Just want to point out that your listing states that a couple is “what’s best for our home and pets.” That implies a preference for a couple, not a requirement. If you will only accept couples (and I would clarify if you just want two people or if for some reason those two people need to be a couple) be clear that it’s a requirement, not a preference.
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Absolutely agree.
Even moreso likely remarkably expensive for housesitter. Sit timing appears peak tourist season. Most premium credit cards with insurance coverage for rental cars have max duration less than sit duration.
We can easily imagine car rental/insurance costs - incremental to summer flights, other requirements, and many international housesitters avoiding US - may be a dealbreaker for some applicants. We’ve declined multiple peak-season sits in UK/Europe where car was required and not provided - related trade simply did not work for us.
@DarkAloha, we’re experienced international housesitters. Fully booked for your dates. But thought add a contra perspective. We have sufficient reviews/profile to be selective. But we always strive to maintain flexibility within big picture objective. For a highly attractive listing then we may consider dates, property, pet care, otherwise that - while acceptable - is not ideal. Suggest that you take a similar approach in your listing/calls when considering housesit applicant profiles - determine attributes that are must-have (ideal), good-have (acceptable), not-have (decline) and frame listing with some flexibility. Perhaps you’ll have the luxury of finding the perfect ideal housesitter. More realistically, hopefully you’ll find housesitter(s) that are great-but-not-perfect.
In regards hurricane season, if we considered a listing where important information was actively not disclosed then we’d probably withdraw our application. It signals mindset rather than topic. One red flag is almost always indicative of broader red flags.
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I think your listing is very clear on your expectations. It’s Hawaii so I’m sure you’ll eventually find the right couple or pair for your home.
Don’t worry about comments about some never wanting to sit for you. It’s your home and pets and you have every right to be specific about what you want, as long as it’s clear up front. Not everyone will be a good fit but you want the right match and by definition that isn’t everyone.
I agree you don’t need to disclose things like potential hurricanes, etc. That information is generally and widely available and one would research that before they travel anywhere.
In general people have cut back from travel due to geopolitical events, unfortunately.
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@DarkAloha Having looked through your listing I’d say the biggest deal breaker for most sitters is the need to rent a car for such a long sit especially if they’ve also paid costly flights to get to you. It makes the sit very expensive.
We recently did a 2 month sit in Australia. We applied 4 months before and the deal breaker question, that we included in our application msg, was to ask if there was a car available? We were willing to fly to Aus from Europe (and build a winter trip around the sit) but not willing to rent a car for two months over Christmas with silly prices. And this for an unpaid sit. The HOs had no car to lend but they started looking into all possible options whilst still checking out other applicants (who might already have a car). We were happy to wait as we had time and it was a very desirable sit for us. 2 weeks later they contacted us to arrange a video call. They told us we were absolutely the right fit for their needs- 2 dogs & 4 cats & they were first timers going away for 8 weeks. It was a big deal for them to get the right match. They wanted us so much they were willing to pay to rent a car for us for the whole period! In the end that was not needed as an extended family member offered an available car so we were sorted! Everyone was happy and it was a great sit but the car was an essential part of it. Sounds like the same is for your sit so I’d highly recommend you consider helping your sitters out with providing a car, or offering to share rental costs etc.
And, as others have said, I think its essential you mention the reasons for your need for a couple/2 people- I.e that it’s hurricane season etc. I, for one, would not apply to sit during that time so I’d prefer to read that in your listing rather than getting to the call stage and only hearing about it then. Be as transparent, and as helpful, as you can. This is the way to attract great sitters.
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On second thought- I’m removing it. I don’t really think it’s necessary for each listing in Florida to declare it’s hurricane season for 6 months out of the year, or for every listing in the northwest to declare fire season on every listing either…
It looks like things are now in review, but to me not mentioning this possibility means wasting your time or worse, winding up with a sitter who really isn’t prepared for bad weather even if it is a couple. It means an awkward chat with someone who was maybe excited about the sit but is now hearing things giving them second thoughts which could lead to another cancellation. It’s a bad strategy for you that won’t help you reach your goal of finding a great sitter for this sit.
It sounds like your needs are very specific – 2 people in case there is a hurricane and the house needs to be secured. (An alternative to this could be seeing if a friend or neighbor could help out in case you found a great sitter who met the other requirements. ) I don’t get your refusal to state the reason. It’s simple to state in the listing and in my opinion should be visible: “Because this area is prone to hurricanes, power outages, etc, we are looking for a two-person team. However, our home is not set up for children. So we’ll only consider applications from sitter-duos NOT accompanied by children.”
This doesn’t stop other people from applying. You don’t need to judge them. Just quickly decline them maybe with a cut and paste of that sentence and “manage” the listing to get more sitters. I have a popular sit and I think for some people it’s like entering a lottery! I don’t mistrust them for applying even if they don’t meet my preferences. They aren’t taking away other people’s slots. I just decline them and get other applicants.
The unsuitable people applying don’t prevent the suitable ones from getting in an application even with the five app rule! If you aren’t getting applications from people you would consider suitable – couples with their own car, then maybe you do have to rethink something.
The car issue is major. You are basically looking for a sitter who either lives on your island but maybe has some housing insecurity or issue and would rather stay at your home then in whatever housing they have, or someone traveling who will buy a car for your sit or can afford to rent one for that period of time, which like many things in your state is costly. This really limits the pool by a lot. Alternatively, you can request sitters with a clean driving record and set them up on your insurance. Not offering the car is a big ask that again will greatly impact the quantity and quality of people who can do your sit.
Here’s another red flag for sitters: You mention the pet can be alone “up to six hours.” The pets are indoor cats. Even with special needs indoor cats, there can be more flexibility with this. Many cat sits I’ve done had three feedings, but there is usually either flexibility or the possibility of an autofeeder including ones with timing, ice-packs for wet food, and chips to identify the correct cat. Especially given the outdoor cameras – and indication that the sitters comings and goings will be watched, the 6 hour limit might be off-putting to some sitters. I’m not suggesting that sitters should be out for long periods and probably they won’t be, but an occassional hike or day trip might mean not getting make till 8 hours later and the outdoor camera warning and general tone could be off-putting. A sitter who is really thinking this through might consider the entirety of your listing: The ask for someone “conscience and mature,” the lack of car, the 6-hour away limit for indoor cats, the outdoor cameras, and just decide nope.
The title: The words “mature” and “conscientious” in the title is off-putting. Here is the thing: It is NOT going to dissuade immature and nonconscientious people from applying to the sit They will still apply. However, many “mature” and “conscientious” sitters will read the title and not even apply.
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Note: A couple might not necessarily involve two able-bodied people, especially if they just sit cats.
If you have anything that potentially requires heavy lifting, it’s in your interest to say so upfront. And it saves people time if they know you’re specifically needing two people who can lift.
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Or just the opposite. A reason stated invites pitches from solo travelers why they can handle prep for an approaching hurricane.
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Why not just say ‘solo applicants will be declined.’ Currently, it says couples are ‘best’ for the sit, so I’m not surprised they are getting applicants from solo sitters.
I think the reason is important because a sit for two cats wouldn’t typically require two people. To me, it would be clear that something is missing and I would be wondering what’s been intentionally left out of the listing that makes 2 people necessary.
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As opposed to now, where everyone is applying because they see no earthly reason why it takes 2 adults to mind 2 cats, and “surely the host can make an exception in my case, as I’m a cat-whisperer with 150 5-star reviews…”
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I do agree this is a not-insignificant part of the issue as well.
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@DarkAloha Many have weighed in about the pros and cons of mentioning hurricane season. Here’s one more opinion.
We are homeowners and sitters.
As sitters, our sits are mostly in a hurricane-prone region of the continental U.S. We never plan to travel there during the 2 months when, statistically, it is most likely a hurricane might come through. The last thing either of us wants to do is deal with that. (But this is just us; other sitters might have no problem with that.)
So based on this preference of ours, we believe it is good for potential sitters to know about hurricane season ahead of time.
On another note, a poster in this thread had a wonderful suggestion to have someone lined up to help a single sitter prepare for a hurricane, if it happened that way. IMO, this option would really expand your number of qualified sitters!
Just food for thought.
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Hi silversitters, I totally agree with you. I am a single sitter and I have at times applied for sits where it has said a couple preferred, and then I have been offerred the sit. Two cats sounds easily managable by one person. If no reason given then single people will continue to apply.
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I really don’t need to know the reasons a HO may have for their preferences and requirements but I do need to know if it’s a requirement. I won’t apply for sits whose requirements I don’t fulfill.
But even if I sat as a couple, I would want to know if the listing is for hurricane season because that’s important to determine if the sit is suitable for me.
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Thank you I really appreciated your suggestion.
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Thank you I appreciate the feedback, just for contextHawaii is vastly different from Florida in that. It is extremely extremely rare to have a hurricane (the last one was in 1992), and our hurricane season is half of every year. So we have a much bigger season and a much smaller chance of an actual hurricane.
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Just want to thank everyone for their perspectives and suggestions. I re-worked the listing, found a way to change insurance so that I can offer car, and made requirements as clear as I know how.
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Thank you for your suggestions, Marion, I found them very helpful. I didn’t realize that the title might be off putting, I changed it. I also didn’t notice that there was an option to leave the cats for longer than six hours when I clicked the box, so thank you for pointing that out. It’s no problem for the cats to be left longer. Regarding the car, which others have also pointed out might be the biggest issue of all. I am now offering my car as well in order to hopefully entice some great sitters. I guess I just didn’t see the car as that big of an issue because when I sit with my husband internationally, we have always rented a car, and it’s expensive but it’s just something we don’t think much about. Your feedback was priceless and I really appreciate it.
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I’ve read your updated listing and favourited it. I think we’re your couple actually 
however not for this year…so hopefully you’ll list again in 2027.
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Yes, the single sitter in the past situation was a very unique one. Our fabulous solo sitter Dara, happened to be best friends with one of my neighbors who volunteered to back her up if she needed assistance of any kind. But I can see how that would cause confusion.
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yes but then she can get a couple who are not all that fit, able bodied or strong enough for what she needs. There are sitters with physical limitations. I agree with many that the reason a couple is needed is not insignificant.
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