@KayCee25
I’ve used HOs’ cars on many sits - US (my home country), UK (before the rental companies seemed to change the rules), S Korea, Canada. If the sit is one that I think I will want/need a car for, I just ask in my initial message applying for the sit. A few folks say not at all, a few that the car is going on the trip with them, a few want to discuss it, and many say “sure.” I think you just need to ask, maybe indicate how you plan to use it. I also often add a phrase about how expensive car rentals have become and offer to work out airport car transfers and exchanges and point out that it would save airport parking fees or shuttle/Uber fees. (And I’ve gotten up at 4 am to take folks to the airport a few times, but worth it to have a car to use.)
I do not reference using the HO’s car in my review as I don’t want to raise expectations of future sitters. But a few HOs have mentioned that I used their car and that I left it with a full tank, but I generally don’t have the car washed.
tom
I feel for you!
This is one of my biggest bugbears with THS! : I filter all my sit searches for “Sitters May Use Your Car.” And I fall gleefully on sits with box checked.
BUT…. So many of those HOs make no reference to use of the car in the listing.. So, I have to either “waste” an application by messaging to check about the car availabilty.. Or, I take the risk, apply, and find that the HOs are not, in fact, offering use of their car; they just checked the box - presumably - to widen their range of potential sitters.
I will drone on about this until I topple off the last eroded edge of my sad old island, but PLEASE, HOs……… If you’re really making your car available, please don’t just check the box…… SAY so, in your listing!
Thankyou and Goodnight.
Good question. I think my question is 2 part. One, I was able to filter and that confirm with that person that I would be able to use his car and he with switched it up last minute. And two, i now don’t see that filter for us about the looking for people who offer use of car
Correct! It was there and now gone
Thank you. I can use the website.
Ugh
I’m on an android.
I don’t know why this happens.
Lol
That’s very helpful thank you. Great advice. I didn’t get it in writing
I know as well
And it is sad that it’s gone for android.
I can’t speak to the filter effectiveness, availability etc.
Here’s the ONLY WAY to clarify and confirm car use : Ask and discuss in the very first conversation with the HO. And, if HO agrees to your use of the car, copy, paste, save, etc. that commitment…..juuuuust in case…..
Wow super helpful
I did try for one on the rural UK and they told me that car insurance there only covers Sitter with EU license not US
Is that true?
Yes that could be true, It would depend on the policy that the host has .
As a host, other than writing it in the listing description, there is only one place to select “sitters can use your car”. There is no second option for “use of car included” other than that one slider box in the amenities section.
@Crookie samsung here too and that’s what I see.
Oddly I tried looking at any UK sits (as there are tones of them) with a car on offer. Currently there are 100. Of at least 8 I looked at with this “benefit”, 4 don’t mention using the car at all in the listing as if it doesn’t exist as an amenity? #needslookingat
I don’t list the car as available in the listing details. I figure that since “sitter can use the car” shows as an amenity, it’s not necessary to repeat it.
@idocsteve, thanks and interesting. We are full-time housesitters and are unfamiliar with homeowner screens, and on how interface may vary between website, iOS app, Android app or otherwise. Over last 2-3 years, we’ve seen use-of-car inconsistency on a significant number of listings. No idea how that may have been caused. And no idea if still exists, as we gave up on selecting ‘use of car included’ in our Saved Searches as it yielded incomplete results. Perhaps any related tech bug has been fixed.
Yes & no. It would make more sense if the listing mentioned the type of car available, LHD or RHD and the insurance options as this is such a global site. It would also give reassurance when hosts mention train journeys & bus stops but not their “available” car for my brain. #layyourcardsout
Also if it’s manual or automatic. Our car is manual and that could be an undesirable surprise for a sitter who can’t drive it.
Our product team are aware and are on it. 
Thanks to @Therese for escalating internally.
EDIT: I’m marking this post as the answer to make it more visible… it is not yet fixed. I’ll update this discussion when I hear more.