@Redlady Yes its definitely a question to ask before confirming. If the host is not helpful or organised in that respect it is better to decline- than to risk the potential stress… I could not bear a pet suffer or die -on my watch- because funds were not available for Vet care. Fortunately we have- till now- never been in that situation. Our hosts have always organised payments when treatment has been needed. My post above was worded strongly because I believe it is absolutely unfair, and wrong of THS, to put the onus on sitters. I simply do not and will not comply with that condition! Nor should you.
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Deleting as no longer relevant.
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@RosiePosie I am so sorry to hear that. Did that host pay you back promptly? And did you question them about why they did not use their account with the Vet? That sounds so unfair that because of that situation you now feel the need to leave THS. Why not just see that as an uncomfortable lesson learned and question/challenge all future hosts about their Vet arrangements? There are so many other ways HOs can make financial arrangements that do involve the sitter.
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After my experience with Riley, I’m letting already confirmed sits know that I need either a letter of authorization/assurance that any such expenses will be covered - 3 sits have agreed. Haven’t had an issue with anyone - current sit even left me $50 cash for anything that may come up - which of course won’t pay for anything at the vet. Riley’s parents wrote me a check for my expenses plus something extra for my extra care - they just did it, all I asked for was to cover the vet bill.
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I did a sit with 2 older dogs and the HO left the credit card with me. I know there are horror stories of irresponsible sitters but I have 80+ reviews and people let me drive their cars - leaving a credit card doesn’t seem unreasonable if the HO is going to be out of touch.
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Deleting as no longer relevant.
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@RosiePosie that was a really ugly move on the part of the host to expect you to pay (as per the ridiculous t&cs) even when they had an account set up!!! Thank goodness for the savvy receptionist…
That would have made me so angry 
Did you mention this experience in your review?
Re- the T&Cs I do not believe they can be legally enforceable. We sign no legal contract with the host nor are we paid for our services.
If you have clarified the Vet situation with the host beforehand -and got something down in black & white- as back up- I don’t see how you could be held liable for anything by anybody.
Personally I think it is completely unnecessary scaremongering by THS. I cannot take that t&c seriously and will not be held to it.
The HO is ultimately responsible for all the costs, however they choose to organise it.
Sitters are not slaves. We are not under legal contract. We are unpaid volunteers and THS is basically just a matching site.
End of rant…
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That seems unreasonable unless it was something minor, we’re new to this site but with friends and family previously we leave full details of our vets and notify them we are on holiday and will resolve bills on return, we supply details of our pet insurance as well
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I made the personal decision that I would not accept sits where an owner expected me to cover any out-of-pocket experiences in regards to their pet’s care, including vet services of any kind. I state this upfront and only if the owner agrees to this and has a card on file with their vet, do I go ahead with the sit. I simply refuse to be financially responsible for the costs of the pet’s healthcare when I am already offering a valuable service for free and responsible for my travel costs in order to do so.
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I would never ever agree to do this. I am not spending any money on their pet or pets - period. They are already receiving free pet care. Also, its definitely not legal to enforce such a financial burden on sitters, in particular, where there is not a limit outlined. What happens if they need emergency surgery? Am I meant to cough up 10,000 or above? This is very bizarre. Please change the T&C’s to expressly require pet owners to be fully responsible for the costs related to their pet’s health without expectation that the sitter cover those costs. Leave it to the sitter’s discretion whether they voluntarily choose to assist with pre-payment or not. Please make it clear it’s not a requirement by THS and the sitter has a right to refuse to do so. What happens if the owner cries poor after the fact? No way would I ever agree to pay anything upfront. I require every owner to pre-arrange a card with their vet and provide petty cash for emergency requirements or be available to prepay via online means.
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Wow…no, I hadn’t seen that. Thanks for raising the issue.
To be fair, for most of the sits we do, the homeowners have an account with the local vet. But that’s not always the case.
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Good luck enforcing that! Without THS supplying a process to do a pre-check of the property there is no process to prove the damage didn’t already exist when you arrived. So legally, it’s a non-starter. You can’t enforce a contract without legal basis (proof). The possible result if an owner tried to use this clause is that: a) Where is the proof? b) It’s unenforceable without footage/proof that the damage was done specifically by the sitter. It could have been 3rd party theft etc. I wouldn’t worry about it. Sitters, to circumvent this, I expressly state that the owner must have their own home insurance and are duly responsible for the safety of their property and possessions by third parties, which aren’t my responsibility as a pet sitter.
This is similar to the letter they gave sitters who travelled overseas to give to immigration officers that would ultimately get them deported. In the US for example it’s not legal to do any work at all without a work visa - even voluntary - so the letter would basically prove you intended to offer free services and get you deported. It’s happened before. I don’t trust THS lawyers at all. Set up your own agreements prior.
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Agreed! I would worry that my pet may end up without vet care if the sitter had to worry about cost.
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