I’ve never been asked for ID. I don’t even think any of the home owners have known my last name. I’m happy to provide my last name of course and show ID, of course, but I’m not gonna start handing out copies of my ID. I also don’t think it’s necessary. I’ve already been checked by THS, and I think all of the 5 star reviews in my profile is enough to prove that it’s safe for the home owners to leave their house and pets in my care 
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My very first sit, I was asked both my passport and drivers licence which got photographed by the owner. It felt wrong to me but as it was my first sit, I didn’t know if that was common.
I mentionned it on my comment so that futur sitters know what to expect.
Since then, I now definitely think this is not right unless it is for a precise reason. If one can not trust, they must use another way to have their pet/house looked after.
Sitters have given I.d to THS team but will not live in any of the team’s homes…
Sitters are obliged to show their I.d to hotels, rental and flight compagnies
Why these restrictions to show id to owners?
I sat in Italy and the owner took me to the police station as she was obliged to do so with all her Sitters. I was not shocked i have nothing to hide.
Sitters know my adress, my phone, my id. They may ckeck on many social médias i exist under my name, the one i appear
Nomads who have no home can leave mine without telling me where they will live after, i appreciate to know at least their family name and how to contact them once they are gone. Sometimes they forget books clothed even jewelry!.
If a claim has to be done to the insurance a simple first name is not enough to fill a form.
If sitters want to use my car, my insurance needs a copy of their driving license a copy of their I.d too. If they are ready to give i.d to an insurance company, why not to me ?
Sitters refuse ? Then they will not sit for me. I never got any cancellation about that…
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Super! My point was @Candide that if the sitter is asked for ID docs then it would be great (& balanced) if the HO then does the same. If either side is a deal breaker then let’s move on! Happy to share names and details it just needs to work on both sides of the exchange. I am a nomad. I have a home. I travel full time. None of it is anyone’s business as long as we are reliable. #happybalance
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Sitters provide ID information to a separate third party who verify them . THS do not have access to this information. Only the confirmation that the sitter has been verified .
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I show my ID, my liability insurance too when i sit without been requested.
There is no reciprocity : a sitter is living in my home, i’m not living in his/hers…
With home swaps, there is reciprocity.
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Still not sure I agree. We’ve been ID checked and you haven’t. You’re safer than we are. You could be an axe murderer and we remain unprotected if so. Your home is at risk and so is our personal safety. Let’s agree to differ @Candide. #happychristmas
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Do you think there is no risk for the sitter? Going to a stranger’s home that you met on the internet has no risk? As a US sitter, I’ve had a criminal background check and had my ID verified. HOs have not even had ID verification, they just sign up, no questions asked. I have to have complete trust and rely on my own vetting process. If a host asked for my ID and wasn’t also willing to share theirs, I would not go forward with the sit since they clearly do not see this as a mutual exchange. Both sides are benefiting, but both sides are also taking a risk.
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… and the garden could be a mass grave. But then the HO would not be in the crime database. Anyway, outside the US, it is only the idententity document that gets checked.
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I know @pietkuip and I don’t wish any axe murderers on anyone. My point is that both sides are taking a risk. #festivefacts
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You may not agree but the risks are fairly different… Murders don’t sound very frequent on sits, rapes either
I give my I.d to owners spontaneously i do that also to sitters. On request.
Sitters know my adress, my landphone easy to check,
i give links to my professional web site, Linkedin. And they can see all my feed backs
My insurer asks for i.d.
It’s not my fault if THS does not make the same checks on owners.
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Those companies need to have a protocol on how they handle that information and keep it safe. It doesn’t necessarily mean they will follow the rules but there are rules and checks they have to follow. There’s nothing of that for private citizens (sitters, HOs, friends…)
It’s not about hiding anything. It’s about mutual trust.
What I have read mostly on this forum is a certain reticence to send a copy not to show it.
I certainly have no problem in sharing details about myself or showing proof of identity but I have done more than 30 sits and have never been asked so at this stage it would really depend on the attitude and the situation, I would not like to be in charge of someone’s house and pets if I know they don’t trust me or feel uneasy about that. That would make me feel uncomfortable too and I sit as a hobby, so no need to feel that if anything goes wrong I could be held accountable for things beyond my control. It’s not that having that information or even a copy of my ID will make any difference but if I feel that I am not trusted I don’t think I would go ahead with the application.
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I see no reason why your listing cannot read “use of car, contingent upon proper identification/insurance, etc.”
I think allowing sitters the use of your car is very generous and it is not out of line to have the sitter’s legal information for your records (in case if a problem) and peace of mind. 
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I also ask for documents, first because I have the legal obligation to declare that I am hosting non-EU people and then because we owners have the right to know who is in the house. If something happens it is not nice to tell the police that you know nothing about who lives in your house. It happened to me and since then I always ask
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In Italy we are obliged by law to sent to the municipal police the declaration of hospitality of extra UE citizen so we need the ID docs.
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I do the same for the same reason
the HO doesn’t live with you when u live in his home. you can destroy the house and leave and the owner doesn’t even know who to report!? Do you know what the procedure is? that the police write an email to THS. I can see the Italian Carabinieri doing this. It happened to me
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There are great responsibilities in lending a private car. If the sitter has an accident or talks on the phone while driving and does not respect the highway code, the owner may find himself with the car seized and perhaps needs it
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Problrm THS will never answer to owners or to a police investigation from another country …
I faced that situation although european. And the owner too, but not italian