Not sure if this screenshot will come through when I post. I am a US registered sitter. Am I done?
@Angela_L, @Vanessa_A, @Therese
Hello @anon1411559 thank you for posting, from this SS it would appear that you are indeed âdoneâ ⌠Thank you again .
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Hello Matthew,
Exactly none of this is justification for making it mandatory that we hand over our social security numbers, let alone to a 3rd party site that is clearly having major troubles with their system. And this whole balance thing is no reason at all to inflict this outrageous demand on members of good standing for years. It sure as heck will not increase the appeal of TH. Sorry, but your post sheds no light, offers no excuse and gives no legitimate reason anyone should be forced to do this, and forced with the threat of being kicked out. And thatâs even before we get to the fact that you are discriminating against Americans with this.
Of course, you did not even bother to mention social security numbers, which is far and away the largest concern with all this. So when do you address that?
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They clearly do not care one iota, as Matthew did not even bother to mention social security numbers. This is beyond disgusting.
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For what itâs worth, I recently went through a lengthy process to be approved to be a foster carer for cats and dogs. The background check form asks for SSN but âIt is not requiredâ per the [very highly rated] rescue organization.
Not sure how much UK-based management understands about US credit ratings and the [sketchy and racist imho] credit bureau system.
When I am being onboarded by an employer, they need my SSN to verify that I am eligible to work in the United States. Some employers also want to know your credit ratingâitâs sometimes used to assess whether youâre at greater risk of committing fraud or being sloppy with the books (i.e., if you miss payments, it hits your rating hard). Unfortunately, the system of borrowing is so broken and is weighted against people of color. In any case, for a background check, the SSN is obviously (as so many people have already stated) not needed. Itâs more relevant to taking out mortgages and other loans, and for renting an apartment. THS really does not need to see sittersâ credit ratings, nor is it any of their business.
Iâm also wondering if the EviDent review is a âhardâ credit check, in which case it would hurt peopleâs credit ratings.
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I didnât know about this. When were we going to be told? Is this just for new members or we oldies going to be grandfathered? UPDATE: I just looked at my profile and apparently I did this when I joined a few years ago. I have the ID check by Evident but the background check was not available then. Am I good to go?
ADMIN NOTICE - Hello everyone greetings from the Pacific Northwest where I arrived last night.
We are watching and completely up to date on your comments and feedback on this topic and appreciate the high level of respect shown to one another, it is what our community forum is about, providing a place where the individual feels safe enough to contribute, even if they hold a different opinion.
We assure you that management and the the team are also fully aware of the contents of this entire conversations and are monitoring daily.
We would suggest one thing if you have any questions relating to your account, position going forward, the process for verifications or CBC checks, please take these directly to the Membership Services team, this will save you time and will remove the step that we need to take which is to forward your request to Membership Services as they will deal with you on a one to one basis based on your account details.
Please note that from 9.00 pm Pacific Time today this topic will be closed, reopening at 10.00 am GMT tomorrow Feb 15th allowing members across all time zones to post and Admins and Mods a break from the intense monitoring this thread requires to support everyone but importantly, the time will also allow other members on the forum to be helped and supported in equal measure.
Thank you very much for your understanding and patience.
Angela, Vanessa and the Forum Team
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No grandfathering. As a US based sitter, you have until March 16th to comply.
Hi Angela
Thank you for the update but if it wasnât for this forum I wouldnât know anything about the changes to come. I donât feel the communication to members has been sufficient.
Surely dealing with individual concerns will be even more time consuming for THS staff.
Once I have all the facts I will make a decision about my membership (regular sitter since 2013). My husband and I have made many contacts and friendships through THS and we are sure we will continue to do repeat sits for some of the homeowners, whether it be through THS or not. I do think that in the longer term rather than increasing your homeowner membership you could actually lose some long standing members, as they have also built up a group of Trusted Sitters over the years. Our relationships have been build on trust and providing a valuable service. I understand that the âsitsâ will not have the âprotectionâ of THS but as we are basic/classic members this has been downgraded since the introduction of costlier membership tiers.
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Check your individual ID verification (and criminal check) @ElsieDownie as I found mine says verified by Evident so what we did years ago seems to have automatically been moved over to Evident!
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It just says verified. No notification by whom. Itâs been verified for so long now I just hope they havenât given the information to anyone else.
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Hi @ElsieDownie and @temba Just to reassure on this point - if your original ID check has been done on the platform through a company other than Evident that action is complete. There is no transfer of information from one verification company to another. We have also been informed by the team that the wording on the profile is scheduled for an update to help clarify this.
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Thank you very much for that reassurance. It looks like your not going to get rid of us anytime soon then.
An aside. The three of you are doing a great job on the forum. I really do appreciate the time and effort you are all putting into the moderation with some ver difficult and controversial subjects being discussed.
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Thatâs very good news ⌠that we wonât be losing you, and thank you so much for your kind words⌠I feel confident I can speak for as all on the forum team in saying that is very much appreciated (even though itâs part of the job 
) 
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At least you got an answer. Iâm still waiting for a reply to the e-mail that I sent last week.
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Very well said @Snowbird. My browser of choice does not allow me to give a âthumbs upâ "or âloveâ emoji to your comment or I would do so :-). Housesitting for me started as a trust-based exchange and still is. I do my due diligence and expect a home owner to do the same. I am comfortable asking as many questions as I need to and hope the Home owner is too. Being âclearedâ by a professional body does not, to me, give any indication of a personâs character. We have all heard stories of someone in a responsible position who has be cleared but who has ended up being entirely unsuitable.
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As a HO I want to say that I agree with itchyfeet about their security concerns with uploading ID info to the website. I have been very comfortable and happy with the system as it is and donât see any reason to expose HS to identity theft concerns.
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âI really feel for the people who are really opposed to this and believe they have no other choice but to leave the site. People are understandably very upset because of the negative impact they believe this will have on getting housesits. I belong to a few other sites and none of them even come close to THS in terms of offerings. A handful of new listings a day at best vs. hundreds. And competition will get even stiffer if they have a huge influx of new members. But perhaps that cash infusion will allow them to expand their reach and get more HO listings.
I am a US sitter and I did this check quite some time ago and honestly didnât think much of it. Like @Amparo saidâŚI tend not to factor in the bad things that could possibly happen in the future too heavily in the choices I make. I figure the chances of something bad happening with the information is much smaller than nothing happening.
But everyone needs to do what they feel comfortable with. âI suspect that in the end, many people will end up doing this, even if reluctantly and very begrudgingly, because they wonât want to give up the opportunity this site affords.
While THS is at the heart similar to other sites in that their main purpose is to connect sitters and owners, they operate very differently in many ways and I think they probably feel the need to up their game a bit as far as âvettingâ who signs up. They are clearly trying to position themselves to stand apart.
If they believe this will make their service more appealing to HOâs, itâs understandable to consider this as their primary concern. First, sitters need places to sit and with such a large membership, they probably want to maximize opportunities to retain as many of them as possibleâpeople arenât likely to renew if they canât ever seem to get any assignments. If they believe this will minimize any potential liability, you canât blame them.
Just because some people donât feel comfortable with what they are asking for doesnât mean they are doing anything âwrongâ. There is risk in everything and different people have a different risk tolerance. And like any business, they have their eye on expansion and greater successâŚthis isnât wrong either.
Not everyone has a problem with this so it is a matter of opinion. And for those that do, it is important to take ownership of their choice not to submit to the check rather than blaming the site for forcing them off it or saying they donât âcareâ about themâŚthe former will feel a lot better than the latter. I personally donât think it is necessary as many people seem to be using the service no problem without this requirement in place, but itâs their business and they get to do whatever they want. Maybe they will find a way to do checks that donât require the information people seem reluctant to give and everyone wins.
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