Payment to housesitter

Owner Questions, Advice & Chat
22

@Fuzzbrain There is also information on this thread which will help with your question, as other members have discussed it here also :slight_smile:

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23

Thereā€™s a whole other thread about this going that youā€™ll find helpful. :slight_smile:

24

That is a no no! We sitters do not ask for money just as home owners shouldnā€™t either. This is a trust and reciprocity community. We need trust to stay strong!

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25

I had the same thing happen to me, sitter came to my home then asked me for payment. As it was a verbal conversation, according to THS support, this does not constitute proof. How can we go about reporting sitters who ask for payment verbally?

26

Hi @BCNGriffs I will DM you regarding the issue with the sitter asking for payment.

Please contact Membership Services on support@trustedhousesitters.com and provide the other memberā€™s details.

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27

@Monsita that is a wonderful gesture and something I am sure your sitter will appreciate, but you are never obligated to do soā€¦you sound like a very thoughtful person!

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28

I think this comes with the territory now. THS has been on a media campaign since it changed corporate status. I have seen a few news-blog articles that specifically mention to use THS to get paid to sit and travel. Itā€™s not a coincidence that as a result we are now seeing HOs asking for clarification on this. This is inevitable when you seek quantity of new sign ups over quality. My post will probably be deleted now.

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29

Any press/blog/news items mentioning TrustedHousesitters as a paid service or promoting free travel & free accommodation is NOT a result of any campaign by TrustedHousesitters.

Whenever these article come to our attention the journalist/publication is contacted and a correction requested.

30

No housesitters should not get paid, however I do feel at times that a petrol allowance should be given, if owners expect you to drive their pets a fair distance, in order to walk them on nice walks. Petrol is no longer cheap and if you are unable to walk dogs, without being expected to drive somewhere then something should be given. I usually assume dogs can be walked straight from the door but have just discovered that I am expected to drive pets to the coast to walk, which is about a 45min+ drive away.

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31

We always try to choose sits where dogs can be walked from the door. On sits where dogs need to be driven to their walks we have only done that when the owner provided the car & fuel. Sitters should not be out of pocket in service of the sit. Why not ask those owners for a fuel contribution? Thatā€™s what Iā€™d do- especially if this was not made clear before confirming the sit.

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32

I still sit for ex members but never for a fee. Its a quid pro quo situation.

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33

Iā€™ve just come across a listing where the homeowner is asking for money towards utilities and rent!

34

Home owners can ask for a contribution to the utilities during your sit. Rent contribution isnā€™t allowed.
Iā€™d not sit for a HO that wanted a contribution towards utilities but other sitters may be happy with this arrangement.

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35

@Globetrotter since itā€™s not permitted to ask for rent - you can flag the listing to member services if you are so inclined .

E-Mail : Support@trustedhousesitters.com

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36

Thanks - I will do that

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37

Deleted because I just noticed the date. Seriously, these threads should be closed!

38

I believe that if the host wants to give the sitter a thank you gift, it is not against any rules. However, it is just inappropriate for a sitter to ask for money on this platform.

39

Iā€™m new to THS and the forum, and so far, my experience hasnā€™t been good! I thought I had found the ideal sitter, but less than 2 weeks to her visit, she has hinted heavily about payment, and I just canā€™t trust her anymore. It went from ā€˜I have been looking for ā€¦ and I just canā€™t find one I can affordā€™ to ā€˜do you know anyone who would want gardening or spring cleaning done, to cover my expensesā€™? That was the goodwill over.

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40

That Sitter is ridiculous! Hopefully you will get some future Sitter applicants who have a long history of 5 star reviews and you can easily tell that there have been zero issues with your future successful Sitter!

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41

I had a reply to my complaint, and was told they would take no action, as the sitter hadnā€™t asked directly for payment. I wonder how many other HO give into the hints and emotional blackmail and pay? All I wanted was for THS to contact the sitter to repeat the THS policy. I feel very unsupported.