What happens if the owners are ill at the last minute and cannot travel (and are possibly infectious so should probably not have people staying with them)
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The Hosts should inform the sitter immediately that the sit is cancelled and explain the reason and then officially cancel the sit on the dashboard .
It will be disappointing for the sitter, but exceptional circumstances like illness happen to all of us . It’s recommended that both sitters and hosts should have a back up plan in case a sit is cancelled .
By informing the sitter immediately and officially cancelling the sit , it will enable the sitter to apply for other sits (if they choose to do so ) . Alternatively (if they have Premium membership ) they may choose to book some alternative accommodation nearby and be partially reimbursed by the Sit Cancellation Plan .
Get Well Soon @RayW
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Unfortunately it’s just one of the downs of house-sitting. Not a lot you can do about it and I’m sure the homeowner isn’t happy about being ill either so sorry to say, you just have to cop it on the chin. Be sure to have the homeowner cancel the sit on the site and try to find an alternative. So sorry, it’s really hard when this happens and particularly at the last minute. Unfortunately it does happen at some point in our sitting life but not much consolation.
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If you’re a pet sitter who suddenly has an empty schedule, especially at this time of year, and you still want to pet sit, you look at some of the thousands of listings that are looking for sitters as early as next week, contact the host, and find yourself another one.
If they’re desperate, and most probably are if they’ve booked a trip in the near future and don’t have a sitter, they may be willing to work with you on last minute travel expenses which can help if you can’t get a credit from the trip you booked for the first house sit.
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If you have PREMIUM contact THS by mail.
Good luck 
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This is a good example of a “legitimate” reason to cancel a sit. In this case the petowner has every right to inform the sitter that they need to unconfirm the sit for this reason. The homeowner is under no obligation to help the sitter in any way even if the sitter has already booked a flight or paid other costs to get to the sit. Sitters and homeowners both know and understand the risks. Sitters might have the cancellation insurance which isn’t great but is better than nothing and will cover some accomodation cost in the area where the sit is. The homeowner needs to cooperate with the claim.Some homeowners if they have the means could certainly make nice gesture and offer to pay for a night or two of lodging in the area or cover a airline change fee etc.
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Agree, that the homeowners should inform the sitter asap. This actually happened to my parents. The were expecting a sitter (coming in from out of town) in Miami, and the folks both got Covid. They let the sitter know asap, and offered their condo in Key West to him while they recovered. Luckily he had already rented a car and was delighted to explore the Florida Keys. I think timeliness, a kind attitude, honesty and compassion are helpful. Thanks for asking and feel better soon.
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