Generally there has been great experiences with THS. This summer is an exception.
Twice I have had sitters apply and then cancel- without explanation beyond “something came up”. Makes for some frustration and wasting of my time and energy. One sitter agreed to stay and then requested that we have his two teenagers come along for a week stay…
Seriously unprofessional behavior. The ability to flag this type of behavior would be helpful to owners.
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Just to clarify - when you say apply then cancel, are they confirmed sits on your dashboard? I only ask because there seems to be some confusion around a sitter withdrawing an application and an actual cancellation.
I would say that in my experience there are many cancellations taking place for trivial reasons which are not being reported.
The last two sits I applied for were relisted due to sitter cancellations. One homeowner had two sitters cancel due to a change of mind after confirming.
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Why aren’t you open to family members staying with the housesitter?
Apply then cancel, does that mean you accepted them to sit, as in it was a confirmed sit? If yes, did they cancel after they read your welcome guide?
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Well, we are not professionals.
And requesting something is no problem.
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To be honest, I think it’s entirely up to the owner to decide whether he/she wants family members of the sitter to stay.
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Ultimately it is up to the owner, but it does break the no third party policy if it wasn’t arranged & discussed prior to accepting the sit offer. At least they asked, but ultimately they couldn’t really have expected you to say yes.
If you haven’t already, it might help you to state in your listing who your sit would suit (e.g: no families; singles or couples only).
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Flagging in these circumstances sounds rather draconian.
Understanding if you mean “cancelled” after they confirmed the sit, leaving you in a bind, or just withdrawing the application is important here.
Why do you mind that they ask whether they can bring their children? Unless you had already expressly mentioned that it’s not a family friendly sit, no harm in asking, you can always say no.
There’s definitely a difference between applying and then changing your mind (either side) or applying, confirming and then cancelling. The first two sound as if they just changed their minds so unfortunate but that’s life. Yes, better if extra people requests are made at the time of application but “if you don’t ask you don’t get”, it’s also fine for you to say no, sorry, no other guests. (Good to add this “rule” to your WG and listing too for the future). As @pietkuip says, no-one on this site is a professional, it’s simply a mutual exchange of free pet care for free accommodation so we all have to work with each others’ quirks in order for happy sits. #amsureitsjustablip
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Exactly. If someone was looking for a “professional” sitter, I’d prefer not to sit for them. It’s a fun, voluntary way of travelling for me. I take responsibilities very seriously, but I’m not a corporate person applying for a corporate role here.
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It sure does!
@Cuttlefish @andrealovesanimals . . . I saw a listing recently that called for “an absolute professional and a contribution to bills”. 
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Am going for #youcanwhistleinthewind @RosiePosie 
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If they meant it as a joke, that would be funny…
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Sounds like a divorced dad whose custody plans may have changed.
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I wonder if professional behaviour would include going to bed at the same time as the dog… what do people think? @BonnyinBrighton
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Sounds like a withdrawal of the application rather than cancellation. Actually, yesterday I used exactly that expression, plus an apology, to withdraw an application. I meant to be polite instead of saying “Sorry. If, a few days after reading my application and being on reviewing mode, you can’t bother to write a brief acknowledgement, I don’t think we’re a good match”.
I’m getting a bit confused with the expression “sitter cancelling”, I have read it a few times on the forum. I thought sitters weren’t able to cancel a sitting unless HO or THS do it for them. I thought all we could do was “ask for cancellation” in exceptional circumstances. Am I wrong?
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I can understand that you are a little irritated if for the same sitdates, first a sitter cancels (after hitting the confirmation button) and than a sitter (after first confirming to come alone) asks to bring others (third parties) into the house, who also will stay there for a couple of nights.
I know that things can change, but if it is twice for the same sit, after so long no problems, if it is just bad luck, or that mentality of (in this case) the sitters has changed.
I hope for you it is bad luck.
That’s technically true, but nobody can force a sitter to come if they can’t or no longer want to.
I have also withdrawn my application in the past if there was no reply for too long (like a week plus minus).
That’s not cancelling in any shape or form. I expressed an interest, which didn’t get acknowledged, so I took it back and moved on.
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Of course! “absolute professionals” would. Unfortunately, one cannot trust “the help” these days.
But I don’t get the “contribution to bills” part. It doesn’t match the “entitlement” of the demand.