I think it should only be homeowners able to advertise such offerings. Not sitters. Because if sitters offer this homeowners may be scared that sitter will end up organizing, or extra chores and expect some type of payment. Homeowners who say they will close an airbnb during the sitters stay can offer extra options gives sitters the option to either choose this sit or not. It’s up to homeowners and sitters how and what they feel is fair. If you don’t agree don’t take the sit.
But what if a homeowner pressures the sitter for something else?
Imagine: You arrive at the sit and they say, “Oh, by the way, I represent this vitamin line…let me tell you about all the benefits! This bottle of multivitamins only costs $75!” Sitter feels that if they decline, they’ll get a bad review.
That’s just an example, but in general I feel like blurred lines lead to sitters feeling obligated in ways that go beyond pet care. It’s uncomfortable, it undermines trust, and it makes reviews feel like leverage instead of honest feedback. Clear boundaries help protect both sides — so the arrangement stays what it’s meant to be: caring for pets in exchange for a safe, welcoming place to stay.
Thats a good point. I think thats why communication is extremely important. Sitters should never feel pressured by a homeowners. This is a tricky situation and I acknowledge everyone’s opinions in this group. Many great points and definitely concerns. This really needs to be a serious conversation. At what point does a sitter feel that pressure, and what can we do to make that better? I don’t have a lot of knowledge on this. But I think the more we discuss this everyone can learn. I do think homeowners must also understand that if they offer such a service that many sitters will say no, but would love the opportunity to sit for them because of location or whatever reasons. And homeowners should not in any way use this against the sitters. Maybe some guidelines for homeowners that they follow ,such as not mentioning any of the extra services in the review of pet care. This should have no business in anyway in a review. It should be totally separate. How can we do that ? I don’t really know. I’m still learning myself on this whole process. I’m fairly new too.
Where we live, plumbers are scarce. If a sitter said in a profile that they are a plumber and would be willing to fix some leaks at their normal rate while sitting, I would accept them immediately!
If anyone’s looking for a cheap naked butler, I’m your man. 
Thank you so much @Colin - I can’t unsee that!!
I don’t think this reflects the mutual exchange spirit.
You said it ! And I completely agree. It always goes both ways.
There are always sorts of what ifs. But the important thing to remember is that a very small set of sitters have been offering “extra” services for some time. It was never “against” the rules. It was never part of the rules. There is no rule about it. Some of us are just finding out about this now. As a homeowner, I’ve been aware of it because I always read profiles. When people apply are offering something extra, I automatically decline. I’m going to guess this might be under 3% of sits. The only reason maybe that THS should have a rule against it is some new members or people whose sit isn’t very desirable might think this is normal or might feel they have no choice but to accept the sitter offering these paid service and THS could feel that offering extra service in and of itself crosses a line. I seriously doubt they will change the policy unless a lot of sitters started to do this and there were complaints.
To me this is similar to the homeowners offering extra paid work for sitters. If I see that, I’m going to figure they are looking for a sitter who wants the extra paid work and that would be a nightmare so I don’t apply for those sits.
I don’t think that because a few people read the thread and are now aware that this is a thing, that a bunch of people are going to start charging for stuff. More likely a few homeowners will read profiles more carefully.