@Lulubelle - Were these trustedhousesitters?
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We would have to have the complete story to be able to have an opinion about that specific incident.
Friend-of-friend stories are always very difficult to be able to verify all details.
In any case, you do have to be very careful when you add negative comments on the forum to be very sure to make it very clear that the issue had nothing to do with Trusted Housesitters
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@Lulubelle I was talking specifically about this negative comment -
You writing it on this group forum could make anyone reading it presume that you are talking about trusted house sitters, which you are not.
We know nothing about the circumstances of that incident. Why were the people in your friendās house in the first place? were they tenants?lodgers?friends?strangers? - where is the connection to THS?
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Ok, I think weāve chased this topic enough. It was not a TrustedHousesitters-related stay, and enough of a hassle to dissuade at least one homeowner from having sitters stay too long. All good on all sides.
Thanks everyone for your thoughts on this.
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@Helen74 , it is perfectly reasonable to request that sitters leave your dog for no longer than 4-5 hours and offering to hire a dog walker so people can be out longer on occasion is very nice! All sounds good to me and even people who are not working at home will be able to comply.
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You sound completely reasonable and caring about the sitter experience as well as your pupās! Many dog sits are posted that are less flexible than your requirements and they seem to be happily filled by sitters so Iām sure youāll find a great match.
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We have been with THS for five years. On our first sit the HO ran off the ācontractā that is somewhere within THS. One of the things in the contract was that you agreed to leave on the specific date stated on the sit. Not sure if itās legally binding, but I would bet that THS had it legally checked at some point. Iām not sure where to find it, as weāre getting ready to do our 45th sit and no one has ever ask us to sign it again. But, Iām sure someone can tell us where to find it. That might help some homeowners be more ease.
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@Sittersue Great memory 
Here is what the old agreement form looked like, it mentions that it is not legally binding and we no longer promote it. I think there was talk of removing this link as itās not really used any more so I will pass this information on to the Product team.
I only have it as a member previously Googled it. I am not sure it is on the platform anymore!
Wow, much more in-depth than I rememberā¦weāve since sat 6 times for that HOā¦I guess they now know we arenāt squatters, just frequent visitorsš¤£
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@Carla good riddance to that document! There is no way we would be members of THS if that contract was a requirement! Imagine sitters having to pay a security deposit (aka bond) to care for a house & pets then trying to get that refunded if the HO wasnāt happy with them, whatever the reason.
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I had a cat once where the owner always fed it on the table, where you were eating. Had to pull a chair out for it to climb on to. before leaping on to the table as had got so fat it could no longer leap all the way. First morning whilst owner still they I had its tail swishing in my face, whilst attempting to eat my breakfast. It ate from the floor after that without problems, until owner returned.
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Literally, this is how Trusted Housesitters is marketed! āTHE FREEDOM TO TRAVELā IS THEIR HEADLINE
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@Lisa_PB yes, this is on our website, but this is just advising those folks who never realized all the advantages of pet care in this platform. It gives the Pet Parent, the Pet and the sitter so much more understanding that pet care can lead to a whole new life!
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I have only found that this year. For the last 2 years I have found that it was a lot more for the animals - not so this year 2023. It definitely seems l lot different.
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I absolutely have no clue why people are getting defensive and taking it personally about YOUR preferences in a sitter. I find it humorous.
This is all about preferences and everyone has their right to choose who they want as an owner/sitter. This doesnāt mean you have low opinion of nomadic sitters. You just donāt want to take the chance where there could be a red flag of legal liability. Makes perfect sense to me.
As a U.S. resident, squatters rights is real! Doesnāt matter what platform or instance it happened in. Hearing about these things is enough to put a bad taste in your mouth and not want to take the chance.
I get it. Itās something I have definitely thought of as an owner. I live in Jersey now, but my old town of NYC - squatters have rights only after 30 days
Itās insanity!
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I just had a sitter cancel as she was in between apts. She has been using TH because her permanent housing isnāt finalized.
When she canceled, she just told me that she isnāt going to be in town. Yeah, thatās it. No other explanation or anything.
At least she had the decency to cancel way in advanceā¦ Which brings up another topic that TH should have some type of notification/note on someoneās profile when they cancel a sit.
If an owner or sitter are repeatedly canceling sits, they can easily be avoided.
There should be more structure and transparency as this platform is growing and the quality of users is dwindling on both sides. The honor system for TH no longer works, especially in the year 2023.
Edited to meet posting guidelines
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One last thought, I absolutely hate the 5 applicant rule. I get the reason behind it, but as I said, this doesnāt work in current times.
I find that the most unqualified sitters are jumping into my pool with a quickness - hence closing my applications right away. Sometimes, it can be that my applications close within the hr of my post. Iām in a very desirable location, so that also adds to the people just wanting a place to stay.
I donāt have a trust fund. I work. I canāt be sitting at the computer/on my phone 24/7 to decline applicants and unpause applications constantly
Because I have learned to CAREFULLY and thoroughly vet sitters as I feel the quality has declined tremendously over the past year, itās taking me longer to find the right sitter
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@Catin88 I totally agree and the subject has been raised many times before.
It appears your sitter did not adhere to the THS Code of Conduct which states cancellations can only take place in exceptional circumstances.
Apparently data is kept on cancellations but this can only be done if you report it to THS. Iām not saying it will do any good but they will never have accurate data unless we advise them.
The majority of sits go ahead as planned and I feel they are happy to keep things as they are. Their only advice to cancelled sitters and homeowners is to ālook for something elseā!
Sorry to hear of your experience- I am assuming that this sit was a confirmed sit not just at invitation stage ?
This has also been discussed on this thread with too many HO reporting that this has happened this year .
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Which is exactly my point about the transparency. TH admin say they are recording this, but what good is this for the sitters and owners on the platform when we donāt see it. Plus, itās not like they remove chronic cancelers.
In the past year, I have had 5 canceled sits. Thank God that I was always able to find a replacement. But there is absolutely no way of knowing that a sitter or owner isnāt reliable.
Iām going to be very frank. I donāt have faith in the TH admin about protecting us from horrible/bad experiences. I think they care more about $$$ vs the user experience.
This is why the transparency needs to be there so owners and sitters can make their own decisions knowing patterns and facts.
Yes, this was a confirmed sit. The sitter canceled 3 months after confirming and 8 weeks before the sit.
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