not used this type of service before so nervous about it.
THS is an exchange geared towards matching folks who want to travel and do home stays with pets. It is not a site for paid sitters so very different than Rover.
The only way to know how much interest there is in April 2026 sit is to post your listing. Factors affecting interest is the length of the sit, location, number, tote and behavior of pets, and condition/amenities of the home.
Best to take some time to clean/declutter, take some great photos, and go ahead and post. There are many threads on here that detail what type of photos and listings are attractive to sitters.
Could you clarify if you created a paid account on Trusted Housesitters or only signed up on the community forum? On THS, you shouldn’t need to request references since they would already be available on the sitter’s profile. Plenty of sits on THS are posted well into 2026 and no sitter should require payment as that is not how this platform works.
Don’t compare the other site to THS. This site is totally different, there’s usually someone for everyone. No sitters can ask for payment with THS, they do it for free, it’s a goodwill thing where everyone wins, and if anyone did ever ask for payment on here, they should be reported.
We’ve completed 40+ sits, and have never cancelled a sit as yet. No references are required on THS because everyone is reviewed after each sit, so their real-life reviews by THS pet owners they have sat for appear on their profile on here.
You aren’t looking too far ahead, unless it’s only for a few days, which is just trickier to plan so far in advance. We’ve got sits booked in for 2026, even as far ahead as early Dec 2026!
If you’re a paid member, just post your dates. If you aren’t, then you will find it’s a fantastic site for most.
THS is based on you creating a desirable listing like you would if you were trying to rent your place on AirBnb. There are tons of good material on this forum of how to get there so do your research. Also, you can share your profile here and you’ll get plenty of good feedback.
Unlike other pet sitting sites, you are NOT looking to “hire” a sitter. You’re trying to find a sitter that wants to stay at your place caring for your pets and who you are comfortable with having handle those responsibilities. That search starts when you publish the dates of your sit. After you’ve received 5 sitter applications, THS blocks additional applications until you decline 1 or more of the 5 applicants.
At this far removed from your dates, you should have an easier time and better luck the longer the sit. Sitters planning that far out are typically experienced with quite a few 5⭐️ reviews. Heed the warning found on other threads in this forum about delaying your responses to applicants until you have “enough”. You agreed to abide by THS’s expectations of members when you signed up and those expectations include responding to messages within 72 hours. Most sitters and hosts consider 72 hours too slow during the application process.
It’s entirely understandable that sitters working on paid gigs like Rover wouldn’t book so far out. THS sitters are not paid and many are quite willing to fill in their calendars months out. That said, plans can change so you should be prepared with a fallback plan in the event a scheduled sitter cancels on you up to and including the day you expect them to arrive. It happens, though rarely, but does add to the excitement of booking pet sitters (regardless of the service used).
Asking for references might not go over well because THS sitter profiles usually have both references and reviews. Reviews in particular are pretty important as they should accurately reflect how well a sitter or host is regarded on THS.
Good luck.
@Suecoo66, I don’t understand. You are frustrated at the lack of THS housesitter applicants to a THS listing that you have not yet posted? Really?
And you haven’t yet booked the related holiday?
Why on earth would a THS housesitter commit to voluntarily look after your pets, and incur related travel costs, seven months away when you have not committed to either your own travel plans or indeed THS membership?
We’ve usually booked sitters 6 months out before final travel details (usually flight stuff) have been locked down. We do assure sitters that our travel plans are solid and haven’t encountered any objections. The same has been reciprocated for scheduled sitters who needed to adjust their travel plans as dates approached. It’s both an advantage and an disadvantage booking so far out. For both parties.
Several of your issues should not be an issue on THS, IMO.
It is not allowed for sitters to ask for payment for sitting. If some do, it should be reported. Hosts can however offer, should they want to. I don’t think it is common. Some might offer a welcome basket or a gift-card for a meal.
Many THS-sitters plan a year or more ahead. I think some would have booked up most of 2026 already, while others among us only do the occasional petsit for vacations, and doesn’t know yet whether they will have time off in April.
The gold standard for THS-members - hosts and sitters - is THS reviews. This goes both ways. All members take a chance on a new member without reviews (also on you as a host). Many members have many 5* reviews, and offer access to for instance a LinkedIn and/ or AirBnB-profile for added reviews and references. I have all of the above and if that is not enough, I would consider it a lack of trust and would pass. On the other hand, if a member has none it could be understandable to ask for a reference. That’s up to you. If a member doesn’t like it - well, then it is not a good match regardless.
Change of plans - I guess that happens. A confirmed sit should normally not be altered unless for serious causes - but life happens. I think THS works best if a member has a plan B, and isn’t totally stuck without the confirmed sit. That goes also for sitters, who can have spent a substantial amount on travel and a host cancels. But most of us go a long way to honor our agreement. I have finished a sit when I fell ill, and on another occasion didn’t cancel although I had serious issues at home with the care of my own pet. But I didn’t want to put my sit partner in a tight spot, as I knew they were to attend a wedding. So I worked out a solution even if it was a hazzle (I wouldn’t necessarily do it again).
I think it is about finding that good match, but also give a little grace and trust.
I just applied for a sit for April 2026. It went to reviewing status very quickly, so I’m not the only one willing to commit that far out. I already have sits through March 2026 as well as one in Sept 2026. Whether sitters will apply really depends on the specifics of the sit.
Sorry no I’ve not paid a subscription on THS yet as was a bit cautious about doing so if I can’t find a sitter.
I’ve placed an ad on a similar site so my negative experience has mainly been on there. I did contact a sitter on here before but was told they prioritise work on Rover as they are on there.
My house is appealing because we are very close to the beach and it’s not cluttered. We have food WiFi and a separate office so anyone who wants to WFH would be able to.
It would be a 2wk sit initially with potential for longer sits for the right person.. I’m just worried about booking something then the sitter cancelling. Most importantly my dog & house are our main cencern as we’ve never done this before.
Re references, would you expect a sitter to ask for references/evidence of how clean your house will be and the behaviour of your pets? This is a site based on trust and comments by users getting reciprocal benefits. I would not continue an application where extra unnecessary hurdles were put in the way.
As a sitter I have also noticed an increased trend of pet owners having ‘expectations’ of sitters beyond sitting. This may not be true in your case, but in some cases maybe a reason for attracting people who expect payment. Beyond watering a few plants and leaving a house as you find it, I would not be attracted to a sit with long ‘to do’ lists.
I do pet sitting for fun and seeing different parts of the country. In return for offering a free but valuable service it would be nice to feel that from the owner.
Try to post on THS. I consider myself as a global pet Sitter through THS and do it almost full-time. I would actually plan ahead until April 2026 as I sit globally and in a lot of cases there is visas, flights and other things to organise . I don’t think it is permitted for either Sitter or Host to ask for payment. So defenetly try your luck here
Two weeks is a great time to organise ahead of time, it’s just hard for a sitter to block out dates for really really short periods, as then their whole month revolves around it then, so it’s trickier so far ahead.
All sitters have verified reviews from real-life THS sits on here, but with you being concerned, I would say totally ignore their references as they could be from friends and family when they first started, and take notice of their verified reviews, and pick a sitter that has lots of five star reviews that mention about their pets, their property, and the character of them written in those reviews… but you may well get an applicant that you get a really good feeling about, who you feel connected to that has zero reviews, and in that case, it’s meant to be, we all started somewhere, go with your gut feeling.
For us, the only things that would lead us to cancel, would probably be hospitalisation or death of either us or the family.
We sit as a couple, so there’s two of us, so even if one of us is ill, the other one simply takes care of the pets. So with your concerns, a couple would go in your favour too, as it may help you feel at ease.
With you being concerned, you could also pick someone a little more maturer (35+) where they’ve already proven to be responsible for example if their profiles talks as though they’ve had their own home, so again that may help ease your mind.
Below are what categories sitters are rated in after a sit ends. Reliable is all about did they turn up on time, and could you depend on them. Just go for it, THS is the site we still had pets.
Get over the stumbling block in your mind, and just go for it. You’ll be able to tell from the comments on the forum, that most sitters are very sensible, mature minded, and not the type that would cancel by nature.
If you do not receive any sitter applications within 14 days of posting your first listing, you’ll be eligible to cancel your membership and receive your money back with no strings attached.
This goes for sitters in a similar way:
You can cancel your membership and receive your money back if you have been unsuccessful in confirming a sit within 14 days of making your 5th application.
This only applies for new members, of course. If you decline applications you wouldn’t qualify. So some limitations, as you’d expect. Life can happen regardless - for both parties.
@Suecoo66, noted. In case helpful, we would not confirm a housesit unless pet parent had booked their trip (prior learning experiences). That said, we are probably not typical as many of our housesits involve significant travel costs such as international flights.
Given your noted approach, perhaps good to focus on a housesitter that is reasonably close proximity to your location.
Also, hat-tip to @Garfield for highlighting THS Money Back Guarantee.
When we started with THS (2-3 years) we took a deep breath and committed to one year of membership dues on an experimental basis. We thought it quite difficult to meaningfully test the service without being members. In case helpful, we’ve also joined two other platforms and each was far less appealing than THS. But we do know quite a few Pet Parents that relish Rover as they prefer pay for specific service from a specific person. THS is not like that at all. Rather you’d set out your stall, so to speak, in your listing and housesitters apply. Peer-peer trade rather than employer-employee service.
