I don’t think the Premium badge has anything to do with it! We are reading more and more comments like this- it seems to be a sign of the times unfortunately. A few weeks ago we applied for two sits- one was read after a day & no response to that or any follow up message. So we eventually cancelled our application. The other we withdrew from after a video call. Both sits are imminent and both are still 'reviewing applications after 3+ weeks!! Don’t know what’s going on there but I often see listings that remain a very long time on ‘review’ status. We have been members for 4 years, have remained on basic membership, and have over 50 reviews and we’ve recently been noticing changes in behaviour, like the above, amongst members.
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@Zeefriend It makes no difference which membership tier you have as it is not based on your performance as a sitter (or owner).
As you’ll read in this thread, you’re not alone in receiving no responses from owners and “reviewing applications” staying at that status, often for weeks, especially if the sit is advertised a long time in advance. Hang in there!!
This!!!
(sigh. Minimum 10 character replies…)
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@ChristieC you summed up the lack of a HO reply perfectly. I’ve just withdrawn our application for a great looking sit in Australia after nearly 2 weeks of no reply to our application or follow up message. They only had one other application so not like they’re inundated with sitters wanting to apply. I don’t take it personally as I always feel like we’ve dodged a bullet where the HO is a poor communicator! The lack of a reply speaks volumes…
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hello to all,
my experience is also "declined automatically and especially at the beginning of my registration at THS,(march 2022) I was sad and disappointed, 
now it always makes me pinch but I immediately move on to the next one, 
many people have answered me “not this time” with kind messages 
I also have as examples of applications of several months and automatically declined applications declined without answers as soon as I posted,
Also there are people who declined
automatically
and who weeks later, having no one reminds me and when I answer I am not available with a nice message, radio silence 
Many different examples, but the people we went to as sitters were wonderful and the one I had as the owner too, that’s what matters and encourages future meetings 
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a very new experience for me, never had to wait so long for responses since i started with TH in 2019.
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I’ve been a sitter since 2016 @Zeefriend and I quite agree that the last twelve months has seen a decline in the courtesy paid to sitters (and owners sometimes). The huge growth in membership means there are so many newbies who just don’t know the “ropes” and etiquette.
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While I have only been a sitter since 2021, I have found it odd that homeowners would not respond. but based on the number of applications they may receive I get it. However now that they are limited to the first 5 i expected to receive messages if not selected. I have applied to about a dozen sits so far for this year alone and have not had much luck with getting a sit and only a few declines for applications. a couple of them have yet to even read the application. we as sitters hang in the balance while homeowners can take all the time they want and ignore or disregard applications. it’s been a bit frustrating so far this year and it is only 23 days in. 
@UKFIDO Welcome to the community forum and thank you for contributing to this forum topic. I am sorry to read that you feel a little disheartened at the start of the year. As a sitter myself I can understand that replies to applications or replies to sit invites are important for both sides of the community and help keep the spirit of the site. I think that many people are settling into the new stride of things after the last couple of years and finding their place again. So I have hope that this is not the new norm forever! Best wishes Carla
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It can get disheartening when you don’t get a reply & just a notice that you have been declined as I always wonder if I should have worded my application differently. It costs nothing to send a few words out of politeness.
I usually do get replies mostly along the lines of maybe another time.
It does sting a little but like a little bee 
I move on to the next flower 
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A similar thing happened to me, this was before the heinous pause after five was adopted. After I’d heard nothing for several days, I wrote a short note informing them that I was withdrawing my application because I had not heard from them. Maybe five or ten minutes later, I received a reply the gist of which was I was not right for them anyway. So, sour grapes.
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We too just had the experience of applying for the perfect looking sit where we were only no.2 applicant so we had a little time to properly research flights/rental cars/the location/previous sitters feedback & host reviews… everything fitted even the fact all 5 previous sitters were in our age group. We wrote a really thoughtful application. They read it and then within an hour just declined us with no message. So disrespectful. We left it overnight to see if they might send a follow up message but they did not. It takes very little time to just write a short respectful note back so we wrote to them to express that. We are not attached to that sit at all but some hosts just aren’t respectful towards sitters time/effort and sometimes we feel the need to tell them.
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IMO, a high degree of this stems from the ridiculous and frustrating pause at 5. I don’t think there would ever have been so many complaints or issues about such things before this utterly stupid change was implemented. I cannot see TH reversing this change but in the interests of their members, I would seriously look at the damage it is unnecessarily causing sitters, and probably home owners, particularly to those who sit full time.
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Reading all this is quite disheartening at that. In the past I too have encountered the unresponsive or lack of polite responses. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to be polite and use proper etiquette. Very unfortunate for both sitters and HO,'s. I would hope THS will reevaluate this "5 pause " and realize it’s not working in the best interest of all. On a more positive note I’m thankful I’m set with sits until June when I return to Alaska for my seaosnal guide work. I hope this situation will become brighter for everyone.
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Update to my post 2 days ago about a host just declining with no message. A few hours after our next day follow up message (saying it was direspectful etc) the host wrote to us. She was absolutely mortified that we’d felt disrespected etc. She said she had not consciously declined us at all and was really upset that an automated message from THS had obviously gone out to all her other applicants as soon as she’d confirmed someone. We ended up having a great dialogue and she definitely would like us the next time- they’d just gone with the first applicant in this case.
So that was good to know & has restored our good feeling!
The host was grateful to hear how it works from the sitter side and said in future she’ll always write polite decline notes to applicants BEFORE formally accepting the chosen one. To avoid unintended offense in future.
Edit…Feb 10th
A week after this post 
the host wrote again inviting us to sit for them in the summer! 3 weeks in a gorgeous home (with pool) in a beautiful place in Spain! All confirmed!
And all as a result of my first complaint! Sometimes following up does bring unexpected - and very nice!-results! 
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I used to write long and personalised applications but I don’t anymore. I would write one sentence or two trying to relate to the HO, then I would just keep it short and sweet. I imagine these HOs have to go through a lot of applications and don’t have time/patience to read long texts. Also I think trying too hard might seem a turn-off for them.
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Unfortunately, they don’t have a lot of applications with the newish, unpopular, 5-app limit.
I think if your ‘long and personalised’ application is genuine and coming from the heart most hosts would be happy to read it -to get a feeling for you. And now, with the 5 application pause hosts can consider applications in a more relaxed way anyway.
I have read here some hosts saying a very brief application can also be a turn off-not enough effort! E.g a short application referring the host to the main profile ‘for more info’! In my experience the more I want a sit the more effort I will make with the application and it usually pays off. If a host likes your application they will go on to read your profile & reviews. If your application doesn’t hook them they probably won’t bother with the rest! A bit like a Job app & a CV.
I think the more you can personalise your application to the hosts needs e.g mentioning the pets names & acknowledging any special requirements, your relevent experience etc can all help to secure the sit. And you can still do all that concisely and not bore the host with your whole life experience!
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I wish that the 5-app limit meant more appreciative HOs, but my experience has been the opposite. My carefully-crafted applications have not been acknowledged and I have been declined with no note. This has happened more often in the past few months than before.
I don’t take it personally, but it is still rude.
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Yes, I’ve had two thorough, personalised applications left sitting there for two weeks. One I sent a polite follow-up to and they immediately declined without a note. That just feels really unkind. It takes 30 seconds to write “thanks so much for your application but we’ve found a sitter this time”… even less if they copy and paste it!
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