The current default position seems to be for the sitter to do the work to preempt, identify and confirm arrangements for so many potential areas of liabilities, complications and pitfalls for the owner’s pet & home while away. Most of which hopefully wouldn’t happen of course, but you can’t take the risk. And the sitter carries it entirely once the owner leaves.
What if it is your first sit or you have little experience and something happens first off? You would be going in blind. And exposed. As I did first time. Luckily all went well. But what if it hadn’t? Without this forum I’d not have a clue.
THS is such a great idea and on the whole works so well for so many. Bringing a multitude of good wins for both HOs and HSs. And the people running it seem to genuinely care.
It seems to me that this thread is once more, highlighting a wider more general situation that is often discussed on our forum, about the imbalance and inequality between the position of HO v HS.
I cannot see any reason why in general it needs to be stacked that way.
There are simple solutions, through reasonable & appropriate changes to the expression of terms and conditions, and even a healthy change in language used and the review system etc., that could bring that about that balance and equity. I do keep wondering why that’s not done … and what is the purpose.
It would perhaps be far fairer, clearer, consistent, safer, more reliable and professional to have these potential scenarios/arrangements (for eg vet visits/costs/decisions or other emergencies like plumbers, lost keys etc) outlined and provided in advance in a template to the HOs, by a neutral THS, to complete before a sit can be considered confirmed. Then the sitter can assess the arrangements/liabilities laid out in advance to see if they want to accept them.
Just needs prompts in a template grid asking what arrangements are in place for the main possible scenarios (as above). And these could be then sent automatically to the HS at the point an offer to sit is made.
They are things any responsible HO should be thinking about and sorting before they go away anyway, so it’s not an additional burden. But not everyone is that experienced or organised. This solution would ensure safety, clarity and consistency.
HOs would be grateful and impressed by the thorough THS service. It sets the scene for values and expectations and reflects well on THS. It would be accepted as standard considerations for correct and fair protocol.
This should be done across the board, every time, as these scenarios apply equally to potentially all sits and would be easy to facilitate through said template provided to HOs. It would also be covering THS in terms of their duty of care from having a contract of agency with both HOs and HSs.
The risk snd onus to preempt and raise Qs on all such potential events for homes & pets, for should not be on the sitter, as they are currently, to bring up and deal with. It’s not their home/pet/holiday. But the way it’s set up currently, it is entirely their liability and burden.
THS have a duty of care towards the sitter too, as they too pay a membership fee. It should not just be about matching up and leaving exposed sitters to figure it out. That’s foreseeable trouble just waiting to happen, which can be avoided. And now have been flagged to THS.
I do hope we can work together to make these vital improvements needed for the benefit of us all.