Several declines - no house sits

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
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Hello, fellow Trusted Housesitters.

I am new to this site and process. I have applied for five house sits - two of which I withdrew my application for logistics reasons, and three denied my application. One gave no explanation, and the other two said the dates didn’t match?? which I assume is a polite way of declining.

Obviously, I would like to secure a sit so am seeking tips. I spend time crafting a customized response and relating it to the host’s profile and pet needs.

Thoughts welcome and greatly appreciated.

Looking forward,

Kim

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Link your profile to get suggestions that may help you land a sit. Confused by dates don’t match. You are applying to the dates they have indicated the need for the sit.

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@Animallover1

Welcome to the forum and to THS .

It’s not that unusual to get declined especially when you start out -hosts will receive up to 5 applications and can only pick one sitter .

However I don’t under the “dates don’t match “reason that you have been given by two hosts ???

That seems very odd .

I assume you were available for the whole sit and not just part of it ?

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Like others said, sharing your profile link here can be helpful as there may be some tweaks you could make to your profile. But without seeing your messages to hosts, the types of sits to which you are applying,etc…any specific feedback would be difficult. That you haven’t landed any sits yet doesn’t necessarily mean you have been doing anything ‘wrong’ per se.

Generally speaking ,it may be tougher to land sits when you are new to the platform. If other applicants have more experience, hosts may lean towards them. But obviously every experienced sitter started off at zero so someone eventually gave them a chance, meaning you shouldn’t get too discouraged by your inexperience.

It is important to note that since hosts can only choose one sitter, in most cases, the others aren’t truly being rejected. More often it is simply that their chosen sitter was just the best fit for some reason, whether they had a particular type of experience, are more local, have a really solid reason to be in the area so less risk of cancelling,etc…

Depending on your location, if there are listings more local to you, it can help to apply to these first, unless of course you are in a high-demand location. Then that strategy may not work as well. While meeting hosts in person prior to confirming isn’t typical, offering to do so could be an advantage.

Also, applying to sits with fewer applications or that are more last-minute can also be helpful for racking up some reviews.

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You mentioned that you withdrew in some cases, because of logistics. If that means you’re applying for sits abroad in popular locations, that can severely limit your landing your first sits.

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Thanks for the prompt feedback, everyone.

I have strong testimonials but they are from sits outside of THS. I will stay at it.

Kim

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Welcome! It does take some effort to get your first sit – naturally people are more likely to pick sitters with lots of reviews. Make your profile the best advertisement for yourself that you can – are your external references mentioned there? Do you have reviews as an Airbnb guest? I assume you can still link those. Put in all the happy pictures of you with pets that you can. If you know any more people who can give you a character reference as well as a pet-sit reference, hit them up!

Good advice from @KC1102 … doing a few last-minute or local sits to get reviews can help you get a foot in the door. And don’t take the rejections personally. (And yes, sometimes you don’t get any message with them.)

Took me 8 tries to get my first – and she was a first-timer also. Just keep trying! You’ll get there! :slight_smile:

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Don’t apply for ANY sits, unless you KNOW you can logistically do it. But that means you have only applied for 3 sits and got turned down… only 3 sits and you expect them to say yes with zero THS reviews. We got accepted straight away when applying, but we’re focussed in areas that typically get a lower number of applicants.

Get tips on how to get your first sit, by typing something in the search box on this forum.

This doesn’t make sense, why did two of them say this to you? It’s not a polite way of replying at all. So did you mention you couldn’t do the full dates they wanted or something like that? If that’s the case, then don’t focus on sits you can’t do, focus on ones you can do. I’m baffled why any owner would say this, unless it was in response to something you wrote in your application.

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When I was new, the first decline message I got confused me as it said “Sorry the dates didn’t work out”, it was from THS, but at the time I thought that message was from the host. Could that be what you mean?

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I’ve also received that message from THS.

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That’s probably it @hikergal, good spot :raising_hands:t3: That message does say “sorry the dates didn’t work out this time” which means the other two were declines & they found an alternative sitter @Animallover1 through the automated system. #dontgiveup

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My Top Tips

Always include a WhatsApp mobile number to offer to arrange a video chat.

Start by giving the HO a reason to want to speak with you, even if ultimately they don’t choose you, because as a new sitter without reviews you’d like the opportunity to experience the video chat for the future…and any feedback. A few HOs might be willing.

Apply for short local sits in your own location.

Write in your applications to new HOs that it is an opportunity for you both to work as a Team to both get that elusive first sit 5* Review.

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Even seasoned sitters with a strong THS track record get declines. Your application is only an application, not a guaranteed sit.

Be sure to refine:

  • profile
  • application message (personalized is good, and others have offered good recommendations for point to include)

Some sits are very competitive; others are very non-competitive, and there’s a full spectrum between. Shorter sits (2-3 days or so) are less competitive, as are sits in less-recognized locations. Sits with more involved responsibilities are also less competitive. And last-minute sits are often a good opportunity. As you build your track record, it’s a good idea to try for a few short-duration near-term sits (this is easiest if you search locally in your area), which will help you quickly rack up reviews.

It sounds like you just need to play the numbers game a little more, but if you find you’re still struggling to get responses, try pulling on each of the above levers!

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Thanks again for the comments and suggestions. Funny enough, I got a request to apply for a sit last night!!!

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I did my first sit seven miles from my house just to get that first review.

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Brilliant, we found that after we had 3 reviews, everything changed, the acceptance rate shot up. Even if you do just a couple of short sits, just to get those first THS reviews in, then everything changes. good luck.

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Yes, that can work for some sitters. There are many variables among sitters, sits and hosts.

Personally, I didn’t do any local sits till my second year with THS, when I was having a home remodeled.

My first three sits were on the opposite U.S. coast from me and my fourth was in the U.K. Then I did two more on the opposite U.S. coast and two in the U.K., including London.

Popular locations like London are much more competitive — anyone can apply, but you want to temper your expectations the less experienced you are. (Some sitters have lots of experience, just not with THS yet.)

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Welcome to forum @Animallover1 ! (And welcome to @nancyHar !)

Remember the numbers. Even if a host gets 5 excellent applications, they only need one sitter. You’d expect 80 % decline.

It is about beating the numbers. To beat the numbers, learn what is going on. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

A host would ofc prefer a sitter with THS reviews over a sitter without. So getting THS reviews is important.

A host in a high interest location can be very, very picky and still get loads of sitters. Hosts in less popular areas won’t get so many applicants.

Experienced sitters often want nice locations - and longer sits.

Short sits are less popular. Last minute sits are less popular (full time sitters plan months and up to a year ahead).

To get a sit, that means you will be more likely to get a short sit, a last minute sit, a sit in a less popular area. These sits can still be good sits, by all means! But the competition for them will be lower.

It is often adviced for new sitters to try and do a couple of local, short sits if possible. That would give you a quick way to THS reviews, which is kind of the currency to get sits. For local sits one can also offer to meet up before the sit, which could help when one doesn’t have THS reviews. It will be a gamechanger for you when you have 2-3-4 reviews.

I don’t know what your preferred areas are, but for instance UK has so many more sits than sitters (apart from London, which is high in demand for sitters).

But it is all about a good match, and all of us have been new at some point. Read up on forum, lots of great information! Just remember that we are more likely to come here to vent than to share wonderful experiences. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: I’ve had only great sits, I think for a large part because I am picky in what to apply for. A good sit is a sit that you too have criterias for. Best of luck!

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