Hi everyone 
,
I would like to see how many other sitters applied for a sit AFTER I HAVE APPLIED.
What do you think about that possibility.
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Absolutely not possible Iâm afraid, itâs very very annoying to say the least. Originally you could but it was changed. No reason given. Only way is to have another member look for you. If it is the shown sit in particular, it is reviewing which means it has received at least 5 applications and you are one of them.
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I understand about the âreviewingâ and indeed if youâre not declined you can be a potential petsitter.
But (yes yes) would be nice to see how many people applied.
Bye Ziggy 
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I wonder, now that we know that you can easily make a dummy account that does everything but allows you to contact hosts/sitters, maybe making one is a way to check on the listings you have applied to. (Meaning you create a new account, dont pay, and just use it to spy on things - I say spy because this being possible is a security breach that is very bad and should be addressed and removed by THS)
Earlier it was possible to see how many had applied even after you had applied. THS actively change their site so that you can not see. I dont know how that improves their business, but the decision is made, and I have not yet seen THS revert something they have changed for the worse. So I am sorry to tell that while the idea is great, it is not coming.
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Agreed. Simple to implement but itâs been asked for many times and doesnât seem to be a priority for THS
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Yep, we used to be able to see this. Now, you just get âyou have already applied to this sitâ. Weâve no idea if anyone or no-one more has applied.
Yet another example of a change in the system that has made things worse.
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There is clearly only one priority for TH$
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Or the HO paused applications. I did that once after 2 applications because I knew I would choose one of them and didnât want to waste anyoneâs time.
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Another âimprovementâ we didnât ask for!
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Ahhh I didnât know that was a thing when a listing says âreviewingâ! Interesting!
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Why do you want to see the number of applicants after your application? It that to see how desirable or not you are to HOâs? Every HO is different and has different preferences, some HOâs in Europe will only choose Europeans for their sits, some lean toward couples as opposed to singles, even though theyâre open to both, etc etc. Nothing should ever be taken personally, Iâve 30+ glowing reviews and have been the first applicant and still didnât get the sit. Iâd be very particular about the person who was coming to stay in my home with my pets too, experience doesnât always equate to Good Sitter, there are plenty of âsittersâ out there who are accommodation-focused and HOâs can usually tell who they are when they apply!
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One of the things I do hate about THS is the waiting game. Will the host respond, when, what, how long it takes for them to decide⊠And is there a better sit waiting around the corner, that will be posted the second I press âaccept this sitâ? I am sure it is the same other way. Would you (mikomeko) as a host want to see how many other sits the sitter has applied for the same dates? What would that give you? In the stress of it all, in trying to figure out if I should keep applying for example, every kid bit of info is great. Therapy would be greater, though.
For example, I am bland sitter. Not exceptionally great (nothing special: not a former vet, not experienced with difficult dogs, this kind of things). I am average. Great in a way that translates to âgoodâ outside THS reviews. I am also very flexible - I dont ask for much, and accommodate a lot. Having 50 reviews, these means that I get a lot of the sits I apply for. So to give a tiny example of where having the application amount info would be beneficial:
I applied. There is only one applicant since 24h. Now I know, that as I am âgood enoughâ, and the host wants somebody, I will probably get the sit. So no point in applying for other sits for that time, and nicer for the host too that I am not slipping away just because they take 24h to answer.
The same with there being solidly 3 applicants for 3 days now, and host is not writing me. Most likely they are talking with someone else. So I am browsing other sits, but keep my application in the queue.
I could as well just go âfist come first servedâ and offer no regard to the first host. Keep on applying until someone takes me. And I am not really this good natured: if a better sit comes up, I will take it. But I do calculate odds, and act accordingly.
Yet a month ago I was the fourth to apply, popular sit too. The host offered me the sit 30 minutes later (no call -just the way I like it). Go figure why they preferred me over the 3 faster applicants. So the data that we can get from the number of applicants is not exact science, and most likely just as likely true than flipping a coin in order to guess if we will get the sit or not.
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Platforms like TrustedHousesitters donât design these things casually. They test user behavior, measure drop-off rates, track application volume, monitor refunds, and optimize for overall match success. Hiding application counts, pausing after five applicants, and offering a 14-day guarantee are all levers that influence behavior. Those choices are usually driven by data: what increases applications, reduces churn, improves first-time owner success, and keeps both sides engaged.
Since this feature was available, but then disabled TrustedHousesitters likely hides the number of applications on a sit to reduce competitive anxiety, prevent sitters from self-rejecting when numbers look high, and encourage them to apply based on fit rather than perceived odds. This design keeps sitters active and applying broadly instead of waiting on one listing, which helps maintain marketplace flow.
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Exellent points!
But I wonder why does THS then show how many applicants there already is on a listing, before you apply? Maybe that is needed so that people dont miss out on applying because they think they can do it later.
For the same reasons, it encourages people to apply. When I get an notification and I already see 3-4 applicants I personally scramble to open an application window before the listing reaches 5 applicants. Usually there is no time to read the listing, but I know I will have time to do that after the application window is open, but in a separate tab.
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I had the same question! If the listing goes to reviewing and you are one of the applicants, does it matter if you were the first applicant, the third applicant, or the last applicant?
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@belluca yes of course, thatâs another reason for it to be in reviewing, I just didnât think to mention that 
It depends on the particular homeowner. Some homeowners go with the first suitable applicant without even looking at the others.
But it still doesnât matter? How does a sitter knowing if they were first, 3rd or 5th applicant change that? If youâre the 5th applicant perhaps you are the first suitable one of the 5âŠ.
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This is actually the reason I think the number of applicants disappears after you apply/the listing goes into review. I expect thereâd be a lot of questioning if one saw â8 applicationsâ listed there, when thereâs meant to be a 5-application limit.
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