@Catin88 In response to #4 , I strongly encourage all Home Owners to write an honest review after having a poor sitter experience. Be strong. Be brave. Be truthful. Stand firm. Constructive reviews help future HO’s and the house sitters.
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See how everyone is different. In another thread, the HO states that she prefers sitters that are going to work from home, because they will be home a lot, looking after the pets, instead of out and about doing touristy stuff for hours on end.
I think your listing should be clear about what you expect. Everyone wants something different.
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@botvot We are all definitely unique in our expectations. I like the fact that as a HS you get to explore new spaces and see new sights while caring for pets and a home.
@AnnMarie Thank you for your response.
We showed the HS our outdoor security system so they were aware that we were checking in at times. I like your suggestion about “listening”. I will put that in my listing for next time.
As for the chickens, they had never experienced chickens before. I gave them the lowdown prior to the sit but they still wanted to sit for us. I’m sure they would find it less onerous next time when they have had the experience.
Kind regards,
em
We totally agree with the comments re the amount of new sitters possibly joining this year. I have commented on this before, the amount of advertising THS has done is huge, from radio to print and it makes it seem as its such an easy job. Thats possibly why you have had some duds.
Also it can have a reverse afeect on highly experienced sitters like ourselves, some people may prefer fresh people, fortunately we are lucky to have repeat sits.
If possible we always try and visit before a sit so we can all get a feel for each other, not always possible. Having said that one of best sits was agreed over the phone, no video link and off we went down to Southern Spain for 6 weeks in the car and ended up sitting eventually in Portugal for 2 years! Couldn’t return due to Covid! Best choice we ever made.
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@Geiriadur. I hope you reflected their lack of care in your review of them. It’s important to “call it like it is”. I’ve never had a negative experience with a sitter but 1 is too many when it comes to the care of my sweet little girl, Shula or my home.
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I agree about going with a “gut” feeling after carefully dissecting their profile and speaking with them by FaceTime or Zoom. It’s as important what potential sitters don’t say, as much as what they do say. If I don’t have a sense that their love of new experiences with pets, matches their desire to be in a new place, then they aren’t right for me.
I am a sitter on this site and have recently read a few ads for dogs who can’t be left alone and also are not well socialized. Bravo for the owners honesty but surely this should be a job for a paid sitter? So I can’t leave the house without woof but he goes into meltdown at the sight of another dog!Just to point out that owners can make unrealistic demands too.
I’m most attracted to ads where the owners show interest in my comfort and enjoyment as well as the pets. It should be a win win win for everyone.
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@Tuppence yes! THS promotes the site as being about travel. This is how I’m using THS. The HO gets to have a travel experience AND the sitter gets to have a travel experience. It’s not about a sitter just volunteering to stay with pets without being able to enjoy getting out. It’s a different way of traveling where sitters are responsible of caring for the pets in exchange for accommodations in a location they want to visit . Sitters are animal lovers who enjoy time with pets and being able to have a living like a local experience unlike a 'just being on vacation 'type of travel. Also there is the nomadic sitters lifestyle, and full-time sitter communities. Some sitters do the sits where pets are more difficult to care for to help out the community as I’ve seen mentioned.
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If the owner has a pet with severe separation anxiety or a cat that needs diabetes injections, I just move on to the next profile. I appreciate them being up front. Both sides need to find what works for them. Fortunately there’s room for a wide variety of sits.
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I became THS member in February and had travelled for 5 months in UK and Belgium for a total of 12 sits. I have always love cats and the idea of traveling solo but coming home after a day out to cats that needed or wanted my attention appeals to me more. I also find that I am a champion of the underdogs. While having perfectly healthy low maintenance cats are a blessing, having to take care of cats with special needs or in need of insulin injection or medication are something I can handle too (and loves doing).
There are so many homeowners with their own needs and wants as there are for us sitters. Perhaps the one you pass off is the one that gave me the most joy.
I am enjoying house sitting so much, I am already planning for 2023 
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Good for you! I’ve given medicine and had trips to vets when necessary. once I initiated a trip to the vet to treat a cat for a very distressing condition which was misinterpreted as a nervous condition by its owner. That’s all part of the job and I do it gladly. I certainly wouldn’t turn down a sit because a pet needs medication.
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As in all good relationships… transparency on expectations goes a long way. If the expectation is that the home and pets never be left alone for more than three hours at a time… then say that explicitly and clearly, and hopefully sitters will self select out who are not interested in being around for the animals.
I have done pet sits for both ends of the spectrum - ones where there is a self sufficient animal and the HO literally just wants them to ensure they have clean food and water “but otherwise they are good”, and sits for dogs with extreme separation anxiety that I took literally everywhere with me, every single day. The thing that makes those equally great? I knew exactly what I was signing up for and I opted in. I have interviewed for several sits that I declined because the actual expectations of the pet-parents were not at all aligned with what was described in the profile. I can only speak as a data point of one, but I hope that all sitters talk through the same clarity of expectations with the HO’s. From reading these responses… it sounds like that is not always the case.
The spirit of the site is “The Freedom to Travel” and the exchange is a win-win for home owners and [pet or home] sitters. If you’re dropping $3,000 to fly to to another continent, it’s important to understand the expectations simply so you can plan accordingly. If you only have a 3 hour window to go outside the home… you may want to extend your trip a few days so you can do more sight seeing, or get further outside of the city, or it may not be the right trip for you if you only have limited time off.
End of novel, but transparency is appreciated on both sides and goes a long way!
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Yes I do agree on transparency and flexibility. I have seen HO clearly stating their requirements in bold caps. I love my walks and hikes. And as I sometimes get carried away by new surroundings I could be away for at least 4-5 hours. In that case, I just give those stating a time limit a pass. But if I were to accept the caveat, I would definitely honor the request. On some sits, I may just feel like hibernating and suffocating the pets with tlc. So the HO has as much right to demand anything as long as it is clearly indicated before confirmation. Having confirmation and then having issues and cancellation is just a waste of time. And as an international sitter, logistics planning can be a nightmare.
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I am always concerned about sitters more interested in touring than caring for the pets
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@Audreychloe I can understand your concerns. My hubby and I always do our touring before and after the sit and we personally spend all of our time with the pets we are caring for and we love it. We love to take the dogs out and about with us and give them a mini holiday until their owners return.
I know that not everyone would want to spend the whole time with your pets but this would be discussed with any potential sitters prior to the sit before it is confirmed.
The pets will always come first and be the priority.
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Most sitters put the animals as their priority but there should always be time for them to explore with or without the pets - presumably dogs. I, like to take dogs in my charge with me as much as possible but it’s not always possible. Most owners understand sitters need time exploring, some have positively encouraged me to do it. I would never accept a sit where I couldn’t leave a dog for a few hours now & then
However, this is now off topic & has been discussed before.
Back to London tips! 
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I have found that the majority of my sits have been offered to me without any phone calls or video calls. I believe I may have had a couple of video calls and slightly more than a couple of phone calls but otherwise they have just all been confirmed after a couple of message exchanges. In fact my very first sit was confirmed immediately after making an enquiry. It was before THS brought in the option, to accept or decline when offered it.
But sometimes everything about the pets may have been mentioned before any video call and also all details regarding them may be in the profile. Some homeowners do give very detailed write ups on their pets.
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@Audreychloe - The problem arises when we try to put the reasons why sitters sit in a 1st 2nd and 3rd order.
It is equivalent to asking someone to put their children in order of most favourite.
Most sitters sit because of 1, 2 and 3, in an order of equal importance.
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As retired folks, and full time sitters, we will almost always opt to be far from cold winter weather. For the most part, we were successful in finding milder locations, after the holidays. It’s not always about the vacation and tourist spots for us, but after considering the type of pet, our 2nd priority is how often the temperature will stay above 50 
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