Does anyone use a letter of agreement / contract between home owner and pet sitter? I could not find one on the website / app. Seems like something in writing would be helpful
We’re sitters, and we’ve done 20+ sits with THS and never had a contract, and never being asked to do a contract. Being on this site with THS means we are bound by its terms, not our own terms.
I’m not sure if you are a homeowner or a sitter.
If you are a home owner then I wouldn’t suggest to a sitter that you create your own contract as you will make them feel like an employee and will set the tone of miss-trust from the start.
If you are a sitter, it’s not necessary, read the THS t&c’s that you are bound by. Plus the HO’s advert and their Welcome Pack that you receive should be all you need.
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THS used to offer a contract form, and it is still on the site:
I would not like it.
A pet parent, for a sit I was offered, wanted me to review and sign a lengthy contract. It included language that belonged in the listing and/or welcome pack, including the cat’s sleep schedule (1 a.m. to 7 a.m.). By signing this, I would have been bound to stay up until 1 a.m. with the cat and wake up 6 hours later? No thanks.
That aside, I did not feel comfortable signing any sort of legal document for an unpaid pet care/home sit, nor did I have the time nor money for an attorney to review the document for me. I passed on the opportunity.
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I can’t imagine anyone signing a contract for an unpaid sit. That’s just foolish.
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@sharon32 hello and welcome.
As a home host and a THsitter, I would not sign a contract and I would not ask a sitter to sign one because I don’t believe that a contract is in the spirit of this shared community.
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No, I’ve never been asked and will never ask. Most home owners don’t even realise they’re supposed to complete the Welcome Guide so I think a contract would be extremely unlikely 
There’s zero chance I’d sign a contract as a THS sitter. No reason to complicate what’s supposed to be a voluntary, fun exchange.
What is it that you think would be useful?
What obligations are you wanting to have in it?
Seems irrational. What motivation would a THS sitter have to sign something like that? Did that host have any ostensible reason?
If we were asked to sign a contract we would decline the sit. For me it would be a red flag.
There was originally an agreement for both parties to sign. When I did my first sit in 2014, the owner printed it off and we went through it together most of it was not applicable, so we didn’t bother with it. I haven’t been asked since and wouldn’t accept a sit with one.
She said to protect both her and the sistter, and did say she was open to edits/feedback, fwiw. Has had sitters and has good reviews. But, no, not for me, especially given the length and level of detail.
I had a HO ask me to sign a contract before confirming thankfully because I said no and canceled my application.
I had an HO just late last year give me a sort of contract house notes combo. I wasn’t asked to sign it though and didn’t offer. It just made the house notes a little awkward to read as they were (badly) embedded in the contract. Surprisingly the HOs were also sitters but as they had only done a couple of sits they presumably didn’t realise that the contract, pet camera feeder (which they seemed to be checking if the red ring means what I think it means) and a last minute date change were all kind of off-putting from a sitter perspective.
On contracts, now I can’t speak for every jurisdiction of course but an HO would probably not have an easy time trying to enforce that in many places so it likely isn’t worth the paper it’s written on legally. It’s more like an imaginery security blanket. It could also put both parties in a bit of a pickle if that good old debate at the border comes up about HS doing a job or not. A formal looking contract like thing is bound to be a big flag for that already suspicious immigration official.
Glad you didn’t bother.
I am surprised this agreement is still on the website, but hopefully nobody is using it and putting down a security deposit. 
I can only imagine an instance where the cat has to take legal action against you for not adhering to its schedule?? 
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