I am just starting out on my THS journey. Have been looking at local sits to get myself acquainted with all things THS before heading off to foreign countries.
I found a sit by a new HO which sounded ideal for me, however I found it disconcerting that this HO had, had a THS sitter recently but the sitter didn’t leave any review at all. Is this a red flag?
TIA to everyone!
Marion
Welcome @MarionTaylor - have a look at the sitters other sits and see if they have left reviews for other owners? Maybe they don’t do them or maybe it’s a worry. If you like the look of the sit then apply and see if you get accepted. When you then do the video call, you can ask the HO the question to find out more. #detectivework
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Welcome @MarionTaylor, do what @Cuttlefish suggests. Have you checked whether the new HO left a review for that sitter? If 14 days has not expired since that sit finished, it may mean both the sitter and the owner have not yet completed their reviews.
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Hey Marion, the ‘not leaving a review’ is often a red flag BUT I should also say that I won’t leave a review for a home owner until they have left one for me. This has led to my not having reviews from owners who said they were perfectly happy with my sit (and in one case have offered me a pet free stay in their holiday home as a thank you) but didn’t respond to my polite nudge for a review; hence I didn’t review them either.
If you use your instinct, bearing that scenario in mind, you shouldn’t go far wrong.
Happy sitting!
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If it is really local, you could have a look first. If it is short, you would survive. I would not take the risk if it was a long sit, but you can always go home if it is really bad.
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It’s hard to tell based on one missing review whether it’s a red flag. I’d factor in how the listing is written and whether there are positive reviews otherwise. And you could always apply and ask about the missing review in a friendly way.
To @pietkuip’s point, you could arrange a visit before deciding whether to sit, if the host is open to it.
Personally, I just do video interviews even for local sits. Depends on how much you want the sit and how many alternatives there are in that location. Because there are many sits in my region, I just skip listings with atypical risk involved or outsized unknowns. I didn’t start with local sits, though. I’ve recently done two, because my house is being remodeled.
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My first sitter did not leave me a review. We had great communication during the sit, they were left a clean/empty fridge, thoroughly cleaned home, plenty of closet space. I left them a glowing review (this was pre-blind reviews, so they could see it prior to leaving their own review). I even messaged later asking if they had private feedback that would help me improve as an HO - nothing. I am sure I made some newbie mistakes - but also I have NO idea what issues they may have had with my pet, my home, me?, the stay itself.
All subsequent sitters have left positive review. shrug
All this to say that one missing review is not necessarily a red flag. If everything else about the sit is a match (including a pre-confirmation chat - you had or will have one, right???), go for it.
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It is and it isn’t. A lot of sitters are wary of new homeowners. The homeowner might not have understood the two week time limit on reviews or the importance of reviews OR something might have gone wrong. If the sit sounds ideal, there is no harm in applying. Do not take the sit without a video chat first. During the video chat you can ask about the previous sit and why no review was written. If you feel the answer is honest and makes sense, then go with your gut. Meantime, it’s fine to apply for other sits.
The combo of new sitter and new homeowner sometimes leads to problems, but it also may be opportunity since homeowners with good reviews from sitters are likely to get more applicants and may be less inclined to invite a sitter with no THS reviews.
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The most recent sitter we had did not leave us a review. They did review the 2 sits before ours. They also did not review their sit after us. They told us before they left our home they had another sit in 2 weeks. That sit is up and just waiting on the 14 day review period to see if they give that sit a review.
They are somewhat new to THS and young, so maybe they and other newer sitters don’t like to write reviews? 
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More likely they don’t understand the importance of reviews.
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Thank you everyone!
I feel reassured that there is little to no concern with this situation.
I do appreciate learning about the 2 week review period. I wasn’t aware of this.
Now to jump in with both feet!
Xx
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