Our home is in Hawaii, and we received multiple applications within minutes of posting our sit. We received a message that the applications were closed and we should begin reviewing applications. One application stands out above the rest, and we are currently communicating with this applicant, we hope to finalize the sit this weekend. Do you reply to the other applicants, or just decline their application. Do you decline now? Or wait until you finalize the sit?
What if we didn’t like any of the applicants? Could we decline them all and get more applicants?
We wait to confirm our chosen sitter before declining the others but we do send a message to all telling them we are reviewing applications. When we do confirm our sitter we send messages to the others to thank them even though we didn’t choose them. If none of the five applicants are suitable you receive other applications, if others have been submitted of course.
As a sitter who has applied for sits and have not had a response from the home owner, It sure is nice to even just get a “thanks for your application, we are reviewing them and will get back to you” Anything to acknowlege you have seen it, read it, etc. I certainly would just ask you to think about if you were applying for a sit and didnt hear one word from the home owner, how would you feel about that? If any of the other applicants look promising to you, I would not decline them until you have a confirmed sit, just in case the person you are currently interviewing does not accept the sit. You can decline all applicants if you do not feel any are a good fit. Good luck! Aloha
Welcome to THS, @Ksfarris! I agree with @SoloGal, it’s nice to acknowledge all the applicants, even if you are not considering them. I believe the applicants who are not chosen will receive an auto-decline message once you confirm a sitter so I would try to write to them before you send out the final cofirmation to your chosen sitter, or very quickly after so they receive something more personal from you.
Would you consider any of the other sitters if things don’t work out with your first choice? If they are not at all suitable, I would just decline them now rather than keep them hanging on. You can receive new applicants to fill their spots but only if you unpause your listing. For those who might be suitable, you can let them know you’re still considering their application and will get back to them.
I think if you are in Hawaii you are probably going to have your pick of sitters. So I would be thank the others and say you are working through reviews quickly and expect to make a decision within a week. Some may drop off on their own and you can re-open if you want but really with a home in Hawaii you can probably find excellent sitters whenever you want!
Welcome to THS @Ksfarris. Your location is very attractive to sitters so receiving 5 applications very quickly is to be expected. As others have said, sitters appreciate acknowledgment of their application. The auto decline email that sitters receive is sent AFTER your chosen sitter agrees to the sit, which is the final step in the process, not when you confirm them.
As sitters we always appreciate acknowledgement of our application as soon as its read. When a sitter has put time and care into applying for your sit its just courteous to respond to them in some way even if you are not interested. If there is a specific reason for not choosing a sitter it can be helpful feedback to share that, especially for newer sitters. As mentioned previously once a sit is confirmed all other applicants will get an auto decline from THS. We always appreciate if the hosts sends a personalised decline message before the auto decline arrives- it feels more friendly!
I would reply to all applicants. If there are any you know are definitely a no, just send a short message and decline; bonus if you can provide context as to why the app got declined. If there are any that could be potential second choices, I would at least acknowledge you’ve received their message and that you’re working through applications or something and will be in touch.
I think ultimately, it’s useful to imagine how you’d feel if you reached out to someone about something, wrote a personal message to them, and they left you on read/ignored you for days or just rejected you without even acknowledging. Feels pretty $h!t when on the receiving end and a little common courtesy goes a long way in a community like this where the point is to help each other out in mutually beneficial ways.